Women’s & Gender Studies Minor
Anyone with a women’s & gender studies background will be better prepared to work with a wide variety of people and to meet changing social needs.
What is the Women’s & Gender Studies Minor?
Women’s and gender studies is an interdisciplinary program that examines the diverse experiences of women in the U.S. and globally, both past and present. Many courses in the program also critically examine the meanings of gender as a culturally constructed category of identity. The core courses and wide range of electives explore the intersections of gender, race, class, ethnicity and sexuality, as well as the social and cultural institutions that shape women’s and men’s lives. Courses in WST investigate previously neglected materials, and apply new methodological, critical and theoretical approaches in order to analyze and explain the role and status of women in society, and the impact of gendered practices within societies and cultures. In the Women’s and Gender Studies program, you will gain an increased understanding of human diversity, especially gender diversity, that will help prepare you for our continuously changing global society. Through required course work, research, electives in the your own area(s) of interest, internships, extracurricular activities, and leadership and service opportunities, you will gain knowledge and experience that will complement and enhance your major field of study.
What career choices can I expect?
Students with multicultural women’s and gender studies experience will have an advantage as potential employees, since employers will increasingly seek applicants with knowledge of both gender issues and cultural diversity. The Women’s and Gender Studies Minor will help prepare you to work with a wide variety of people and anticipate their changing needs. Graduates of the Women’s and Gender Studies Minor find opportunities in business administration and management, advertising, health fields, education, journalism, criminology, social work, counseling, psychology, politics, law and international affairs.
How can I prepare for Women’s & Gender Studies?
Helpful in preparing for this program is an awareness of and interest in gender issues, especially in examining differing cultural expectations of women and men and the consequences of those expectations on human lives and societies.
What is the Women’s & Gender Studies curriculum?
Completion of the Women’s & Gender Studies Minor requires a minimum of 18 credits. Students take two core courses: WST 100 Introduction to Women’s Studies and WST 300 Seminar in Women’s Studies. WST 100 Introduction to Women’s Studies is a general education course (Category E: Social Sciences) and also meets the university’s diversity requirement. The remaining credits for the minor may be filled by choosing four elective courses from the following list:
ANT 312 Comparative Marriage and Family
ANT 320 Comparative Gender Roles
BIO 301 (Seminar) Contributions of Women in Biology (1 cr.)
CRJ 466 Women in Criminal Justice
ECN 303 Labor Economics
ENG 345 Women’s Literature
ENG 370 Queer Studies
GRN 391 (Selected Topics in Gerontology) Women and Aging
HCS 335 Popular Culture and Gender Construction
HCS 340 Gender and Communication
HCS 410 Feminist Perspectives on Communication Theory and Methods of Research
HIS 318 History of U.S. Women
HIS 407 Women in Global Perspective
MAT 400 History of Mathematics
MUS 330 Women in Music
PLS 324 Women in American Politics
PSY 410 Psychology and Women
SOC 257 Sociological Patterns of Courtship and Marriage
SOC 258 Women’s Roles and Status
SOC 320 Sociology of the Body
SOC 435 Gender and Leadership
SWK 359 Violence in Interpersonal Relationships
SWK 420 Gender Issues for Helping Professionals
TCH 440 Gender Equity in Education
WST 200 Independent Study in Women’s & Gender Studies
WST 390 Internship in Women’s & Gender Studies
Additional elective courses continue to be developed by faculty.
Note: To complete the Women's and Gender Studies Minor, students will take the two core courses (WST 100 and WST 300) and four of the approved electives. These four electives must come from at least two different disciplines. Two courses may be double-counted toward the student's major and the WST minor. Two elective courses must be at the 300 or 400 level. Five courses must be taken at Shippensburg University.
What is Letter of Completion in Women’s & Gender Studies?
A Letter of Completion, which will post to your transcript upon graduation, requires a minimum of 12 credits. Students take the two core courses — WST 100 and WST 300 — plus two other courses from the curriculum list above.
Who can take Women’s & Gender Studies?
Anyone interested in gender issues, and especially in exploring women’s contributions and concerns — past, present, and future — as well as anyone committed to equality and advancing the status of women should consider enrolling in the Women’s & Gender Studies program.
Where can I get more information?
For specific program information, contact:
Rebecca Ward, Director
Women’s & Gender Studies Minor
Horton Hall 125 (The Women’s Center)
Shippensburg University
1871 Old Main Drive
Shippensburg, PA 17257-2299
717-477-1104
wst@ship.edu
http://www.ship.edu/wst/