Overview
WGST 303: Gender, Women, and Health broadly explores how gender shapes health and health care. Students will be introduced to an intersectional feminist approach to understanding how gender can and does interact with other social categories such as race, ethnicity, Indigeneity, (dis)ability, and class to produce complex and varied health experiences, opportunities, and challenges. The course emphasizes a gender-transformative approach to health promotion. Some of the topics covered include the women’s health movement and feminism, power and empowerment, violence, the environment, reproductive health, aging, mental health and illness, the future of health, and health promotion.
Learning outcomes
WGST 303 has six major learning outcomes. After completing this course, you should be able to
- describe the historical and ongoing role of feminism in identifying gendered health inequities, developing the women’s health movement, and continuing to advocate for gendered health issues;
- understand how gender is a social determinant of health;
- discuss feminist understandings of gender, sex, patriarchy, and intersectionality as they relate to health and health care;
- appreciate how an intersectional approach is necessary to develop robust understandings of gendered issues in health and health care;
- demonstrate familiarity with an array of specific health topics through a feminist lens; and
- argue how and why a gender-transformative approach to health promotion can be used to develop meaningful, effective interventions in health and health care.
Evaluation
To receive credit for WGST 303, you must complete and submit all of the assignments and achieve a minimum overall grade of D (50 percent) for the course.
You will be evaluated on your understanding of the concepts presented in the course and on your ability to apply those concepts. Your final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Oral Presentation | 20% |
| Assignment 2: Midterm Review | 25% |
| Assignment 3: Short Paper | 25% |
| Assignment 4: Course Unit Design | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Greaves, L., Pederson, A., & Poole, N. (Eds). (2014). Making it better: Gender transformative health promotion. Canadian Scholars’ Press; Women’s Press.
Other Materials
All other materials are available online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the WGST 303 challenge registration, you must achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on Part I (invigilated examination) and Part II (take-home essays). You must achieve a passing grade of D (50 percent) on Part I before you can receive and complete Part II. Credit is awarded on a pass/fail basis only.
Challenge for credit course registration form