The Women and Gender Studies (WGS) program is designed for students who want to understand the world about them using concepts such as gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, and religion. It is also designed for students who are passionate about social change. Passion and practicality work together. This interdisciplinary minor draws on courses from WGS and programs such as Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Communications, and English. Students can easily find classes that intrigue them and also count toward Core and major/minor requirements. WGS is a flexible minor that complements any major.
Our lives are shaped by “categories of difference”: gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, religion. Students in WGS use these categories to reflect on their own intersectional identities, others’ experiences, and the impact of social forces. They study the struggles of women and other groups to achieve social justice and equality–in the past, in the present, and across the globe. WGS courses make students ready for social action. They also inspire students’ scholarship, develop their capacities for critical thinking, clear communication, and team work, and prepare them for careers in diverse workplaces. Possible careers include Government and Politics, Nonprofit and Advocacy Work, Business, Law and Human Rights, Teaching, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Psychology.
The WGS minor requires a minimum of 20 credit hours, comprised of five courses: WGS 105 , WGS 315 , and three elective courses from the Humanities and Social Sciences lists. No more than two courses may be taken from the same list. Students may double-count a research project in their major for WGS 490 /WGS 491 , if that project deals with gender or multicultural issues and if they obtain permission from their major discipline and the WGS Director. Note that several WGS courses also satisfy Core requirements, and other courses may fulfill requirements for a student’s major.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Discuss the history, evolution, theoretical bases, and methods of inquiry of this interdisciplinary field;
- Discuss the statuses of women within and across various societies, and current and historical struggles to achieve social justice through individual and collective action;
- Explain the impact of perspectives on gender from various disciplines;
- Critically analyze the inequities, root causes, and reinforcing structures of categories of difference, which include, but are not limited to, gender and its intersections with class, race and ethnicity, sexuality, and religion;
- Critically reflect on their own identity, the social forces that impact it, and the ways that it informs their own worldview
For further information, contact the Women and Gender Studies Program Director, Dr. Kimberly Adams.
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