Mission Statement

Gender Studies is a multi- and interdisciplinary field of study in which students critically examine sex and gender as social constructs that vary across temporal, spatial, and cultural boundaries. The program incorporates a variety of methodologies and theoretical approaches and elective courses span the humanities, fine arts, social sciences and natural sciences.  Students in the Gender Studies major and minor  analyze and critique social and cultural systems of power that create and reinforce hierarchies of difference.  They gain an understanding of how constructs of sex and gender function in their own lives as they intersect with race, class, age, ethnicity, sexuality, and ability and examine how they inform their interactions with others.

Gender Studies Majors and Minors will:

Understand sex and gender as social constructs that are intersectional and vary across time, space, or culture.

Reflect on how constructs of sex and gender apply to their own lives as well as their interactions with others.

Cultivate interest in societal concerns related to sex, gender, and inequality.

Cultivate the habit of questioning gender constructs, both in and out of the classroom.

Understand, compare, and evaluate a range of gender theories from multiple disciplines that inform and structure the field of Gender Studies.

Understand, analyze, and critique social and cultural systems of power that create and reinforce hierarchies of difference.

Develop the skills – analytical and activist – to become agents of change regarding justice and gender equality in their local and international communities.