What's the deal with: course titles in the Women's and Gender Studies Department

Take a look at the titles of the courses offered by the Women's and Gender Studies Department at Columbia University. Now guess which one is most hilarious. (Yes, there is a correct answer.)





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If you guessed G6001, then holy shit are you correct. The embedded colon is a little awkward, and Object should be Objects, so let's be fair and parse the official title (click W, then Fall2006), Theoretical Paradigms in Feminist Scholarship: Bodies, Objects, Sex.

Theoretical Paradigms in Feminist Scholarship

Now. I have never enrolled in a course offered by any WGS department at any university, but my understanding is that, being offered at universities, WGS courses tend to focus on Scholarship. So why waste a title word on it?

Now. I have never held a serious job with a serious company, but my understanding is that, being largely full of shit, some businesspeople like to throw around words like “paradigm” as though the words carried content. So why throw it around in a course title?

Even if we are generous and do not vomit upon reading Paradigm, we are not obligated to accept unconditionally the presence of the word Theoretical. I'm no Paradigm expert, but it seems Theoretical is already built into the definition, at least connotatively -- serving as pattern or model.

IN CONCLUSION, a more concise way of saying “Theoretical Paradigms in Feminist Scholarship” is:

Feminism

Bodies, Objects, Sex

I have no complaints about any of the three items here listed.