Women and Gender Studies (WGS) uses the concepts of gender, race/ethnicity, and class to analyze all dimensions of human experience. WGS is an interdisciplinary minor that complements any major and is excellent preparation for today’s diverse workplace. Recent Elizabethtown graduates minoring in the program have gone on to careers in occupational therapy, banking, and science or have pursued advanced degrees.
Students in WGS classes consider questions such as the following: How do women and men differ, and how do we explain the differences (nature, nurture, or both)? Why was winning the vote so important for women, African Americans, and Native Americans, and has everyone in the United States achieved equal rights and opportunities today? Who earns more, men or women, and why? Are Barbie, Superman, Cinderella, and the Incredible Hulk good role models for small girls and boys?
Women and Gender Studies emphasizes activism as well as academics. The program sponsors an annual film series in conjunction with the student groups Allies and Womenspeak. WGS faculty and students help to organize the Women’s History Month celebration each spring and have performed together in a student-directed production of “The Vagina Monologues.” Many WGS classes have a service-learning component, and students have done volunteer work to benefit women and families in nearby communities.
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 462 /WGS 464 , if that project deals with gender or multicultural issues and if they obtain permission from their major department and the WGS Director. Note that several WGS courses also satisfy Core requirements, and other courses may fulfill requirements for a student’s major.
For further information, contact the Women and Gender Studies Program Director, Dr. Susan Mapp, Department of Social Work.
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