2011 - 2012 Gender Studies (GNDR)

Objectives | Program Requirements | Academic Minor | Course Descriptions

Faculty: Bonnie Baxter, Carolyn Connell, Sean Desilets, Georgiana Donavin, Susan Gunter, Scott Gust, Elree Harris, Sabrina Hom, Fatima Mujcinovic, Bridget Newell, Jeff Nichols, Kristjane Nordmeyer, Michael Popich, Cathleen Power, Natasha Sajé, Gretchen Siegler, Kim Zarkin

Program Goals

• To think critically about the historical and current impact of sex and gender on societies, individuals, organizations (or institutions), and understandings of humanity.
• To analyze the ways in which issues such as race, class, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, etc. intersect with, and complicate understandings of, gender.
• To become familiar with theories that underlie studies of feminism as well as studies of female and male identities.
• To integrate the study of gender with various fields of study.
• To learn how various disciplines approach the study of gender.

Objectives

The interdisciplinary minor in gender studies provides students with the opportunity to understand and critically analyze the impact gender has on individuals and society. Some courses focus exclusively on women or on men, while others focus on broader issues relevant to both women and men. The minor is based on an inclusive framework that encourages and supports an emphasis on issues of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, and culture.

The minor is designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the world in which they live; sharpen critical thinking skills; and prepare for careers in business, industry, government, and academic settings.

Program Requirements

The minor requires students to complete twenty-four credit hours of Gender Studies courses, many of which are crosslisted with courses offered in other disciplines including COMM, ENGL, HIST, MATH, PHIL, PSYC, and SOC. The final requirement is the senior project or thesis; students who must complete a senior project or thesis for their major may undertake one thesis or project that will count for both requirements. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.3 in all Gender Studies courses.

For course prerequisites please refer to the course description.

Academic Minor