Strong faculty support and growing student interest made possible the listing of several new courses in the Black Studies and Women's Studies programs for the spring 1990 schedule of classes.

The faculty and staff of Women's Studies and Black Studies proposed the new courses which encourage scholarship and respond to student interest, said Lynn Goodstein, director of the Women's Studies Program.

Women's concern groups also supported the courses, she said.

"If you look at the traditional mainstream curriculum, they focus on the accomplishments of males from a European background," Goodstein said. "Black studies and women's studies have expanded to provide a critique of mainstream scholarship which is narrow and circumscribed."

Two new courses covering racism and sexism will be offered. Racism and Sexism will be taught by two professors rather than one and will focus on the "interplay of race and gender in American society today."

The Race and Gender Issues in Literature class is available in both French and English languages.

The French version of the class examines French literature using the language. Students explore literature from the Middle Ages to the modern day as it reflects racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism, said Christine Clark-Evans, an assistant French professor.

"In discussion, we will take looks concerning how writers use literature to reflect race and gender issues which can act as a detriment to divide human society as a whole providing disorder," she said.

Because the course coverage is quite ambitious, it is possible the course will be offered for two semesters, Clark-Evans said.

A reinstated course for the Black Studies program is the 400-level People and Culture in Africa class, taught by Elliot M. Fratkin, professor of anthropology. The course was discontinued several years ago because there was no specialist to teach it.

"With several researchers working in Africa and a community of people on campus with an interest in Africa, the University was very supportive in bringing the course back," Fratkin said.

He said this is an attempt by the department to introduce students to anthropologists' viewpoints on racial and ethnic backgrounds, cultural diversity, language and religion.

Another Black Studies course re-introduced this semester is the 200- level Black English course. Instructor of Black Studies Sheila Martin and professor of linguistics Philip Baldi will be co-teaching.

Other new courses being taught this semester include: Anthropology of Gender, Politics of Reproduction, History of Women in Science, Women in Science, 20th Century Women Poets and a graduate seminar in Feminist Theory,.

Feminist Theory was made a core course in the graduate program for Women's Studies. The course will be taught on an undergraduate level next fall.

An experimental Women's Issues course will be offered next fall, Goodstein said. In this course, students will attend a series of lectures for one credit.