79-781 Body Politics: Women and Health in America

12 units, Carnegie Mellon University

[Note: Students who have taken 66-121, First Year Seminar: Body Politics: Women and Health in America, may not enroll.] This course takes a topical, intersectional approach to the history of U.S. women's health in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is less about governmental politics, although we do some of that. Rather, it sees bodies as cultural texts through which power is built and contested. The course covers topics such as the history of anatomy, menstruation, reproductive rights, body image, mental health, sexuality, violence, childbirth, and menopause. We explore how science and American culture both have constructed these issues over time (some of it is super whacky!), while also examining women's organizing around them. This course is open to all students.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Fall 2025

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