Hollywood has long banked on the lazy days of summer for big box-office, using the season’s warm days to release its hottest offerings with its biggest stars.

But instead of the usual fare of fireball explosions, whiz-bang special effects and formulaic plotlines, West Virginia University’s Women’s Studies Program this summer is rolling out the carpet for a contemplation of Hollywood films that aren’t afraid to show their feminine side.

“Women in the Movies,”also known as Women’s Studies 150, will analyze film portrayals of heroines, mothers, grandmothers, brides, debutantes, bad girls, cheerleaders and working women of all kinds.

The course meets weeknights, 6-9:20, from June 12-30.

Movie screenings will be supplemented by readings, lectures and activities that provide cultural context, historical perspectives and opportunities for discussion.

The course is approved for Cluster A and Foreign, Minority, and Gender requirements for WVU undergraduates in the Liberal Studies Program programand for objectives 4 and 7 for undergraduates in the general education curriculum.

For more information about the course content, please contact Kayla Kreitzer at kkreitze@mix.wvu.edu or the Women’s Studies Program office at 304-293-2339. For information about registering for summer courses, please contact WVU ’s Office of Admissions and Records website atwww.arc.wvu.edu.

The Women’s Studies Program is housed in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.