Women's Studies, Minor
Mission
The Women's Studies Minor is an interdisciplinary program that studies the cultural and social construction of gender, explores the history, experiences, and contributions of women, and examines the influence of gender in human society. In dynamic and interactive learning spaces, students and professors examine how gender and intersectionality shape the human experience. By exploring the complexities of gender, through history, culture, theory, research, and contemporary events, we begin to understand gender's powerful influence and its inherently mutable nature. Minors develop a complex understanding of social, political, economic, and cultural issues, making them valuable members of their communities and workplaces.
Through a combination of coursework, internship and research opportunities, and community engagement, women's studies minors are empowered to become engaged citizens and self-reflective agents of social justice. They strive to be community leaders and to advocate for positive social change. The women's studies curriculum challenges what you think you know and asks you to analyze social systems of power in your personal life and in the broader world. Women's studies students develop the ability to recognize, deconstruct, and challenge intersectional systems of power.
During their time in the program, women's studies minors gain a number of marketable skills. Completing a women's studies minor ensures students are able to ask incisive questions, think innovatively, and work collaboratively with people holding different points of view. Our graduates are sophisticated critical thinkers; they can synthesize different types of information and apply their knowledge to real world situations. Women's studies minors develop a variety of skills that are becoming increasingly important in 21st Century work spaces, ranging from intercultural competence to effective community building. They become life-long learners with extensive experience in complex problem solving. Minors gain advanced multicultural competencies that allow them to closely analyze texts and social systems and to write and speak with confidence in local, national and global contexts.
A minor (18 credits) in women's studies enhances any program of study and will benefit students planning to pursue careers in any of the following areas: public health, social and human services, criminal justice, victim advocacy, education, public policy, community organization, law, education, creative writing, media, journalism, human resources and business.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of women’s participation in, contribution to, and transformation of areas of social life including culture, society, politics, economics, and religion.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of institutionalized discrimination and violence based on gender.
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of gender from national and global perspectives.
- Demonstrate and apply the basic concepts, theories and methods in gender studies in national and global contexts.
Outcome Assessment Activities
Women's studies minors’ performance on each of the program’s student learning outcomes will be assessed annually. Assessment results will be used to identify program strengths and to discern areas needing improvement to enhance student performance in relation to the student learning outcomes.
Specific Program Requirements
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | 9 | |
| Introduction to Women's Studies | 3 | |
| Theories of Intersectionality | 3 | |
| La Chicana | 3 | |
or WS 308 | Global Feminisms | |
| Senior Capstone Experience Courses Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Capstone | 3 | |
| Special Projects | 1-3 | |
| Research | 1-3 | |
| Elective Courses Must be WS courses. | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Specific Program Electives
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MAE 211 | Women & Media | 3 |
| WS/ANTH/PSYC/SOC 105 | Understanding Human Diversity | 3 |
| WS/PSYC 211 | Women & Media | 3 |
| WS/PSYC 212 | Psychology of Diversity | 3 |
| WS/NSG 230 | Women, Health, & Society | 3 |
| WS/PSYC/SOC 231 | Marriage and Family Relationships | 3 |
| WS/ENG 241 | Women in Literature | 3 |
| WS/SOC 305 | Women & Crime | 3 |
| WS/CS 306 | La Chicana | 3 |
| WS 308 | Global Feminisms | 3 |
| WS/MAE 311 | Gender & Film | 3 |
| WS/CID 335 | Gender & Communication | 3 |
| WS/CS 401 | Third World Feminisms | 3 |
| WS/CRIM 407 | Family Violence | 3 |
| WS/HIST/SOC 428 | Women & Work | 3 |
| WS/CRIM 455 | Hate Crimes | 3 |
| WS 485 | Capstone | 3 |
| WS 490 | Special Projects | 1-3 |
| WS 291/491 | Special Topics | 1-3 |
| WS 492 | Research | 1-3 |
| WS 494 | Field Experience | 2-6 |
| WS 498 | Internship | 2-6 |
Specific Program Cross-Listings
Most Women’s Studies courses are cross-listed, meaning that the courses can be found in the course listings of both the Women’s Studies program and one or more other academic departments. This is indicated above, for example as WS 428 Women & Work (3 c.h.) /HIST 428 Women & Work (3 c.h.)/SOC 428 Women & Work (3 c.h.), indicating that the course is listed as a Women’s Studies course, a History course, and a Sociology course. Students can take the courses by enrolling in a Women’s Studies section (call number) or in another department’s call number. To encourage breadth in their Women’s Studies Minor, students are required to choose electives in different cross-listed disciplines. Students registering for a course for the minor should enroll in the Women’s Studies section (call number). A course taken for the Senior Capstone Experience cannot be cross-listed.
Specific Program Senior Capstone Experience
(WS 485 Capstone (3 c.h.), WS 490 Special Projects (1-3 c.h.), or WS 492 Research (1-3 c.h.))
The Senior Capstone Experience allows the student to bring together women’s studies disciplinary knowledge with:
- the major;
- some other disciplinary perspective; or
- a practical problem relevant to women’s life experiences.
The expectation is that in taking WS 490 Special Projects (1-3 c.h.) the student will apply women’s studies in a community-based setting. WS 492 Research (1-3 c.h.), can also be approved for the Senior Capstone Experience, but only with the condition that the student presents the research in a public forum to meet the practical application component.
Senior Capstone Experience Prerequisites
The Senior Capstone Experience will be open to students who have declared a WS Minor and have completed all the core requirements, i.e., WS 100 Introduction to Women's Studies (3 c.h.), WS 301 Theories of Intersectionality (3 c.h.) and either WS 306 La Chicana (3 c.h.)/CS 306 La Chicana (3 c.h.) OR WS 308 Global Feminisms (3 c.h.).
Grades below a C will not be accepted in classes counting toward the minor.