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GSJ 201Gender and Social Justice in Popular Culture

Units
0.50
Faculty
Arts
Subject
Gender and Social Justice

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

From film, television and the internet to fashion magazines, computer games and music videos, popular culture is a ubiquitous part of people's lives. This course examines popular representations of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, (dis)ability, class, religion, and other axes of oppression. How does popular culture reinforce norms and stereotypes that disadvantage people in virtue of their gender or other identity? How can popular culture help to address such disadvantages? At the end of the day, is popular culture a force for justice or for injustice (or both)?

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Reviewed on UW Flow

90% liked it70% easy85% useful

From 10 ratings and 2 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Taking this course with Professor Lindo was pretty great, very interesting and I think concepts and critical thought that everyone should be at least a bit familiar with. The content was both interesting and at times pretty heavy, and the assessments were pretty easy to do well in if you go to class and do the readings.

    Apr 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • This course is assessed through various assignments, including an in-person MC/short answer test, in-class participation, student-led discussions, and a final project (Your choice of format). While the course material can be quite theory-heavy at times, the in-class discussions really helped me to understand the concepts better. Jamie Sewell absolutely knows how to make in-class discussions engaging. A lot of your marks come from discussion participation though so be prepared to speak up in class.

    Apr 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

5 posts and comments in 4 threads mention GSJ 201, February 2022 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

Good electives to take in my last term 5 points, 7 comments

“CS student looking for something fun and interesting (NOT just a boring easy class) in my last semester. I was mostly looking at PSCI, HIST, PHIL, and ENGL courses but I'm open to others. …”

u/Puzzleheaded-Score61: “Take a gender studies class so you can say you took one. Best decision of my uni career so far.”

u/Puzzleheaded-Score61: “I mean the course I took GSJ 201 - Gender and Social Justice in Popular Culture went over how gender, race and sexuality are portrayed in media. The prof Laura Mae Lindo was very passionate and she showed me how to look at media through a more modern perspective. …”

u/Puzzleheaded-Score61: “I took GSJ 201 - Gender and Social Justice in Popular Culture. I enjoyed it bc we looked at media so stuff we can see in our daily lives and how Gender, race and sexuality can be properly or improperly represented. …”

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Winter 2023

Winter 2022

Can someone pls help me understand whats going on 0 points, 38 comments

“I know this isn't UW related at all but I don't really understand whats going on in the world today and it seems like everyone is talking about it. …”

u/Lips_of_Tragedy: “this is what happens when people don’t learn about history, social change, politics, geography, or people in general at this school”

u/Professional_Luck309: “im in arbus but im minoring in GSJ (gender and social justice)!!! I haven't taken many courses yet but im doing GSJ 201 (gender and social justice in pop culture) this winter term! we haven't talked about this at all though but I guess maybe thats because its reading week”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar