Women’s and Gender Studies
Dr. Labendz 718.489.3486
Program Mission
The minor in Women’s and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program of study focusing on how ideas about women, gender, and sexuality operate in and influence society. By looking at the biological, psychological, social, political, and cultural aspects of women, gender, and sexuality within different cultures and professions, the minor endeavors to highlight how ideas about these categories influence literature, the arts, the sciences, business, and technology. The minor also underscores the contributions women and LGBTQIA+ people have made to these fields and in other areas where they are underrepresented. An integration of coursework and cultural events will prepare students to think critically about how gender and sexuality operate in daily life, appreciate the contributions and struggles women and LGBTQIA+ people have made and endured, and prepare students for futures in social work, health care, business administration, artistic and cultural administration, media, nonprofit work, and graduate school.
Goals and Objectives
Students who complete the minor in Women’s and Gender Studies will learn:
• How gender and sexuality have been constructed socially, culturally, politically, and scientifically.
• The challenges which women, non-gender conforming, and LGBTQ people have faced throughout history and their movements to create change.
• Critical and theoretical frameworks related to Women’s and Gender Studies across disciplines.
• Appreciation for cultural and social events related to women’s, non-gender conforming, and LGBTQ people’s experiences.
Students who complete the minor in Women’s and Gender Studies will be able to:
• Analyze the role of gender and sexuality in culture and society.
• Explain how gender and sexuality fit into power differentials across different social, cultural, and institutional settings and practices.
• Describe the historical struggles of women, non-gender conforming, and LGBTQ people for independence and equality around the world.
• Engage in critical thinking, discussion, and writing about women, gender, and sexuality as they are reflected in various disciplines.
• Articulate how Women’s and Gender Studies is valuable in an array of career and educational paths.