1. Self-awareness. The Women's and Gender Studies major provides information that allows you to assess the impact that gender norms have had on your own life.
2. Social consciousness. The Women's and Gender Studies major examines problems such as violence against women, lack of financial resources, and lack of access to education for women globally and in the United States.
3. Activism.  The Women's and Gender Studies major gives you the opportunity to work for gender equity and justice, both in the United States and internationally.
4. Job Opportunities. Women's and Gender Studies majors use their academic training is fields as varied as public health, nonprofit social organizations, law, business management, and human resources.
5. Friendship.  The Women's and Gender Studies major brings together diverse people studying about and working for gender equity: women and men, blacks and whites, straights and gays, international students and American students.

1. "Gendered Lives" - An examination of how we live our lives as gendered human beings.  The course investigates both the biological bases and cultural construction of gender. 
2. "The Psychology of Gender" - An examination of the history and theories of the psychology of men and women and their effects on our perceptions of ourselves and others' perceptions of us.
3. "Women in Developing Countries" - An examination of the status of women in developing countries, politically, economically and culturally.
4. "Women, Law and Politics" - An examination of the landmark legal cases affecting gender equality and the challenges facing women seeking leadership roles in politics and society.
5. "Women and Christianity" - An examination of the role of women within the Judeo-Christian tradition from biblical, historical, and theological perspectives.

What Students Love About This Program

1. Intellectual awakening.  Women's and Gender Studies isn't taught at the high school level, so all the information and concepts are fresh and exciting.
2. Personal awakening.  Most of us are unconscious of our assumptions about gender and of the enormous power it has to determine our life choices.  WGS opens our eyes.
3. Diversity.  By definition, Women's and Gender Studiesconcerns itself with minority and marginalized groups.  In WGS classes, you meet people from different walks of life and learn from one another.
4. Activism.  Women's and Gender Studies classes go beyond the classroom.  You touch people's lives—battered women, kids who've been bullied.  You make a difference.
5. Closeness.  Because the majors and faculty who teach in the Women's and Gender Studies program work on service learning together as well as in the classroom, we become a really close-knit group.

 
What Students Do with this Degree After They Graduate

1. Law School.  This is a favorite with our many double majors in Women's and Gender Studies and Political Science.

2. Graduate School. Many double majors in Women's and Gender Studies and fields such as English, psychology, and Christianity have gone on to graduate school.
3. Marriage and Family Counseling.  Because marriage and family systems are so heavily impacted by social construction of gender, Women's and Gender Studies graduates are successful in this field.
4. Teaching. Because sexism has permeated our educational curricula and textbooks in the past, many Women's and Gender Studies majors are committed to bringing the accomplishments of women and minorities into the classroom.
5. Nonprofit organizations. Many Women's and Gender Studies majors have an ethos of social commitment that leads them into work for such organizations as Habitat for Humanity, Planned Parenthood and churches.