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Women's and Gender Studies Minor

Open to Any Major

18 Credits

The women’s and gender studies minor is a strong complement to all majors because employers appreciate applicants with knowledge of both gender issues and cultural diversity.

The interdisciplinary nature of the program allows you to take electives from many different fields of study. Courses explore the intersections of:

  • Gender
  • Race
  • Class
  • Ethnicity
  • Sexuality
  • Social and cultural institutions

Courses also 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.

Our graduates find opportunities in these areas and more:

  • Business administration/management
  • Health fields
  • Education
  • Communication
  • Criminal justice
  • Political Science
  • Social work
  • Counseling

Through this program you can also find opportunities for research, internships, involvement in student groups and leadership and service opportunities.

Course Work for Women’s and Gender Studies Minor

Women’s and Gender Studies offers 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.

Visit the catalog for course descriptions.

Core Requirements (6 Credits):

  • WMST 100 - Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies 
  • WMST 300 - Seminar in Women’s and Gender Studies 

Approved Electives (12 Credits) choose 4:

  • COMM 245 - Diversity and the Media 
  • COMM 410 - Women and the Media 
  • CRJU 326 - Victimology: The Victim and the Law 
  • CRJU 363 - Intimate Partner Violence 
  • ECON 303 - Labor Economics: Theory and Policy 
  • ENGL 345 - Women’s Literature 
  • ENGL 370 - Studies in Queer Literature 
  • COST 335 - Popular Culture and Gender Construction 
  • COST 340 - Gender and Communication 
  • COST 410 - Feminist Perspectives on Communication Theory and Research Methods
  • HIST 318 - History of U.S. Women 
  • HIST 407 - Women in Comparative Perspective 
  • MATH 400 - History of Mathematics 
  • POLI 324 - Women in American Politics 
  • PSYC 410 - Psychology and Women (Effective Spring 2020: Psychology of Women and Gender) 
  • SOCI 257 - Family in Modern Society 
  • SOCI 258 - Gender, Culture, and Power 
  • SOCI 320 - Sociology of Disability 
  • SOCI 435 - Gender, Organizations, and Leadership 
  • SOWK 265 - Understanding Human Diversity for Social Justice 
  • SOWK 359 - Social Work Elective: Violence in Interpersonal Relationships 
  • SOWK 420 - Gender Issues for Helping Professionals 
  • WMST 200 - Independent Study in Women’s and Gender Studies 
  • WMST 390 - Internship in Women’s and Gender Studies

To complete the Women’s and Gender Studies minor, students will take the two core courses (WMST 100  and WMST 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 Women’s and Gender Studies minor. Two elective courses must be at the 300 or 400 level. Five courses must be taken at Shippensburg University. Additional electives and special topics courses continue to be developed by affiliated Women’s and Gender Studies faculty.

Any Majors Interested in a Women's and Gender Studies Minor