African American Studies (AAS) Courses
AAS 2013. Introduction to African American Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Offers an interdisciplinary introduction to major topics in African American Studies. Course materials will address basic contours of the Black experience in the United States. Topics that may be investigated include historical, autobiographical, political, cultural, sociological, literary, and/or popular responses to and representation of African Americans in the United States. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Language, Philosophy and Culture. Generally offered: Fall, Spring. Generally Scheduled Location: Downtown Campus, Main Campus, Internet. Course Fee: DL01 $75; LRC1 $12; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 2113. African American Culture, Leadership and Social Issues. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines topics related to twentieth-century African American culture, leadership, and social experiences. The focus of this course includes emphasis on civic engagement, leadership, and/or cultural expression (i.e., music, performance arts, film, visual arts) that informs collective identities, social movements, and/or relevant social issues. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Language, Philosophy and Culture. Course Fees: LRC1 $12; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
AAS 3013. Black Communities and Culture. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines Black communities and their cultural expressions (e.g., art, music, film, literature, cultural identity). The substantive and disciplinary emphasis can vary from one semester to another. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
AAS 3023. Global Blackness and Afro-Latinidad. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers a survey of the African Diaspora from a cultural perspective, exploring the ways African descendent peoples in the Americas have created Black selves, community, and struggle through transnational imagination and action. The role of Afro-Latinidad, Black social movements, culture, music, and the arts will be considered in terms of how they have come to shape the African Diaspora as an evolving space of Black social making and moving. (Same as MAS 3053 and WGSS 3023. Credit can only be earned for one of the following: MAS 3053, WGSS 3023, or AAS 3023.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 3033. African American Film. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers an exploration of films by and about African Americans in conversation with broader African American history, culture, and the politics of the Black experience. Central to this discussion are the ways cinematic representations have helped shape understandings of race and Blackness in the U.S. as they overlap with those of class, gender, and sexuality and how African American filmmakers have used cinema to write their own complex stories of Black life into history. (Same as FMS 3383. Credit cannot be earned for both FMS 3383 and AAS 3033.).
AAS 3113. Doing Black Studies Research. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course introduces students to the practice of conducting independent research. Though it concentrates on the empirical study of Black communities and experiences, this course provides useful introductions to both quantitative and qualitative methods for students in the humanities and social sciences, regardless of major. Students will learn and practice a diverse set of methodologies, and consider the ethics of Black Studies research before proposing their own project. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
AAS 3133. African Americans in Higher Education. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course explores the history of African Americans in higher education. The course examines especially significant post-secondary issues and topics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, such as access, equity, diversity, student organizations, institutional leadership, and current events. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 3233. Black Freedom Sounds: From the Blues to Hip Hop. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers a survey of African American music-making, exploring how different forms of Black music have served to “testify” Black experiences and humanity while envisioning alternative Black futures. Beginning with West and Central African musical traditions as the foundation, the course traces the evolution of African American music from work songs and spirituals to the Blues, Jazz, 1960s Freedom songs, R&B, and Funk, up to contemporary Hip Hop. The course will also examine the intersectional complexities within these musical histories and explore how Black musical practices in the U.S. have been shaped through dialogue with other African-descendant communities, both locally and globally. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 3433. An Introduction to Critical Race Theory (CRT). (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course is an introduction to Critical Race Theory (CRT), a theory used to study racial inequity. In this course, students will learn the foundational tenets of CRT, its major theoretical constructs, and its methodological approaches. They will also explore various strands, such as TribalCrit, LatCrit, AsianCrit, and DisCrit. They will consider its utility and limitations while applying it to their own understanding of racial injustice. (Same as MAS 3433. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 3433 and AAS 3433.).
AAS 3883. Black and Brown Latinx Music Ensemble. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Ensemble specializing in Afro-Latinx and all genres of Mexican American music. Open to all students by audition. May be repeated for credit. Course focuses on refining performance technique and style, examines the historical development of Afro-Latinx and Mexican American music genres, their cross-cultural interactions and influences in their migration into the US, and music as an integral part of Latinx/Chicanx society, culture, education, and economy. Repertoire will vary from semester to semester, depending on the instructor and ensemble instrumentation. All instruments and voices are welcome to audition. This is a performing ensemble. Rehearsal and performance/concert participation is required. (Same as MAS 3883. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 3883 and AAS 3883.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4013. Special Topics in African American Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers an exploration of an individual topic or set of issues in African American Studies offered during a specific semester. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Course Fee: DL01 $75; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4023. Black and Brown Youth Resistance. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines theories of youth resistance, and specifically the ways in which youth of color have and continue to resist, whether through organizing social justice movements, self-expression, and/or cultural production. Drawing from Critical Youth Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Women of Color feminisms, this course explores how youth as a whole, and youth of color specifically, are socially constructed in the U.S. and the impact of these constructions of race, gender, sexuality, and age structurally on youth in terms of the policies that are created that impact their everyday lives. This course also explores the contributions youth of color have made and continue to make in society, not only through organizing but also through their everyday forms of resistance such as their behaviors, languaging, forms of self-expression, engagement with popular culture, and resulting cultural production. (Same as MAS 4023. Credit cannot be earned for both AAS 4023 and MAS 4023.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4033. Women of Color Feminisms. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course centers feminist epistemological contributions of Women of Color. As a result of their positionalities, Women of Color have developed their own organizations, printing presses, research approaches, and critical theories, and have contributed to social change. This course examines critical theories that make up Black, Chicana/x and Latina/x, Indigenous, and Asian/Asian American feminisms. Women of Color feminisms have advanced change through their scholarship, activism, community organizing, participation in mutual aid, cultural production, and critique of and resistance to coloniality in all of its forms. This course uses an intersectional approach to examining the contributions of Women of Color feminisms across disciplines to include, but not limited to, education, public health, popular culture, community organizing, policy, and cultural production. (Same as MAS 4033 and WGSS 4033. Credit can only be earned for one of the following: AAS 4033, WGSS 4033, or MAS 4033.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4043. Intersectionality. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Intersectionality considers the ways interrelated systems of power along the lines of race, class, gender, sexuality, and other forms of social difference shape society and related life experiences. This course examines the historical trajectory of intersectionality as a theoretical concept and research paradigm rooted in Black and Women of Color feminisms and related forms of activism. The course also explores how the concept has expanded to include the study of intersectional experiences across a wide range of social identities and communities. (Same as WGSS 4053 and MAS 40453. Credit cannot be earned for more than one of the following: MAS 4053, WGSS 4053, or AAS 4043.). Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4103. Writing Black Lives. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course is an examination of selected works detailing the complexities of Black lives across the Diaspora. Focused on developing both critical reading and critical writing skills, this course allows students to study Black life writers and simultaneously consider how self-invention, creativity, and imagination are used in the writing of Black lives. Black life writing, as practice, combats white supremacist stereotypes about Black characters, both historical and present day. We will read various approaches to Black life writing, and students will develop life writing skills in areas critical to Black experiences, culminating in a writing project in the genres of their choosing (essay, short story, folk tale, novel, or autobiography, for example). Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4113. The Black Church and Social Change in the 20th-Century. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines key characteristics, leaders, and theological shifts across a wide of array of religious institutions known as the "Black Church." The course focuses on the Black Church's varied influences on the development of social organizations, cultural expressions, localized and national leadership, and educational institutions that serve the needs and desires of Black communities throughout the 20th century. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4133. Black Social Movements. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course explores Black Social Movements through a transnational lens to examine different moments and ways African Americans and other people of African descent have collectively organized and moved toward pursuing social justice and human freedom. Interwoven histories of race, identity, culture, anti-Blackness, revolution, decolonization, and intersectionality, among others, will be examined in the shaping and making of Black communities in social action. (Same as WGSS 4133. Credit cannot be earned for both AAS 4133 and WGSS 4133.). Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4143. Black and Brown Latinas/xs in Music and Society. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A survey of the impact of Black and Brown women/femmes on US and global cultures and societies. The course will emphasize the stylistic and technical nuances and sound production from Black, Brown, and Afro-Latina/x/o diasporas. Examination of women, gender, and sexuality within Black and Brown sonic spaces and analysis of the global histories of the African, Indigenous, and Mexican diasporas through a sociopolitical lens. (Same as MAS 4143. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 4143 and AAS 4143.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4153. Sensing Race, Gender, and Sexuality: Exploring Megan Thee Stallion. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Beginning with Black popular culture as a framework, this course examines knowledge production as it manifests across Black women and femme hip-hop. This course focuses on Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion. We will attend to the conversations initiated through lyrics, tone, body parts, beats, and ad-libs. In exploring her career and the sociocultural factors that contributed to her rise, her struggles, and her successes, we trace Thee Stallion's professional journey as it moves across various topics, including but not limited to hip-hop feminism, gender, sexuality, and violence. Additionally, this course is also invested in the U.S. South as a vital location of Black cultural production for which Megan Thee Stallion comes to represent and is helping forge.
AAS 4213. Senior Capstone. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisites: AAS 2013, AAS 3013, and REGS 2003.
This course is designed to facilitate the work of African American Studies majors as they complete their capstone projects. Working with the professor, and in collaboration with their classmates, students will produce an original contribution to the field grounded in African American Studies methods and theory. Over the course of the semester, we will examine and work through the challenges of producing original research. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4911. Independent Study. (0-0) 1 Credit Hour.
Prerequisites: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the program director, and Dean of the College in which the course is offered.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree. A maximum of 3 semester credit hours may be applied to the minor. Course Fee: STSH $10.27.
AAS 4912. Independent Study. (0-0) 2 Credit Hours.
Prerequisites: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the program director, and Dean of the College in which the course is offered.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree. A maximum of 3 semester credit hours may be applied to the minor. Course Fee: STSH $20.54.
AAS 4913. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the program director, and Dean of the College in which the course is offered. Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree. A maximum of 3 semester credit hours may be applied to the minor. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
AAS 4933. Internship in African American Studies. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Consent of internship coordinator.
Supervised experience relevant to African American studies within selected community organizations. A maximum of 3 semester credit hours may be applied to the minor. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
Mexican American Studies (MAS) Courses
MAS 2013. Introduction to Chicana/x/o Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours. (TCCN = HUMA 1305)
An introduction to the field of Chicana/x/o studies from its inception to the present. Chicana/x/o studies and scholarship are explored through multidisciplinary concepts, theories, and methodologies, providing differing interpretations of Chicana, Chicanx/e, and Chicano experiences in the United States. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Language, Philosophy and Culture. Course Fee: LRC1 $12; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
MAS 2023. Latina/x/o Cultural Expressions. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours. (TCCN = HUMA 1311)
An introductory overview of Latina/x/o visual, performance, literary, pop culture, and other forms of cultural production, with attention to Indigenous and Afro-Latina/x/o expressions in Mexican American, Caribbean, Central American, and South American diasporic communities in the United States. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Creative Arts. (Same as BBL 2023. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 2023 and BBL 2023.) Course Fee: DL01 $75; LRC1 $12; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 2043. Selena: A Mexican American Identity and Experience. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines how the life and career of Selena Quintanilla-la Reina de Tejano music-embodies the historical trajectory of the Mexican American identity and experience in Texas. As exemplified by a line from the biopic about her life, "We gotta prove to the Mexicans how Mexican we are, and we gotta prove to the Americans how American we are. We gotta be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time." Selena's rise to fame will be contextualized by addressing how systemic oppression and intersectionality impact the Mexican American experience. In particular, the course will emphasize how race/ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, and citizenship function as axes of marginalization, as well as how sociohistorical, economic, and political factors converge to shape a Mexican American group identity in Texas, the Southwest and the United States. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
MAS 2053. Mexican American Music Performance Practicum: MAS Corazon de San Antonio. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
An ensemble course open to all students by audition. May be repeated for credit.
This course is for advanced performers with previous experience. It will focus on refining on-stage performance technique and style. It also examines the historical development of Mexican American/Chicanx Music, its cross-cultural interactions and influences, and its role as an integral part of Mexican American society, culture, education, and economy. Repertoire will vary from semester-to-semester, ranging from: Mariachi, Conjunto, Tejano, Chicano/a/x Hip Hop, and modern fusion, and will incorporate each ensemble’s respective instrumentation. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 2063. Latinx Songwriting. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Designed to give an overview of Latinx songwriting styles and techniques. Course suitable for anyone, whether interested in songwriting as an art form or contemplating a career in music. Topics include the importance of song in the Latinx music industry and culture, the relationship of words to music, study of song forms including but not limited to those found in Latin Pop, American Pop, and Mexican Corridos, Boleros, and Rancheras. The course will include an introduction to song demo production using home studio digital audio workstations (DAW), Garage Band, and Logic Pro, and touch upon music publishing and other song-related fields. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 2073. Chicanx Music Methods and Pedagogy. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
An introduction course focused on creating an aligned, culturally relevant, Mexican American music performance curriculum. Course offers methods and pedagogical tools for teaching Mexican American music, ensemble types, and students. The course introduces best practices, instrumentation of traditional Mexican American ensembles, and how to navigate the public-school system to implement culturally inclusive music programs in schools and communities. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 3003. Chicana/o/x Music. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Designed to examine Mexican American experience at the borders where the cultural form of music becomes a way of expressing cultural contact, tension, conflict as well as accommodation and resistance. Music becomes a site of excavating issues of inheritance as well as understanding the dynamics of creative expression. Course reflects historical and social contexts to engage the cultural production of the genres and themes of music found in Mexican American communities. (Formerly titled Musical Mestizaje.) Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
MAS 3013. Chicana/x Queer Communities, Identities and Theories. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines the interdisciplinary field of Chicana/x gender and sexuality studies and explores concepts of identity, belonging, and contributions to culture and society through an intersectional lens. Topics may include language, migration, history, health, family, and kinship. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 3033. Mexican Americans in the Southwest. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Historical foundations of the United States–Mexico biculturalism in the Southwest. An examination of the historical forces that created and shaped the Mexican American people as a bicultural community. Attention is given to Mexican American contributions in arts, economics, literature, and politics. (Same as BBL 3033. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 3033 and BBL 3033.) Generally offered: Fall, Spring. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
MAS 3053. Global Blackness and Afro-Latinidad. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers a survey of the African Diaspora from a cultural perspective exploring the ways African descendent peoples in the Americas have created Black selves, community, and struggle through transnational imagination and action. The role of Afro-Latinidad, Black social movements, culture, music, and the arts will be considered in terms of how they have come to shape the African Diaspora as an evolving space of Black social making and moving. Same as AAS 3023 and WGSS 3023. Credit can only be earned for one of the following: AAS 3023, WGSS 3023, or MAS 3053. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 3063. Historical Legacies of Educational Justice. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course presents key texts central to the study of Chicanas/xs/os in education. It examines the historical legacies and contemporary experiences of children and youth in U.S. schools and community struggles for change. The course will present various theoretical perspectives that problematize the pervasive history of educational inequality. Special attention will be given to the pervasive history of segregation, tracking, language oppression, assimilationist ideologies and practices, and the current struggles for educational justice in Chicana/x/o schools and communities. (Formerly MAS 3023. Same as BBL 3063. Credit can be earned for only one of the following: BBL 3063, MAS 3023, or MAS 3063.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 3113. Latina/x/o Music Production and Industry. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
An introduction to audio-visual techniques and skills used in producing and distributing Latina/x/o music, including audio-visual recording, digital platforms, radio, and podcasts. The course explores potential career opportunities in Latina/x/o Music Production and Industry, introduces learners to current industry software and equipment, and how to market and launch audio-visual products via digital platforms, CD, vinyl, and cassette formats. The class is project-based, and students will learn through real-world applications (meaningful and relevant to areas of interest); the projects completed in this class are tangible pieces that can be included as examples of significant work managed in professional portfolios and on résumés. Students of all disciplines and areas of interest are encouraged to enroll. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 3123. Mexican American Culture. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A survey of Mexican American cultural distinctiveness in the areas of biculturalism, cultural production, and social organization. Topics may include family and kinship, folklore, health, language, music, and religion. (Same as BBL 3123. Credit cannot be earned for both BBL 3123 and MAS 3123.) Generally offered: Fall, Spring, Summer. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
MAS 3133. Gender, Sexuality, and Music in Pre-Contact Indigenous Societies and Afro-Latinx Countries. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course explores the interconnected roles of gender, sexuality, music, and society in pre-contact Indigenous Societies and Afro-Latinx countries. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students examine iconographic and archaeological studies and oral histories to understand how music functioned as both a sonic and physical space where gender and sexuality existed outside Western binaries. Topics include gender roles, the role of music in social and spiritual life, the erasure of Indigenous knowledge systems, the imposition of patriarchal structures, and contemporary decolonization movements that reclaim music as a form of cultural resistance, identity preservation, and resilience. (Same as WGSS 3123. Credit cannot be earned for both WGSS 3123 and MAS 3133.).
MAS 3423. Mexican American Foodways: Recipes for Justice, Health, and Liberation. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course introduces students to the study of Mexican American foodways and sovereignty movements through theoretical concepts and methodologies in Chicana/x/o Studies, Latina/x/o Studies, Indigenous Studies, and food studies. This course also centers community knowledge and efforts of community-based spaces to restore cultural knowledge and promote food justice. Readings, lectures, films, group discussions, active class participation, and community events are central features of this course. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 3433. An Introduction to Critical Race Theory (CRT). (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course is an introduction to Critical Race Theory (CRT), a theory used to study racial inequity. In this course, students will learn the foundational tenets of CRT, its major theoretical constructs, and its methodological approaches. They will also explore various strands, such as TribalCrit, LatCrit, AsianCrit, and DisCrit. They will consider its utility and limitations while applying it to their own understanding of racial injustice. (Same as AAS 3433. Credit cannot be earned for both AAS 3433 and MAS 3433.).
MAS 3883. Black and Brown Latinx Music Ensemble. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Ensemble specializing in Afro-Latinx and all genres of Mexican American music. Open to all students by audition/may be repeated for credit. Course focuses on refining performance technique and style, examines the historical development of Afro-Latinx and Mexican American music genres, their cross-cultural interactions and influences in their migration into the US, and music as an integral part of Latinx/Chicanx society, culture, education, and economy. Repertoire will vary from semester to semester. All instruments and voices are welcome to audition. Repertoire will vary depending on the instructor and ensemble instrumentation. This is a performing ensemble. Rehearsal and performance/concert participation is required. (Same as AAS 3883. Credit cannot be earned for both AAS 3883 and MAS 3883.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4013. Si se puede! Latino Leadership, Activism and Organizing. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course will examine theories of social justice, social change, leadership styles, and basic components required to organizing at the local level for creating meaningful social change. By studying the history and legacy of activism among Mexican American and other Latina/o/x communities, it provides students with the basic tools to become more effective leaders at the grassroots level. Course may include community engagement component as part of the coursework. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4023. Black and Brown Youth Resistance. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines theories of youth resistance, and specifically the ways in which youth of color have and continue to resist, whether through organizing social justice movements, self-expression, and/or cultural production. Drawing from Critical Youth Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Women of Color feminisms, this course explores how youth as a whole, and youth of color specifically are socially constructed in the U.S. and the impact of these constructions of race, gender, sexuality, and age structurally on youth in terms of the policies that are created that impact their everyday lives. This course also explores the contributions youth of color have made and continue to make in society, not only through organizing but also through their everyday forms of resistance such as their behaviors, languaging, forms of self-expression, engagement with popular culture, and resulting cultural production. Same as AAS 4023, credit cannot be earned for both AAS 4023 and MAS 4023. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4033. Women of Color Feminisms. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course centers feminist epistemological contributions of Women of Color. As a result of their positionalities, Women of Color have developed their own organizations, printing presses, research approaches, and critical theories, and have contributed to social change. This course examines critical theories that make up Black, Chicana/x and Latina/x, Indigenous, and Asian/Asian American feminisms. Women of Color feminisms have advanced change through their scholarship, activism, community organizing, participation in mutual aid, cultural production, and critique of and resistance to coloniality in all of its forms. This course uses an intersectional approach to examining the contributions of Women of Color feminisms across disciplines to include, but not limited to, education, public health, popular culture, community organizing, policy, and cultural production. Same as AAS 4033 and WGSS 4033, credit cannot be earned for both AAS 4033, WGSS 4033, and MAS 4033. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4043. Chicana/x Feminisms. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course centers the development of Chicana/x Feminisms before, during, and after the Chicana/o/x Civil Rights Movement. Developed by Chicana/x mothers, activists, youth, community workers, academics, and artists. Chicana/x Feminisms reflects the embodied knowledges and resulting theories of Chicanas/x who live at the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality that provide them with the unique insight and strategies to advocate for social transformation within their communities and beyond. The course begins with an examination of the foundational scholars within Chicana/x Feminist Thought, surveys the various contributions Chicana/x feminisms has made to education, research, labor, cultural production, spirituality, and other areas, and extends to the present to explore the shifts and advancements within Chicana/x Feminist Thought since the Movement. Same as WGSS 4043, credit cannot be earned for both WGSS 4043 and MAS 4043. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4053. Intersectionality. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Intersectionality considers the ways interrelated systems of power along the lines of race, class, gender, sexuality, and other forms of social difference shape society and related life experiences. This course examines the historical trajectory of intersectionality as a theoretical concept and research paradigm rooted in Black and Women of Color feminisms and related forms of activism. The course also explores how the concept has expanded to include the study of intersectional experiences across a wide range of social identities and communities. (Same as AAS 4043 and WGSS 4053. Credit cannot be earned for more than one of the following: MAS 4053, WGSS 4053, or AAS 4043.). Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4083. Research Seminar in Mexican American Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Provides students the opportunity to compare, contrast, and integrate social science theory and methods, and guides students in the conduct of sociocultural research in the Mexican American community. Emphasis will be given to qualitative and ethnographic methods and theory. (Formerly BBL 4083. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 4083 and BBL 4083.) Generally offered: Spring. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
MAS 4143. Black and Brown Latinas/xs in Music and Society. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A survey of the impact of Black and Brown women/femmes on US and global cultures and societies. The course will emphasize the stylistic and technical nuances and sound production from Black, Brown, and Afro-Latina/x/o diasporas. Examination of women, gender, and sexuality within Black and Brown sonic spaces and analysis of the global histories of the African, Indigenous, and Mexican diasporas through a sociopolitical lens. (Same as AAS 4143. Credit cannot be earned for both AAS 4143 and MAS 4143.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4623. Chicana/x/o Art. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
An in-depth study of the history and theory of Chicana/x/o art from the Chicano Movement to the present, with an emphasis on the tensions, iconography, and language that has shaped its conceptualization as an expression of cultural resistance, consciousness, and social change. This course will examine foundational texts in Chicana/x/o art and include classroom visits to arts centers that sustain community art practice. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4733. Tierra y Vida: Culture, Ecology, and Environmental Justice. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course engages the ecological knowledge of communities of the Texas-Mexico borderlands, Mexico, and beyond, from pre and post-colonization to the present. Through critical readings in Chicanx, Queer, Feminist, Indigenous, Decolonial, and Environmental Studies, this course examines advocacy efforts and environmental justice movements that address eco-colonialism, environmental racism, displacement, the global climate crisis, and the ongoing effects of settler colonialism on the land and the people. This course also introduces decolonizing and Indigenous research methods to preserve life-sustaining ecological practices for planetary survival and collective liberation. Course may include ecological field trips, guest lectures, and attending environmental justice events in the community. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4913. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisites: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the Program Coordinator or Department Chair, and Dean of the College in which the course is offered.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4931. Internship in Mexican American Studies. (0-0) 1 Credit Hour.
A supervised experience, relevant to the student’s program of study within selected community organizations and agencies. Must be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. Course Fee: STSH $10.27.
MAS 4932. Internship in Mexican American Studies. (0-0) 2 Credit Hours.
A supervised experience, relevant to the student’s program of study within selected community organizations and agencies. Must be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. Course Fee: STSH $20.54.
MAS 4933. Internship in Mexican American Studies. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A supervised experience, relevant to the student’s program of study within selected community organizations and agencies. Must be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. Course Fee: STSH $30.81.
MAS 4953. Special Studies in Mexican American Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special Studies may be repeated for credit when the topics vary, but not more than 6 semester credit hours, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree. To apply credit earned in MAS 4953 toward a minor, consent of the academic advisor is required.
Generally offered: Fall, Spring. Course Fees: DL01 $75; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 4993. Honors Thesis. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to candidates for Honors in Mexican American Studies during their last two semesters; completion of honors examination and consent of the Honors College.
Supervised research and preparation of an honors thesis. May be repeated once with thesis advisor’s approval. Course Fee: STSH $30.81.
Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Courses
WGSS 2013. Introduction to Women's Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course introduces students to core concepts and frameworks in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, using interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches. Women and gender are studied as socially constructed categories created systemically through institutions. The course will provide students with the tools of critical feminist inquiry to assess how women’s lived experiences are shaped by such categories as race, ethnicity, class, nationality, sexuality, and disability. Through an emphasis on Women of Color feminisms, students will examine theories and analytical concepts that emerge from specific historical periods and social movements. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Language, Philosophy and Culture. (Formerly WGS 2013 and WS 2013. Credit can only be earned for one course: WS 2013, WGS 2013, or WGSS 2013.)
Generally offered: Fall, Spring, Summer. Generally Scheduled Location: Main Campus, Internet. Course Fee: LRC1 $12; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
WGSS 2023. Introduction to LGBTQ Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This interdisciplinary course introduces concepts and theories within LGBTQ Studies. Topics include issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, queer, and other gendered and sexual communities. The central focus is to examine, challenge, and destabilize normative conceptualizations and representations of gender and sexuality. This class emphasizes different aspects of LGBTQ studies including history, queer theory, popular culture, media, and literature. Course work centers on complicating notions of queer identities and genders through intersections of race, class, gender, and other categories. May not be repeated for credit. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Language, Philosophy and Culture. (Formerly WS 2023. Credit cannot be earned for both WGSS 2023 and WS 2023.)
Course Fees: LRC1 $12; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
WGSS 3023. Global Blackness and Afro-Latinidad. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers a survey of the African Diaspora from a cultural perspective, exploring the ways African descendent peoples in the Americas have created Black selves, community, and struggle through transnational imagination and action. The role of Afro-Latinidad, Black social movements, culture, music, and the arts will be considered in terms of how they have come to shape the African Diaspora as an evolving space of Black social making and moving. (Same as AAS 3023 and MAS 3053. Credit can only be earned for one of the following: AAS 3023, MAS 3053, or WGSS 3023.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 3103. Feminisms in Latin America. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course delves into the history and politics of feminist activism in Latin America and the Caribbean through a historical and intersectional lens. Students explore the diverse activist experiences shaped by national, cultural, and social differences, and examine the achievements and challenges faced by contemporary women's and feminist movements. Key Topics include: body politics, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, feminicides, neoliberalism, environmental justice, democracy, and the state. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 3123. Gender, Sexuality, and Music in Pre-Contact Indigenous Societies and Afro-Latine Countries. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course explores the interconnected roles of gender, sexuality, music, and society in pre-contact Indigenous Societies and Afro-Latine countries. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students examine iconographic and archaeological studies and oral histories to understand how music functioned as both a sonic and physical space where gender and sexuality existed outside Western binaries. Topics include: gender roles, the role of music in social and spiritual life, the erasure of Indigenous knowledge systems, the imposition of patriarchal structures, and contemporary decolonization movements that reclaim music as a form of cultural resistance, identity preservation, and resilience. (Same as MAS 3133. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 3133 and WGSS 3123.). Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 3203. Feminist and Activist Ethnographies of the Americas. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
An exploration of feminist ethnographies across the Americas that use innovative approaches, including decolonial, collaborative, activist, applied, and experimental ethnographic methods in the pursuit of social justice. Emphasis is placed on works that center marginalized communities and native scholars who push the boundaries of traditional ethnography. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 3613. Feminist Research Methodologies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Rigorous examination of theories, application, ethical, and epistemological concerns of feminist research. What does it mean to conduct feminist research? Investigating feminist and gendered perspectives using interdisciplinary, decolonial, and innovative methods, the course will engage issues of researcher subjectivity and reflexivity, representation, intersectionality, and community-embedded research. Students will have the opportunity to gain experience conducting feminist research. May be replaced by a REGSS methods course, such as REGSS Methods AAS 3113 or MAS 4083. (Formerly WS 3613. Credit cannot be earned for both WGSS 3613 and WS 3613.)
Generally offered: Spring. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
WGSS 3953. Special Topics. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines women’s texts with special attention to understanding gender as a category of analysis. Variable topics may include women in the sciences, women and technology, literary and cultural representations, women and business, historical and political change, questions of class and nation, queer or transgender theories, or medical and health experiences. This class may emphasize the importance of intersecting categories of analysis including gender, race, ethnicity, and sexuality. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. (Formerly WGS 4853, WS 3953, and WS 4853. Same as SOC 3263. Credit can only be earned for one of the following: SOC 3263, WGS 4853, WS 3953, WS 4853, or WGSS 3953) Generally offered: Spring. Course Fees: DL01 $75; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4033. Women of Color Feminisms. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course centers feminist epistemological contributions of Women of Color. As a result of their positionalities, Women of Color have developed their own organizations, printing presses, research approaches, and critical theories, and have contributed to social change. This course examines critical theories that make up Black, Chicana/x and Latina/x, Indigenous, and Asian/Asian American feminisms. Women of Color feminisms have advanced change through their scholarship, activism, community organizing, participation in mutual aid, cultural production, and critique of and resistance to coloniality in all of its forms. This course uses an intersectional approach to examining the contributions of Women of Color feminisms across disciplines to include, but not limited to, education, public health, popular culture, community organizing, policy, and cultural production. (Same as AAS 4033 and MAS 4033. Credit can only be earned for one of the following: AAS 4033, MAS 4033, or WGSS 4033.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4043. Chicana/x Feminisms. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course centers the development of Chicana/x Feminisms before, during, and after the Chicana/o/x Civil Rights Movement. Developed by Chicana/x mothers, activists, youth, community workers, academics, and artists. Chicana/x Feminisms reflect the embodied knowledges and resulting theories of Chicanas/x who live at the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality that provide them with the unique insight and strategies to advocate for social transformation within their communities and beyond. The course begins with an examination of the foundational scholars within Chicana/x Feminist Thought, surveys the various contributions Chicana/x feminisms have made to education, research, labor, cultural production, spirituality, and other areas, and extends to the present to explore the shifts and advancements within Chicana/x Feminist Thought since the Movement. (Same as MAS 4043. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 4043 and WGSS 4043.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4053. Intersectionality. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Intersectionality, a concept introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw, theorizes how interrelated systems of power, particularly racism, capitalism, and patriarchy, produce dilemmas for Black women distinct from White women and Black men. Over the last 25 years, the application of the concept has expanded into an analytical tool to study the experiences across a wide range of identities and communities. This course examines the historical trajectory of intersectionality as a theoretical concept and research paradigm rooted in Black feminism(s) and intersectional frameworks in Black women’s activism and writing, which has long drawn attention to how race, class, and gender mutually determine social location. (Same as AAS 4043 and MAS 4053. Credit cannot be earned for more than one of the following: MAS 4053, AAS 4043, or WGSS 4053.). Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4063. Queering Normalcy: The Politics of Sexuality, Gender, and Social Norms. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines contemporary issues facing Queer and Trans communities, analyzing how social norms, institutional policies, and cultural narratives shape experiences of gender and sexuality. Students will explore the impact of restrictions on gender-affirming care, the policing of identity and expression, and the broader sociopolitical forces influencing LGBTQ+ rights and visibility. Drawing on Queer and Trans theory, intersectionality, and activist scholarship, the course investigates how resistance, community organizing, and mutual aid challenge systemic oppression and reimagine futures of justice and liberation. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4133. Black Social Movements. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Beginning with the violence of the Jim Crow South, and the ongoing segregation in the north and west, this course examines a variety of Black social movements through the current day. Readings, discussions, and assignments will explore the life cycle and impact of each Black social movement, as well as the historical, economic, and political contexts in which they developed. Ethnographies and oral histories from movement participants will be at the center of this exploration. (Same as AAS 4133. Credit cannot be earned for both AAS 4133 and WGSS 4133.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4523. Gender on the Borderlands. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Examines women's status in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands through key issues such as migration, labor, violence, sexuality, education, and culture. We will examine these key issues through a variety of interdisciplinary feminist, ethnic, cultural studies, education, human rights, and social justice. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4623. Feminist Theories. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course will introduce interdisciplinary feminist theories. Students will examine theoretical constructions of women, gender, and sexuality drawing primarily on Women of Color feminisms and queer theories. Students will examine how theories help explain our lives, experiences, and material conditions to creative collective movements for social change. Topics may include the ways in which women, genders, and sexualities get constructed socially with special consideration of race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and other categories. May be repeated for credit only once when topics vary, but no more than 6 semester credit hours of WS 4623, regardless of cross-listed courses and disciplines, will apply to a bachelor's degree. (Formerly WGS 4623 and WS 4623. Credit can only be earned for one course: WS 4623, WGS 4623, or WGSS 4623.).
Course Fees: DL01 $75; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4863. Transnational Feminisms. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Theoretical and historical analysis of how gender ideologies and processes of globalization are affecting the conditions of women’s lives and politics in complex and contradictory ways. Topics may include feminist exploration of colonialism, capitalism, resistance, agency, and social movements. (Formerly WS 4863. Credit cannot be earned for both WGSS 4863 and WS 4863.)
Generally offered: Fall, Spring. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.
WGSS 4913. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisites: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the Department Chair, and Dean of the College with which the instructor is affiliated.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. A maximum of 3 semester credit hours of Independent Study in Women’s Studies may be applied to the Minor in Women’s Studies. May be repeated for credit, but no more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor's degree. (Formerly WGS 4913 and WS 4913. Credit can only be earned for one course: WGSS 4913, WS 4913, or WGS 4913.) Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4933. Internship in Women's Studies. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Supervised experience relevant to Women’s Studies. May be repeated once for credit, but no more than 6 semester credit hours will apply to the Women’s Studies major. (Formerly WGS 4933 and WS 4933. Credit cannot be earned for both WGSS 4933, WGS 4933, or WS 4933.) Generally offered: Fall, Spring. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4953. Special Topics in Women's Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers an examination of an individual topic or set of issues in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Students are encouraged to consult their Major Advisor about courses in African American Studies (AAS), Mexican American Studies (MAS), and Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (REGS) related to WGSS. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. (Formerly WS 3713 and WS 4953. Credit can only be earned for one of the following: WS 3713, WS 4953, or WGSS 4953.)
Generally offered: Fall, Spring. Course Fee: DL01 $75; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4973. Seminar in Women's Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: 12 upper-division semester credit hours in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS).
This undergraduate seminar, limited to junior and senior Women’s Studies/Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies majors and minors, offers the opportunity to study a special topic, issue, author, or period in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. For additional seminar options, students are encouraged to consult their Major Advisor about courses in African American Studies (AAS), Mexican American Studies (MAS), and Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (REGS) related to WGSS. May be repeated once for credit when topics vary. (Formerly WS 4973. Credit cannot be earned for both WS 4973 and WGSS 4973.) Generally offered: Fall. Course Fee: DL01 $75; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
WGSS 4993. Honors Thesis. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Supervised research and preparation of an Honors Thesis for the purpose of earning Women’s Studies Honors. May be repeated once with advisor approval. (Formerly WS 4993. Credit cannot be earned for both WS 4993 and WGSS 4993.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
