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May 19, 2026
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WGSS 2600 - Sex and Science
The course explores how biology and society interact in complex ways in the constitution of sex, sexuality, and gender. We examine ideas about what is “natural” about sex, desire, and sexualities, along with the social institutions and norms that enforce normative definitions. We also discuss the role of the natural sciences as purveyors of ideas about gender, sex, and sexuality, analyzing the philosophical and scientific foundations of this body of knowledge. The course also identifies and critiques feminist uses of science that are not well supported by scientific research and method. We end the course by exploring what feminist, socially responsible science might look like.
Credit Hours: 3
OHIO BRICKS: Arch: Constructed World
Repeat/Retake Information: May be retaken two times excluding withdrawals, but only last course taken counts.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 3.0 lecture
Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Course Transferability: OTM course: TMAH Arts & Humanities
College Credit Plus: Level 1
Term(s) Typically Offered:
Learning Outcomes: - Students will be able to clearly define the terms gender, sex, and sexuality from the perspective of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and compare these definitions to definitions common in other disciplines.
- Students will be able to explain how scientific research on sex, gender, and sexuality constitutes primary texts that are the product of critical thought stemming from a particular philosophical and theoretical perspective on the human body.
- Students will be able to describe the way that scientific texts on gender, sex, and sexuality are critical in forming discourses of a gendered and sexed human experience.
- Students will be able to interpret and evaluate scientific texts and sources on gender, sex, and sexuality using a historical, humanistic approach that considers the way that these texts were produced within particular historical and cultural contexts.
- Students will be able to discuss the foundations and assumptions involved in the creation and production of natural science discourses and texts on gender, sex, and sexuality and identify areas of debate and disagreement among these texts.
- Students will be able to clearly communicate concepts and evidence on the scientific foundations of sex, gender, and sexuality.
- Students will be able to identify feminist critiques of scientific discourses of gender, sex, and sexualities, as well as identify and critique feminist uses of science that are not supported by scientific research.
- Students will be able to develop their own position on what constitutes scientifically responsible research on sex, gender, and sexuality.
- Students will be able to reflect on the ways that scientific discourses around sex, gender, and sexuality affect contemporary individuals and social groups in distinct ways, including by reflecting on how these affect their own identities and subject po
- Students will be able to apply a humanistic approach to information presented in scientific sources and texts on sex, gender, and sexuality with enough interpretation and evaluation to draw conclusions and express them logically.
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