Introduces students to basic concepts in women's studies. Covers the history of the women's movement and its relation to the rise of women's studies as a discipline. Examines and discusses a multiplicity of 'recurring themes' affecting differing women's lives; including the social construction of gender, the impact of race, sexuality, reproduction, work, education, media, material condition (class), and women's agency. Discusses current controversies among feminists, and the broader political arena. Discovers how studying women's history challenges traditional notions of women and traditional notions of history.