Why Major or Minor in GWS

What can I do with a major or minor in Gender and Women's Studies?

To answer this question, you have to first consider what it is that employers look for when hiring.  We find that employers increasingly list the following qualities for their ideal employees:

1. critical thinking and analytic skills
2. ability to write well, and communicate well
3. a good understanding of diversity
4. a global perspective

Now, compare that with what we do in GWS:

1. GWS comes from a critical perspective (feminism/ cultural studies).  So we teach students to bring a critical perspective to their world, to various systems and hone their analytic skills
2. GWS  encourages writing, group work, presentations, so our majors and minors graduate with highly improved writing and communication skills
3. A key component to writing well, is having something important to say.  GWS helps you make sense of your life and your own history within the larger context of how gender functions in our society (in realms ranging from work, to family, to culture).
4. Given the grounding in feminist perspectives, students learn the value of collaboration and working in teams
5. Given that women make up 50% of any population, a grounding in Women's Studies gives students an insight into gender issues.  Given that we study gender through the lens of how it intersects of race, class, and sexuality – students are prepared to tackle any issues of diversity.
6. The GWS department has “global perspectives” as one of its greatest focus and strength. Our faculty come from all over the world and from traditionally underrepresented groups, and all our classes foreground global perspectives.

Fields our students often get into:

• Law, counseling, human resources, healthcare, social services and any other field that is looking for someone with the above skills.
• Advanced graduate degrees in fields such as Gender Studies, Women’s Studies, education, communication, political, cultural and media studies.