Women's and Gender Studies
Julie Peterson
Mission
Through exploring the social construction of gender in a variety of cultural contexts, women's and gender studies aims to improve understanding of the situations of both women and men. Its goals include not only recognizing women of all backgrounds as whole and productive human beings, but also, through this, providing a more accurate and equitable account of human experience.
Minor Description
The minor in women's and gender studies introduces students to the theories, methods, and issues of the field of women's and gender studies. Complementing and building upon the traditional humanities and social science offerings of the UNE College of Arts and Sciences, the women's and gender studies minor provides an interdisciplinary perspective to students' education by combining the scholarly traditions of many fields of knowledge in new and productive ways.
Curricular Requirements
Eighteen credits as indicated below will satisfy the minor in women's and gender studies
|
Program Required Courses |
Credits |
|---|---|
| WGST 200 - Introduction to Women's Studies | 3 |
| WGST 400 - Capstone in Women's and Gender Studies or Advanced (300 - 400-level) WGST approved course (see list below) |
3 |
| Elective Credits (complete at least four of the courses below) | 12 |
| Minimum Required Total Credits | 18 |
| Electives | |
| ENG 223 - Survey of Women's Literature | |
| ENG 310 - Writing and Women's Health | |
| ENG 327 - Women Writers of the World | |
| ENV 331 - Women and the Environment | |
| HIS 204 - Growing up Female: A History of American Girls | |
| HIS 250 - American Women's History I 1600-1865 | |
| HIS 251 - American Women's History II 1865-present | |
| HIS 252 - Gender in Latin American History | |
| HIS 337 - Topics in Women's History | |
| PHI 125 - Friendship, Love, Marriage and Sex | |
| PSC 312 - The Family and Politics | |
| PSC 321 - Women and Politics | |
| PSC 432 - Autonomy and the Politics of Reproduction | |
| PSC 450 - Contemporary Feminist Theories | |
| PSY 215 - Psychology of Gender | |
| SOC 240 - Race, Class, and Gender: Sociological Perspectives | |
| SOC 350 - Deviance | |
| WGST 101/201/301/401 - Topics in Women's and Gender Studies | |
| WGST 310 - Medieval Women in History and Legend | |
| Women's and Gender Studies elective credit may be given for the following topics courses. Examples of specific sections for which credit will be given are listed in parentheses. | |
| ENG 216 - Topics in Law & Literature I (Criminals, Idiots and Minors) | |
| ENG 234 - Topics in British Literature (Fallen Angels: New Woman Fiction in England and America) | |
| ENG 326 - Topics in Literature & Health (Madness in Literature) | |
| ENG 435 - Topics in American Literature (Women of the West) | |
| HIS 290 - History Hands On (Sex and Power: Women in the Americas) | |
| HIS 399 - Topics in History (Gender and Sexuality in Latin American History) | |
| XXX 276 - Human Traditions I (Gender and Politics) | |
| PSY 405 - Special Topics Seminar (Psychology of Sexual Orientation) |
Elective credit may, in some cases, be available through internships or directed studies when approved by the Advisory Committee for Women’s and Gender Studies. This elective credit must have content that is women and/or gender-focused.
Learning Outcomes
The Women’s and Gender Studies Program has identified an array of valuable learning outcomes associated with its undergraduate minor curriculum.
Among those, the following three represent especially important learning areas for students graduating with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of New England.
Students completing the Women’s and Gender Studies minor will be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of the key concerns and methodologies of Women’s and Gender Studies
- articulate orally and in writing the importance of gender to social and cultural issues, past and present
- conduct competent primary and secondary source research in order to develop a basis for informed opinions
Honors Program
We offer qualified students the option of participating in our Honors Program and graduating with Honors. This includes significant research, scholarship or creative activity under the direction of a faculty member.
Transfer Credit
Admissions
All admitted, matriculated UNE students can declare a minor in women's and gender studies with the permission of the program director. All students are invited to enroll in women's and gender studies courses.