Womens studies minor
The minor in women’s studies requires at least 16 credit hours in women’s studies courses. The program is interdisciplinary in nature, and courses are all cross-listed with other programs on campus. The program may also be used as a secondary concentration for bachelor’s degrees in humanities or social sciences.
Women’s studies is rooted in scholarship and activism, placing gender at the center of inquiry. Central to the consideration of gender are the ways class, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, age and ability shape the human experience.
Classes focus on how gendered social roles affect personal lies, artistic expression, work, social relationships, institutional structures, the production of knowledge, and national and international political and economic relations.
Advantages of a women’s studies minor:
- Complements skills gained in major disciplines
- Provides a systematic knowledge of the multidisciplinary scholarship about gender and by women and other gender minorities
- Encourages thinking and communicating critically and analytically
- Enhances the qualifications for working in today’s diverse workplaces
Queer studies minor
A minor in queer studies helps you understand the complex negotiations and processes beneath assumptions about what is "queer" and what is "normal" and to intervene in those social systems that marginalize queer people, queer institutions and queer futures.
The fundamental premise that informs queer studies curriculum is the idea that "sex," "gender" and "sexual orientation" are not just private experiences or categories but are profoundly political and public issues that have important implications in social, legal, economic and cultural spheres.
Examine sexual orientation and gender identity as they intersect with culture, ethnicity, class and community, examining, for instance, how queer politics and activism is fundamentally linked to the struggles against globalization, anti-immigration, privatization of health care, or racial and gender oppression.
Completion of a minor in queer studies requires a minimum of 16 credits with a 2.0 GPA. At least 9 credits must be from upper-division courses and taken in residence at WSU or through WSU-approved education abroad or educational exchange courses.
The program can complement many majors, and may be used as a secondary concentration for bachelor’s degrees in humanities or social sciences.