Gender Studies Program Requirements

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Faculty

  • Kara Barnette
  • Eileen Chanza Torres (Chair)
  • Chris Davids
  • Georgiana Donavin
  • Julian Mendez
  • Jeff Nichols
  • Kristjane Nordmeyer
  • Xiumei Pu
  • Tamara Stevenson
  • Kim Zarkin

View Gender Studies Courses

Program Goals

  • To think critically about the historical and current impact of sex and gender on societies, individuals, organizations (or institutions), and understanding 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 cross-listed 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.

Students must meet the university-wide graduation requirements in addition to the Gender Studies minor:

  • 124 total hours
  • 30 upper division hours
  • WCore or Honors College requirements

Gender Studies Minor

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. Required Courses 7  
GNDR 101 Gender, Sex, and Identity 4  
GNDR 400 Senior Project/Thesis 3 Completion of 20 hours of Gender Studies, see course description
II. Elective Courses 16–17  
Complete 16-17 credits from the following courses:    
GNDR 300 Special Topics in Gender Studies 2-4  
GNDR 319 American Women’s History 4  
GNDR 320 Gender, Stories, and Migration 4 One Writing Emphasis course
GNDR 325 Human Trafficking 4 Junior standing
GNDR 330 Sex, Gender, and Power  4  
GNDR 335 Psychology of Women 4 PSYC/SOC 105, PSYC 216, or PSYC 270
GNDR 339 Queer Theory and Posthumanism 4  
GNDR 345 Sociology of Sexualities 4  
GNDR 350 Gender in Society 4  
GNDR 360 Race, Gender, Class and the Media 4  
GNDR 378 Podcasting 4  
GNDR 380 Video Game Culture 4  
GNDR 440 Internship 1–8 Junior/senior standing, see course description
Total Hours for the Gender Studies Minor 23–24