About Women's and Gender Studies
Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) is an interdisciplinary academic department that promotes a critical understanding of how genders and sexualities shape and are shaped by social, political, ethical, economic, legal, and cultural institutions in historical and contemporary contexts.
Our goal is to promote scholarly inquiry and activism that is feminist, anti-racist, anti-classist, and LGBTQIA positive; including the study of identity construction, popular culture and the media, bodies and body projects, ethical and values systems, religions, and science and technology.
Our focus on genders includes the study of historical and contemporary femininities, masculinities, and other gender identities. We strive for an integrative perspective that acknowledges the intersections of gender, race, sexuality, class, religion, dis/abilities, and other social categories within both national and transnational contexts, and includes a focus on economic justice and sustainability.
Women’s and Gender Studies Learning Objectives
1) Students will develop skills in critical thinking, writing, and oral communication.
2) Students will demonstrate substantial knowledge of foundational and contemporary research and theoretical literature in the field of Women’s & Gender Studies.
3) Students will gain an understanding of how the interdisciplinary field of Women’s and Gender Studies creates new knowledge and draws upon and utilizes the perspective of multiple fields, such as the humanities, arts, and social and behavioral sciences.
4) Students will understand the ways in which genders and sexualities shape and are shaped by social, political, ethical, economic, legal, cultural, scientific and technological factors and institutions in historical and contemporary contexts, with special attention paid to the intersections of gender, race, and class, and sexuality in national and transnational contexts.
5) Students will employ key concepts in Women’s & Gender Studies scholarship to conduct independent research and analyses on a variety of topics.
6) Students will develop skills that allow them to identify and engage with issues of social justice.
