Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS)

526 David M. French Hall

Faculty and Professional Advisors
Faculty Advisors: Jennifer Alvey, Jami Anderson, Heather Laube
Professional Advisor: Megan Presland

Women’s and Gender Studies programs have three primary aims:

To analyze the historical and contemporary experience of women in different parts of the world.
To develop a critical understanding of women’s experiences and the social structures that construct gender, sex and sexuality.
To examine how our gendered lives and identities have been structured culturally, economically, politically and socially.

The program recognizes the development of feminist and gender scholarship in all disciplines, the different contributions of disciplines in pursuing knowledge of women’s lives and gendering as a social process, and a plurality of approaches to knowledge and practice within feminist scholarship.

WGS courses are designed for students who are:

looking to deepen their understanding of how social forces influence the experiences of women and sexual minorities (including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people);
seeking to understand constructions of masculinity and femininity while recognizing differences among women and men on the basis of class, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation;
interested in examining how notions of gender and sexuality create and perpetuate structures of power and inequality;
hoping to address injustices experienced by women and sexual minorities, as well as social structures of privilege and inequality, such as racism and classism;
wanting to learn about the contributions of women and sexual minorities in literature, theatre, music and art;
seeking a more complete and informed intellectual experience;
interested in matters of social justice.

The WGS Program offers both an undergraduate minor and certificate. It offers students close contact with faculty who are pursuing scholarship in areas of women’s and gender studies, active in national and international networks of feminist scholars, and involved in policy advocacy and struggles for social justice. It prepares students to become knowledgeable about and conscious of women’s lives and gender processes as they pursue jobs and careers, as they move through their life course, as they further their studies at postgraduate levels, and as they work to become active and socially responsible participants and leaders in their communities.

Benefits of a Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies
Women’s and Gender Studies offers an interdisciplinary minor with courses in sociology, history, anthropology, art, literature, philosophy, theatre, political science, economics, criminal justice, Africana Studies and more. The WGS minor:

provides a strong foundation for careers in teaching, administration, medicine, health services, law, politics, social work, social services, human resources, community organizing, and the written, visual and performance arts;
helps prepare students for graduate school in professional fields, humanities and social sciences by strengthening critical thinking, research and communication skills;
enriches existing fields of study and brings new perspectives to bear on a student’s major;
enables students to act more effectively in their public and personal lives.

Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS)

Programs