Women’s Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of topics concerning women and men, gender and sexuality, feminist theory and research, social history, public health, and women’s and men’s participation in the arts and popular culture. The Women’s Studies minor offers an interdisciplinary program that allows students to develop critical thinking skills in relation to the scholarly pursuit of knowledge about women, men, the history of feminism, and the social construction of cultural variables, such as gender, sexual identity, age, and race and ethnicity.
Women’s Studies attract students of both sexes because it endeavors to expose unexamined attitudes about cultural variables including gender, race and ethnicity, class, age, sexual identity, etc. The Women’s Studies minor is an asset in the job market for women and men in both the public and private sectors as women increasingly pursue diverse vocations and careers and find it necessary to examine and to validate their positions as the number of women as supervisors, co-workers, and clients continues to grow. As rigid gender roles become more fluid, men also seek to understand the meaning of these changes for their academic work and lives.
WOMEN'S STUDIES MINOR - Academic Minor Requirements
Required Course:
- WmSt 201 Women, Culture, and Society: Intro to Women's Studies (3 cr)
Elective Courses (select a minimum of 18 credits from at least two disciplines):
- FCS 240: Intimate Relationships (3 cr)
- H&S (Health & Safety) 311: Acquaintance Rape (3 cr)
- Psych 315: Psychology of Women (3 cr)
- Soc 325: Sociology of the Family (3 cr)
- Psyc 320: Introduction to Social Psychology (3 cr)
- Psyc 330: Human Sexuality (3 cr)
- Hist 357: Women in Pre-Modern European History (3 cr)
- Hist 385:History of Sexuality
- WmSt 406: Ethics and Issues in New Reproductive and Genetic Technologies (3 cr) (a new course under review)
- Hist 420: History of Women in American Society (3 cr)
- Flen 421: Women in Cinema: The Int’l Scene (3cr)
- POLS 423/523: Politics, Policy and Gender (3 cr)
- Soc 424: Sociology of Gender (3 cr)
- Phil 425: Philosophy and Feminism (3 cr)
- Soc/Anth 427: Racial and Ethnic Relations (3 cr)
- Comm 432: Gender and Communication (3 cr)
- FCS 440: Contemporary Family Relationships (3 cr)
- FCS 445: Issues in Work and Family Life (3 cr)
- FCS 462: Eating Disorders (2 cr)
- Engl/FLEN 481: Women's Literature (3 cr)
- WmSt 499:Directed Study (3 cr)
With prior approval of the Women's Studies coordinator, a student may also include credit from survey courses, special topics courses, or seminars meeting the guidelines for inclusion of courses in a Women's Studies minor. No more than 3 credits may count toward both the student's major and minor.
