Gender & Women's Studies
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- Gender & Women's Studies is part of WMU's College of Arts and Sciences.
Gender & Women's Studies
Gender & Women’s Studies is a dynamic academic field rooted in social justice movements. Its analyses of gender-based inequality and social change have helped transform society and influenced the content and methodology of many other disciplines. Working at the intersections of race, class, ethnicity and sexual identity, the Gender & Women’s Studies Program explores perspectives on gender as it is socially constructed, expressed, and maintained. Course work investigates the conditions of women globally, both historically and currently, and interrogates conceptions of gender using multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary methods. Through community-based internships, the program also encourages students to test their knowledge in the field while learning from seasoned activists and professionals. Western Michigan University offered its first Women’s Studies minor in 1975, laying groundwork for our program that is among the oldest in the nation. Our major (coordinated with any other departmental major) and minor are especially effective at preparing students for careers that place a premium on critical thinking, especially those oriented toward social justice.