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What is Women and Gender Studies?

The Department of Women and Gender Studies (WGST) offers an undergraduate bachelor of arts degree, minor, and certificate in Global Gender and Sexuality Studies as well as a graduate certificate for students enrolled in another disciplinary master’s or doctoral degree program. The department’s faculty is composed of 11 core and 18 associated members from over 12 different departments or programs across campus. Our current chair is Dr. Lorraine Bayard de Volo. Our faculty’s interests include how gender affects social movements and politics, the histories of sexuality and gender politics in Latin America, feminist political philosophy, global justice, violence against women, and feminist literature and cinema.

Over 100 students are enrolled in our undergraduate program, which strives to foster critical thinking skills applied to the study of women and gender, particularly in relation to our three key areas: race/ethnicity, sexuality, and global studies. Our department fosters a sense of community, offering speakers, programs, mixers, and many ways to get involved. Housed in one of the oldest buildings on campus, students have access to our large library of women and gender-related materials in a comfortable and inviting setting.

How Will I Use My Degree in Women and Gender Studies?

Employers hire people who can problem solve, write, research and think. Many of our graduates have pursued careers in law, medicine, public health, public policy, social work, teaching, counseling, advocacy, journalism, television production, union/labor organizing, public relations, academia, politics, fundraising for non-profits, small business developer, librarianship, arts administration, and in Foreign Service.
Many students incorporate their WGST degree with other departmental offerings across campus, either as a second major, a minor, or a graduate certificate. Paired with a Biology degree, a WGST graduate may attend medical school to specialize in women’s health; combined with a Business degree, a WGST graduate will better understand how gender affects the workplace. Students have coupled the critical thinking skills they learn in WGST with majors in Sports Marketing, Journalism, Education, Sociology, Theatre, Psychology and Art.

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