Women's and Gender Studies Minor

Dr. Tracy Woodard, Director
Carswell Hall, 1526 North Oak Street

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program is an academic discipline that provides students with interdisciplinary perspectives on women’s and gender issues from a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds, and historical eras. It familiarizes students with the history, culture, and often unacknowledged contributions made by women. Through course offerings in a number of departments, the undergraduate minor leads students to examine critically and to reinterpret existing data and common assumptions about the social and cultural construction of femininity, masculinity, and sexualities. In addition, it provides students the opportunity to understand feminist theory and the methodologies of feminist scholarship across the disciplines. The program addresses issues of neglect, omission, and bias in curricula and encourages the translation of research into committed and responsible social involvement and leadership.

Selected Educational Outcomes

Coursework in Women’s and Gender Studies will enable students to:

1. gain familiarity with the development of Women’s and Gender Studies as an interdisciplinary academic area and the research that is conducted in the field.
2. examine academic disciplines and public policies from a feminist perspective, using research and analytic methods that encourage the translation of research into committed and responsible social involvement.
3. examine women’s and men’s lives as they are affected by gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, age, race, class, ethnicity, and religious and national differences.
4. understand that what are commonly referred to as “women’s issues” are societal in scope and effect and are therefore of concern to everyone, regardless of gender.

Examples of Outcome Assessments

The capstone course is structured to evaluate and elicit students’ summative understanding of the ethical, social, and intellectual implications of what has been included in or excluded from traditional scholarship. Further evaluative measures include:

1. the creation of writing portfolios that will demonstrate the evolution of thought and learning across the courses taken in the minor;
2. student participation in local, state and national conferences;
3. exit interviews with students;
4. discussion and feedback from other programs in Women’s Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Gender Studies

Information regarding current course offerings for the Women’s and Gender Studies minor may be obtained from the offices of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

Requirements for the Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies

WGST 3000	Introduction to Women's Studies	3
WGST 3100	Feminist Theory	3
WGST 4400	Women's and Gender Studies Seminar	3
Elective Courses
Select 6 hours from the following:		6
ARTH 4130	Women Artists
WGST/ENGL 3330	Studies in Women and Literature
WGST/HIST 4261	Women in the U.S. to 1869
WGST/HIST 4262	Women in the U.S., 1869 to the Present
WGST/HIST 4270	History of Women in the U.S. South
WGST/HIST 4280	History of U.S. Women Activists and Social Reformers
WGST/REL 3600	Women and Religion
WGST 4000	Masculinity Studies
WGST 3630	Native American Women
WGST 4100	Queer Theory
WGST 4300	Global Feminism
WGST 4500	Directed Study
WGST 4600	Special Topics in Women's and Gender Studies
CRJU 4700	Special Topics in Criminal Justice (Women in CJ)
SOCI 4800/4810	Issues in Sociological Practice (Domestic Violence, Human Sexuality)
Total Hours		15