Women's & Gender Studies Minor

Ethnic & Gender Studies Program
Department of Interdisciplinary Studies
Office: 241 Fenton Hall

(716) 673-3861

Dr. Jeanette McVicker, Program Coordinator

Email: jeanette.mcvicker@fredonia.edu
Dr. Jennifer Hildebrand, Director of Curriculum & Special Programming
(716) 673-4267
Email: hildebra@fredonia.edu

Website: https://www.fredonia.edu/academics/colleges-schools/college-liberal-arts-sciences/ethnic-gender-studies

As a minor within the interdisciplinary Ethnic & Gender Studies program, students in the Women’s & Gender Studies minor will focus on the complex history of the social construction of gender within a broad social justice framework. The minor engages students to think about themselves, their communities and their world through dynamic and critical, creative pedagogy and experiential learning. Its multi-ethnic focus is a critical component that demonstrates to students the importance of taking an intersectional and transnational approach to social issues and problems impacting all people, with a specific focus on exploring women and LGBTQ+ people, changing tropes of masculinity and more.

Women’s & Gender Studies is for everyone! Because all the primary institutions of society contribute to and reflect particular ways of thinking about gender, students gain intellectual and critical thinking skills that help them contemplate social change through a multi-faceted lens. A minor in Women’s & Gender Studies opens doors for careers in public policy and politics, law, non-profit organizations, public relations and communication media, the arts, education, health counseling and social work, and many other fields.

Minor Requirements

The minor requires a minimum of 21 credit hours: up to 6 credit hours of transfer credit may be applied, with coordinator approval. No more than 6 credit hours may overlap a student’s major. Students may use courses taken retroactively after consultation with the coordinator. At least six credit hours, beyond the capstone, should be taken at the upper level (300/400).

Some courses require prerequisites. Click on any hyperlinked course for additional information.

Core courses:

WGST 201	Topics in Gender Studies	3
WGST 202	Foundations of Social Justice	3
WGST 491	Social Change Capstone	3
Total Credit Hours:		9

Electives:

	Courses taken by advisement with ESG coordinator	12
Total Credit Hours:		12

6 credits must be at the upper level

Recommended Electives Include:

ARTH 205	Women in Art	3
COMM 373	Gender and Communication	3
COMM 465	Intercultural Communication	3
ECON 312	Women in the Economy	3
ECON 325	Labor and Employment	3
ECON 360	Health Care Economics	3
ENGL 274	Social Justice & The Written Word	3
ENGL 296	American Identities	3
ENGL 313	Scribbling Women	3
ENGL 331	American Literary Roots	3
ENGL 341	Harlem Renaissance	3
ENGL 343	Queer Studies in Literature	3
ENGL 349	Theories of Gender	3
ENGL 351	Language and Society	3
ESCI 105	Global Environmental Issues	3
ETHN 205	Native American Studies	3
ETHN 206	African American Studies	3
ETHN 225	Introduction to Latine History and Culture	3
ETHN 234	Music, Society, and Crisis	3
ETHN 240	Introduction to African American Literature and Culture	3
ETHN 241	Introduction to Latino/a Literature	3
ETHN 242	American Indian Literature	3
ETHN 275	Black Women Writers	3
ETHN 304	Latina Literature and Cultural Studies	3
ETHN 313	Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination	3
ETHN 359	Ethnicity and Race	3
HIST 288	The Atlantic World, 1500-1820	3
HIST 343	Civil Rights Movement	3
POLI 371	Civil Rights and Liberties	3
PSY 276	Human Sexuality	3
PSY 370	Cross-Cultural Psychology	3
SOC 275	Social Inequalities	3
SOC 306	Sex and Gender	3
SOC 320	Family Sociology	3
SOC 365	Family Violence	3
SOCW 249	Social Welfare History	3
SOCW 355	Diversity, Oppression, and Human Rights	3
SPMG 230	Sport in Diverse Societies	3
WGST 210	LGBTQ Literature & American History	3
WGST 255	Psychology of Women	3
WGST 302	Sex and Gender	3
WGST 314	Women Writers	3
WGST 335	American Women	3
WGST 345	Women, Health and Society	3

Students are encouraged to explore relevant Study Abroad courses and/or Internships to meet the elective requirements; discuss this option with the coordinator prior to registration.

Please note: students in any EGS minors are encouraged to register for the appropriate prefix (ETHN or WGST) when choosing cross listed courses from below as electives. Such courses can only be taken one for credit.

ENGL 240 / ETHN 240
ENGL 241 / ETHN 241

Total Credit Hours: 21