Gender impacts everyone and yet we do not always think intentionally and systematically about the role that gender plays and continues to play in modern society and culture. The Women's and Gender Studies Program and the associated minor offer an umbrella for those who wish to concentrate study on women's experiences, masculinity, gender, LGBTQ+ experiences, and/or other questions of diversity. Students will have the opportunity to examine aspects of experiences that have traditionally been under represented in the academy—the lives and works of women, the experiences of gays and lesbians.
Students will also examine gender as a cultural phenomenon. Students will encounter fundamental methodologies of women's and gender studies and work toward an increasingly rich understanding of gender as a social construction, one that intersects with class, race, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, and sexual identity.
Guided by the history and fundamentals of Women's and Gender Studies work, the program is intentionally interdisciplinary, drawing upon coursework in sociology, history, English, psychology, political science, religious studies, anthropology, and others. Classes explore everything from the expected—feminist theory and women's literature—to the unexpected, such as multicultural feminist perspectives, women and religion, gender portrayal in film, pressures imposed by contemporary patriarchal gender role expectations, and the political context of women's health.
This holistic approach means that students develop a broad understanding of the extent to which gender stereotypes, biases, and truths permeate all aspects of our culture. We do not, however, simply study cases of victimization and oppression, but in both academic and service learning experiences build awareness about how to create change for the better.
A minor in Women's and Gender Studies fits with the mission and vision of Bellarmine University as it emphasizes "each individual's intrinsic value and dignity" and seeks to engage "diverse students of many faiths, ages, nations, and cultures."
Contact Kathryn West at kwest@bellarmine.edu for more information about what you'll experience in the Women's and Gender Studies Minor.
Degree requirements and course descriptions can be found in the Catalog. If you would like to pursue this minor, contact your academic advisor.