Transformation Now

The course is for everyone. This course provides a brief, detailed historical account of gender, the language that has shaped gender, the laws that have defined gender, and the various transnational revolutions that have taken place to redefine gender altogether. Students will be able to recognize how essentialist/biological determinist beliefs are used by institutions to reinforce systemic oppression so they may develop skills to transform their communities.

Any undergraduate and graduate UConn student can take the free 1-credit UNIV-3088 course (the course is not available to non-degree students). Students may take up to 6 credits of UNIV-3088 with different topics.  A different non-credit section of the course will be available for all UConn faculty and staff at a later date.

Our community shaped our desire to construct this course. The lived experiences of students, staff, and faculty in our community reflect the expansiveness of gender, though much of our community is still mired in the binaries of gender based on our socialization and the lack of connection to experiences different than their own. We have come to learn that students, staff, and faculty are looking for opportunities to learn, and think more deeply about the nuances of gender. 

Student activism also inspired us to create this course. Our students are calling on UConn to respond more effectively to inequity and to be more proactive around gender and power based violence, discrimination, and harassment they are experiencing on campus. Moreover, the current socio-political context and the hundreds of anti-trans bills put forward, the on-going anti-black state sanctioned violence, the many proposals to reduce civil rights, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade threaten the essential human rights of privacy, freedom, and bodily autonomy motivated us to create this course.

The Women’s Center 50th anniversary  also presented an opportunity to acknowledge and interrogate the legacies of equity and anti-oppression work on campus and beyond. Ultimately, our investment in  transformation is connected to a sense of urgency about structural and systemic change. The teaching and learning in this course can help support community organizing to thwart these oppressions, to amplify the change work in progress, and to envision new futures.

You should expect to dedicate 6 hours a week to this course. This expectation is based on the various course activities, assignments, and assessments and the University of Connecticut’s policy regarding credit hours. (More information related to hours per week per credit can be accessed at the Online Student website.)

This course is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U).  The course syllabus contains more detailed information.

For additional information on undergraduate grading policies see here: https://registrar.uconn.edu/grades/.

Registration for this 1-credit course is free to active UConn students. There are no costs for materials.

Please note that students should consult the Office of Student Financial Aid Services prior to dropping if this class is used to meet full-time enrollment requirements.

• Without a W:  Students can drop using a form through March 13th and avoid receiving a “W” on their academic record. 
• With a W: Requests made after the aforementioned date must be made via the regular withdrawal channels (Student Enrollment Request Form) and students must have advisor approval; all must be completed by April 10th.

Graduate students should select UNIV-3088-Sec003, the credit-bearing course. The non-credit course is for faculty/staff who do not have an active academic career open at UConn.

Yes, if you are at your credit maximum, you should reach out to your advising dean’s office about the possibility of obtaining excess credit permission so you can take this course.

No, active students must enroll in UNIV-3088-Sec003.