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Gender & Women's Studies

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

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Study Gender & Women's Studies at UW

Gender and Women’s Studies is committed to providing supportive, inclusive classroom environments. Students apply intersectional feminist and gender studies analyses to cultural histories, literature, the arts, and socio-political power relations. They’re provided with critical historical perspectives to better understand and investigate the complex role gender plays in contemporary civic life and public policy debates.

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Program Details

Tuition and Fees

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Program Requirements

Curriculum & Courses

Department

Gender and Women's Studies Program
School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice

About Gender & Women’s Studies

Gender and Women’s Studies (GWST) is part of the School of Culture, Gender & Social Justice (SCGSJ.) The School of Culture, Gender & Social Justice uses principles of inclusivity and interdisciplinarity to offer a range of educational opportunities for students and community members. Combining academic expertise with community engagement, the SCGSJ seeks to use education to foster understanding in order to build strong, inclusive communities that are empowered to engage in innovative, collaborative, and collective efforts to bring about positive, transformative change.

The Gender and Women’s Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary course of study that examines the relevance of sex, gender, and sexuality in history, societies, and cultures. In addition to the B.A. degree in Gender and Women's Studies, we offer undergraduate minors and graduate minors in both Gender and Women's Studies and Queer Studies.

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The GWST undergraduate program has 5 learning objectives it challenges students to pursue:

  1. Engage in intersectional, interdisciplinary feminist analysis.
  2. Analyze socio-historical and contemporary power dynamics underpinning group relations, social institutions, and systems of representation.
  3. Situate their analyses within various place-based contexts, including the rural, local, community, transnational, and global.
  4. Understand and articulate the history, strategies, and goals of interconnected movements for social justice.
  5. Demonstrate mastery of critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in diverse, 21st-century workforces and communities.

Undergraduate minors in Gender & Women’s Studies and Queer Studies require 18 credit hours (6 courses) of discipline specific lower- and upper-level courses. Students must complete required core courses, but also have great flexibility to pursue individual interests through selected, approved electives. 

View the full UNDERGRADUATE minor in Gender and Women's Studies degree program curriculum.

View the full UNDERGRADUATE minor in Queer Studies degree program curriculum.

A total of 12 credit hours are required to complete the Graduate Minors in Gender & Women’s Studies and Queer Studies. These minors provide advanced knowledge and skills to students pursuing a wide range of graduate degrees and professional careers.

View the full GRADUATE minor in Gender and Women's Studies degree program curriculum.

View the full GRADUATE minor in Queer Studies degree program curriculum.

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What Can You Do With a Gender and Women's Studies Degree?

A degree in gender and women's studies provides students with crucial critical thinking and problem-solving skills to work successfully in a diverse, rapidly changing world.

Gender and Women's Studies Careers

Here are just some of the fields you could work in with a degree in gender and women's studies:

  • University/college administration
  • Public policy
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Journalism
  • Human resources
  • Marketing/communications
  • Grant writing
  • Public service/lobbying

 

 

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Graduate schools UW Gender and Women's Studies alumni have attended:

  • Emory University
  • Columbia University
  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • Penn State University

 

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Gender and Women's Studies Bachelors Degree Program Highlights

Our GWST program has been curated by exceptional faculty to provide a diverse, depth-filled learning experience. Below are a few more of the opportunities that make the program great.

Internships Opportunities

We encourage students to engage in the community and in pre-professional experiences through internships and service learning. The program director will work with students to identify appropriate site placements. Over the years, students have interned with many organizations, including Climb Wyoming, Albany County SAFE Project, Wyoming Women’s Foundation, Downtown Clinic, and the Wyoming Women’s Business Center.

Research Opportunities

Faculty in Gender & Women’s Studies work closely with students to develop individual research interests, and to present research in local, regional, and national conferences. Recently, faculty have involved students in the following projects: Pathways from Prison, Women’s suffrage historical events, and local gender advocacy research.

Networking Opportunities

Gender and Women’s Studies works closely with Pokes Center for Community Resources, the SLCE Program, SAFE Project on campus, the Good Mule Project, and the Queer Community Coalition. We also actively work to connect students to campus and community organizations that fit their interests.

Financial Assistance

The University of Wyoming has several scholarship opportunities for GWST students to apply for whether they're a first-year, transfer, or non-traditional student. The Gender and Women's Studies program will also pay for travel expenses, conference registration fees, and/or other related expenditures (subject to funding availability and conference authorization). The program assesses requests for travel funding as soon as it receives them.

The things I learned in the UW Gender and Women's Studies program have been integral to all of my roles in my career, including college instructor, librarian, domestic violence and sexual assault survivor advocate, communications liaison, and small business owner. The GWST program taught me how to look at every level of our society, from pop culture to policy, to learn about biases and cultural messages. It taught me the skills and knowledge I needed to advocate for myself in a world that will try to disenfranchise me. Most importantly, it taught me the importance of building a community and fighting for what is right. Without Gender & Women’s Studies, I would not be the woman, advocate, or entrepreneur that I am, and I likely would not still be in Wyoming working to improve my home state.

- Lindsey Hanlon, former graduate GWST
Writer & small business owner

Related Programs

Interested in gender and women's studies? You might also want to learn more about these undergraduate programs at UW:

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College of Arts & Sciences

Gender and Women's Studies

1000 E. University Avenue

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: (307) 766-2733

Email: scgsj@uwyo.edu