Why earn a WGS Minor or Concentration?
Women and Gender Studies courses in humanities, education, business and social sciences promote peer interaction, knowledge application and contribution to societal change. By studying knowledge about women and gender that in the past has been omitted, distorted, or minimized in the university curriculum, you learn to think critically and creatively. You also learn to think locally and globally about the intersections of sex and gender with race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, ability, religion, age and nationality.
With a minor or concentration in Women and Gender Studies, you develop problem-solving and cross-cultural communication skills that employers believe help you to value diversity in the workplace and function effectively in team-based settings. This background is also important if you seek to work in the public and private sectors where women and girls or men and boys make up the majority of the customer base or clientele. Additionally, research indicates that understanding a societal perspective of gendered power relationships increases both women and men's self-esteem. For women, the increase can lead to increased career aspirations.
Women and Gender Studies Minor Requirements..............................................18 credits
To earn a minor in women's studies, the student must complete 18 credits of women and gender studies courses, including WGS 100: Survey of Women Studies; WGS 490: Seminar in Women Studies; and at least six credits at the 300-400 level. A total of 12 credits are to be selected from ANTH 216, 315; ART 216; CMST 281, 320; ED/WGS 406; ENG 265, 365; GEOG 315; HIST 230; HPE 370; MMAJ 427; PHIL 357; PSY 220, 340, 390; SOC 311, 352, 362, 452; WGS 200, 300, 311.
Women and Gender Studies Concentration Requirements ................................21 credits
Students enrolled in the Liberal Studies Bachelors of Science degree program may earn a concentration in Women and Gender Studies by completing 21 credits of women and gender studies courses, including WGS 100: Survey of Women and Gender Studies and at least nine credits at the 300-400 level. A total of 18 credits are to be selected from ANTH 216, 315; ART 216; CMST 281, 320; ED/WGS 406; ENG 265, 365; GEOG 315; HIST 230; HPE 370; MMAJ 427; PHIL 357; PSY 220, 340, 390; SOC 311, 352, 362, 452; WGS 200, 300, 311, 490.
The Liberal Studies major will then require an additional minimum of 51 credits which would include a minimum of 27 credits at or above the 300 level in the College of Arts & Sciences. No more than 39 credits may be represented in a single discipline. Students completing the Women and Gender Studies concentration are not eligible for the minor.
Women and Gender Studies Courses Offered Online
The following courses are taught online. Additional online courses are being prepared and special topics may also be offered occasionally. Check the "Schedule" at our website menu to see which ones are scheduled for the upcoming semester. Check "Courses" at our website menu to see all the face-to-face courses that also count for a WGS minor and concentration.
WGS 100: Survey of Women and Gender Studies
PSY 220: Human Sexuality
ENG 265: Survey of Women's Literature
WGS 311: Gender, Violence and Activism
PSY 340: Psychology of Women
PHIL 357: Philosophy and Feminism
ENG 365: Images of Women in Literature
HPE 370: Gender and Sports
CMST 320: Communication and Gender
WGS/ED406: Gender Issues in Education
