WGS 3800

Doug is a great guy who is very passionate about Queer Theory. By NO means is this a typical "easy" WGS course. I feel as though Doug goes out of his way to really defy that stereotype about WGS courses. Doug is a harsh grader, but he keeps it real. The material is INSANELY interesting and eye-opening and this is what made the course worth it for me. You really have to work hard, attend the class, and participate in discussion in order to succeed, and quite frankly with the way the class is structured it's hard not to. He is extremely helpful in office hours, and wants to help you while still remaining a harsh grader. It's a second writing requirement, but I would only recommend it if you're a WGS major / minor and want to expand your horizons instead of taking the fem theory course, or are VERY interested in Sexuality Studies. Very reading intensive, as well!

There are 3 3 page response papers, one 12 (+) page research paper, and one 7.5 minimum page final that take up most of the grade, along with a group presentation and in class participation.

I took this class in the first semester of my first year...so if I could do it then, you can absolutely take it whenever. This class will change the way you think, the way you view your own life and identity, and society as a whole. Deconstructing gender, sexuality, power dynamics in society, capitalism, bureaucracy, the whole shebang. I would recommend this class to everyone. It is definitely a good amount of reading (20-50 pages after every class to prepare for discussion) and we also read Foucault's History of Sexuality, but, like every class, you can definitely skim and work through it. For grading, there were two 3-5 page response papers on Foucault, and then an 8-12 page research paper on any topic you wanted. There was also a group project/presentation, which was
a decent amount of work and it was actually pretty fun. Lastly, the final exam was 3 short essays (under 3 pages each), but you had 6 options for prompts. Not going to lie, the research paper and the final were due about two weeks apart, and he did not ever give individual grades back for them. So, you have to manage your time and actually try on these essays, or else you are potentially sacrificing 50% of your grade..you don't know your final grade until it's too late to do anything about it. Moral of the story, this class is a real eye opener, but I would recommend waiting to take it in person, because class discussions were often the best part. It's a lot of reading and writing, but you can definitely do it.