Women's and Gender Studies

WGS Learning Goals

Students will:

1. Gain an understanding of gender as a central category of analysis that compels constant inquiry into the production and legitimation of knowledge
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the historical development and contemporary scope of women’s studies as a discipline and current research on sexuality and gender
3. Become fluent in feminist theories and their application across disciplines, as well as develop skills in feminist research methodology
4. Analyze historical and contemporary systems of privilege and oppression, with special attention to the ways gender intersects with race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and nationality
5. Gain a critical awareness of the instability of identity categories
6. Understand how all fields of knowledge are partial, situated, and have a political nature
7. Apply feminist theories and current research to transcultural and transnational analysis of gender, systemic oppression, and women’s resistance and agency
8. Analyze how the media and other social institutions exert a shaping force on gender, and how, conversely, gender imperatives shape individuals, families, communities, and nations
9. Demonstrate a grasp of the significance of women’s historical and contemporary contributions to culture and society
10. Apply classroom learning to personal life, the workplace, the community, and political and civil institutions, with opportunities to study and participate in community-based learning, action-based research, political activism, and other social justice initiatives