Gender and Women's Studies

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Gender and women’s studies is an interdisciplinary field that asks questions about gender and other socially constructed aspects of our identities. Our learning and research focus on critical thinking and social transformation, in conversation with local and global movements such as #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ struggles and environmental justice. Check us out if you are eager to explore new ways of looking at the world.

Although few people come to college planning to major in gender and women's studies, the field has been around for nearly 50 years, and hundreds of schools offer degrees in this area. Still, your first gender and women’s studies class is likely to prompt you to ask "Why haven't I learned this before?" Because our courses examine subjects from multiple perspectives and question taken-for-granted beliefs, students often describe them as eye-opening. In addition, many of the top skills that employers seek today are at the heart of gender and women's studies: communicating across differences, team building, planning, problem-solving, and interpreting information.

The learning community we seek to build in gender and women's studies at Western Michigan University is committed to personally and socially transformative scholarship, education and advocacy. We value diverse people and divergent points of view. Whether you attend a single event or take a single course, or perhaps pursue a major or minor, we invite you to join us in pursuit of greater understanding as well as a more equitable and sustainable future.

Western Michigan University offers undergraduate degrees in gender and women's studies. Our courses are open to all students and may fulfill general education, liberal education, major, minor and elective requirements. Gender and women's studies courses encourage a spirit of inquiry and teach approaches to thought and action that help prepare students for an increasingly diverse, rapidly changing world. Although gender is our field’s organizing concept, students can expect it to be explored in contexts that include race, class and sexual identity.

Course work investigates evolving conceptions and experiences of gender, nationally and globally. Against backdrops that are both historical and contemporary, we approach issues related to women and gender through multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary methods. Our courses aim to develop students' critical thinking skills and creative potential by analyzing issues and imagining solutions to problems associated with women and gender.

 

Courses

The Department of Gender and Women's Studies at Western Michigan University offers a diverse array of courses.


WMU courses

WMU course offerings provides a full listing of course offerings organized by department and semester.

view course offerings

 

Major

The major in gender and women’s studies at Western Michigan University, whether taken with a minor or combined with a second major, will prepare you for success in a world that still struggles around issues of gender. Through course work and activities outside the classroom, majors explore why gender is contested, how it continually intersects with other identities and the ways in which it corresponds to power. All majors take two required courses—Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies and Foundations of Feminist Theory—as well as courses in four categories to achieve a depth of advanced knowledge. Studies are rounded out with electives. To sign up for the major and to learn more about course options, meet with an advisor in the Department of Gender and Women's Studies.

Requirements

Gender and women’s studies majors must complete 31 hours of course work.

  • Required courses: GWS 2000, Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies (four credits) and GWS 4010, Foundations of Feminist Theory (three credits)
  • Selected advanced courses in four categories:
    • One 3000-level course: GWS 3200 (Women, Globalization and Social Change), GWS 3700 (Special Topics), or PSCI 3460 (Women in Developing Countries)
    • One 4000-level course: GWS 4100 (Special Topics), GWS 4400 (Internship), or GWS 4980 (Independent Study)
    • One history course: HIST 3160 (Women in American History), HIST 3360 (Women in European History), or HIST 4245 (Topics pertaining to women and/or gender)
    • One thematic course within arts and sciences: AAAS 3100 (The Black Woman), ANTH 3090 (Archaeology of Inequality and Resistance), ANTH 3480 (Gender and Plastic Bodies), COM 4790 (Gender and Communication), ECON 3090 (Women and the Economy), PSCI 4210 (Gender and Law), SOC 5630 (Gender and Justice), or another course as approved by the department chair.
  • Up to 12 elective credits, not more than seven credits of which are below the 3000-level, drawing from the list of GWS courses and approved electives. See the University catalog for the full listing of approved elective courses.

 

Minor

The minor in gender and women’s studies at Western Michigan University brings an additional perspective to any field of study. Minors take one common course, Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies, and choose from an extensive list of options for the elective courses which best suit their interests and career goals. To sign up for the minor and to learn more about course options, students should meet with the advisor in the Department of Gender and Women's Studies.

Requirements

Gender and women's studies minors must complete 22 hours of course work.

  • One required course: GWS 2000, Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies (four credits).
  • The remaining 18 hours of electives draw from the list of GWS courses and approved electives (see the University catalog for the full listing of approved courses).

Tips for success

  • Choose a major that is meaningful to you.
    There are no particular majors that we recommended to minors. College and departmental advisors are happy to help you learn about options. Although any major can be combined with a minor in gender and women's studies, some of the more popular ones are communication, English, psychology and sociology. A gender and women's studies minor is an asset to business majors, those working toward science and health-related professions, pre-law students and future counselors, educators and social workers. Our minor is a great complement to liberal arts degrees in the humanities and fine art degrees and to other interdisciplinary programs, such as global studies and environmental studies.
  • Earn general education credit while completing your minor.
    Courses in your gender and women's studies minor may be used for general education credit. Make sure to visit College of Arts and Sciences advising periodically to ensure that you are fulfilling your general university requirements.
  • Seek advising.
    This is our number one recommendation. We can help you avoid unnecessary stress as you approach graduation. For instance, an elective course that fits with your major and a second minor (e.g., Women in European History) can only be applied to gender and women's studies or your degree in another department, not both. At your advising appointment, we will make sure you have the credits you need to graduate.
  • Strive to earn good grades.
    You need a C or better in the courses you want to count toward your minor. If you earn a 3.0 GPA or higher and have completed six GWS credits or electives, you are eligible for membership in our honor society.
  • Substitutions are possible.
    We will keep an eye out for courses that could count toward your gender and women's studies degree during advising meetings. If you took a course—or are thinking of taking a course—with a focus on gender or women that is not listed in the university catalog, it still may be able to apply to your minor. Check with the chair of gender and women's studies if you would like to have a course evaluated for approval. Courses taken at other two-year or four-year colleges are the most common substitutions we make; one-time special topics courses (e.g., GLBT Theater) can be counted as well.

Honor Society

Iota Iota Iota, also known as Triota, is the national honor society for our field. At Western Michigan University, the honor society recognizes students who demonstrate high academic achievement in gender and women's studies. Founded at the Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1985, Triota has dozens of chapters around the country. WMU's Beta Upsilon chapter of Triota was established in 2011. The Greek letter iota represents the three goddesses: Inana, Ishtar and Isis.

Purpose

The purpose of Triota is to promote an interest in gender and women's studies. Members encourage each other in their studies, personal development and contributions to social change.

Benefits

Enjoy recognition as a high-achieving student, meet peers who share your interests and receive an honor cord to wear at graduation. Members do not have to pay fees or fulfill any other obligations.

Eligibility

  • Minimum GPA of 3.0
  • Minimum of six hours of GWS or elective courses completed
  • Three semesters worth of college-level work completed

Applications will be evaluated on the fourth Friday of fall and spring semesters (Sept. 24, 2021 and Feb. 18, 2022).

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