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Women's and Gender Studies

Explore the Role of Gender throughout Society

Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) is an interdisciplinary field that draws on theories, research findings, and methodologies from many traditional academic disciplines to explore women’s lives and the important role of gender in society throughout history.

At Southern Miss, the Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) Program offers an undergraduate minor. To earn the minor, students must take Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS 301) and five additional course electives approved for the minor. Courses for the minor are offered in a variety of academic areas, including criminal justice, English, mass communications, history, political science, sociology, and more. The specific list of currently approved courses can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin, and additional courses may be counted at the discretion of the program coordinator and school director.

Women's and Gender Studies courses and the minor are open to all students who are interested in gaining new insight into women, gender, and sexuality issues, and the minor complements the knowledge and skills of students in any major.

What Will I Learn?

Women’s and Gender Studies seeks to expand students’ understanding of the contributions of women to human cultures while also taking a broader, far-reaching lens to consider the role played by gender as a social category in a variety of societies across history.

Through a wide range of courses, students will learn about different women’s lived experiences and how gender:

• Influences people’s everyday lives, often in ways that are unacknowledged and unrealized;
• Is embedded in our social institutions, including politics, economics, education, religion, and the family;
• Intersects with race, class, sexuality, and other identities;
• Organizes knowledge and people’s understanding of the world;
• Is viewed from different perspectives, including global feminisms and transnationalism.

 

Faculty Affiliates

Meet our Program coordinator and Affiliate Faculty

Do you have a question about the Women's and Gender Studies program? Click above to get the contact information for the WGS Program Coordinator.

 

Faculty Spotlight

In , Dr. Rebecca Tuuri offers a sweeping view of the Council's behind-the-scenes efforts to fight racism, poverty, and sexism in the late twentieth century. Her book examines how the group teamed with U.S. presidents, foundations, and grassroots activists alike to implement a number of important domestic development and international aid projects.  

 

Student Spotlight

Mariam Atobiloye, '20

Growing up in Nigeria as a young girl, society told me to aspire to be great, but not too great since that would hurt the man's ego. I would watch the daily news and see that despite how rich the country was, women were still dying from childbirth. Women were policy makers, yet they were treated like their opinions.Read Mariam's Story

Career Pathways

A minor in Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) can be paired with any major to enhance students’ undergraduate education and career readiness.

The WGS minor helps student better understand gender issues that are pertinent to almost every context of life . In many career fields, understanding gendered issues is increasingly important, including in social services, counseling, human resources, education, healthcare, law, and politics. Whether a student seeks a career in public service, higher education, business, health care, the arts, or another field, having a background and certification in women’s and gender studies demonstrates additional expertise, interdisciplinary analytical experience, and strong critical thinking skills.

For more information about the career-relevance of the WGS minor, please contact the program coordinator.

Email%20Dr.%20Amy%20Chasteen

 

Minor Requirements

Availability