Sample Courses
- Women, Difference, and Power is an interdisciplinary examination of the diverse experiences, status, and contributions of women in the United States. Topics include the social construction of gender, race, sexualities, work, class, violence, and health.
- History and Development of Feminist Theory looks at the development of feminist theory in the West from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century.
- Global Feminisms surveys the political, economic, and cultural strategies of women around the world, with attention to feminist theory outside the United States.
- Science, Technology, and Gender explores the role of gender in the practice of science and the effect of sexism and racism on the development of science and technology.
- Women’s Literature, Art, and Society is an exploration of women’s literary, artistic, and intellectual contributions to culture through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Hands On Learning
Many students enrich their academic studies with practical leadership experience by serving as discussion facilitators for an introductory women’s and gender studies course while fulfilling requirements for the major. Facilitators lead small-group discussions on women’s and gender issues in conjunction with a supplementary seminar in feminist theory.
You will be required to participate in internships in the community and can choose to pursue individual research projects. The internship program requires volunteer work with a community service or women’s advocacy agency. This offers you practical work experience and career preparation with a variety of public and private agencies that address issues such as domestic violence, health care, homelessness, lesbian and gay rights, parenting, reproductive choice, rape prevention, and women in transition.
Interdisciplinary Opportunities
The seventy-plus faculty affiliated with the program come from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives that include history, literature, anthropology, sociology, geography, environmental studies, ethnic studies, philosophy, religious studies, architecture, fine arts, romance and germanic languages, political science, public policy, and law.
“Any class where gender is a major componenent is cross-listed with women’s and gender studies,” explains Associate Professor Elizabeth Reis. WGS students take core classes designed by the department and take many courses throughout the university that count toward the major. “The women’s and gender studies program does quite well in drawing out the strengths of the students’ interdisciplinary backgrounds and connecting them in a classroom,” Reis says.
You will choose from areas of emphasisthat include gender and sexuality, third world feminism, cultural representation and literature, women and labor, feminist theory, critical race feminism, immigration and citizenship, and social activism.