Women’s and Gender Studies – Albright College

Women’s and Gender Studies

Liberal Arts Overview

Many majors, such as Women’s and Gender Studies and Modern Foreign Language, give students experiences they need to succeed in a variety of areas. The Women’s and Gender Studies co-major can give students many skills to thrive in other fields. Students from our Women’s and Gender Studies co-major have also gone into the fields of communications, business, non-profit agencies, and law. Their courses, projects, and involvement have given them “transferable skills,” which are skills that can be used for most careers. Some transferable skills learned by Women’s and Gender Studies majors are written communication, problem solving, understanding of diversity, and public speaking. The core of Women’s and Gender Studies is to better the students’ understanding of their own values. In turn, this helps students feel comfortable working with others who may not have the same values, beliefs, and vision, and helps them to appreciate those with differing views. Students in Women’s and Gender Studies will gain and understanding of themselves and the world around them.

Women’s and Gender Studies

In both the Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Minor and the Combined Major, students will learn

  • To use gender as an analytical category
  • The history of women
  • The principles and varieties of feminism both as a political philosophy that shapes activism and a method of analysis in academia
  • To explore the diversity of women’s experiences and how race, class, and other aspects of identity interact with gender and sexuality
  • How understandings and expressions of masculinity, femininity, gender roles and sexuality are contingent and have changed over time and across culture

Since its inception in 1989, the women’s and gender studies curriculum has incorporated a growing number of courses on men and masculinities. Although the majority of women’s and gender studies courses emphasize gender in Western societies, one of the goals of this program is to provide a global context and to offer students courses which will define the roles and issues of women and men in non-Western societies.

Related Career Titles (Some may require education beyond bachelor’s degree)

Social Worker
Victims’ Advocate
Lawyer
Rape Crisis Program
Director		 Health Clinic Coordinator
Journalist
Women’s Center Director
Community Org. Dir.		 College Professor Archivist
Legislative Aide Intake Counselor Health Care Specialist		 Human Rights Advocate
PR Manager
Policy Advocate
Teacher

How do you get ready? (from http://career.utk.edu/students/majors/pdf/womenstudies.pdf)

  • Women’s Studies provides a broad, liberal arts background that helps build skills in critical thinking and problem solving, data collection and analysis, oral, written and presentation skills, and cooperative teamwork skills.
  • Women’s studies also provides in-depth knowledge of the conditions of women in various cultures and societies; gender dynamics; strategies and organizational skills needed to address gender inequalities, women’s struggles, achievements and contributions in past and present societies and across cultures; the courses and consequences of women’s subordination; gender-based assumptions and biases and their consequences; social change agents; and sensitivity to social concerns and other view points.
  • Some students may choose to study Women’s Studies because they enjoy the subject but wish to pursue careers requiring “any major.” In this scenario, it is critical to develop desirable skills through internships, part-time or summer jobs, or volunteer experiences.
  • Women’s Studies majors are excellent candidates for a number of graduate school options because of their broad liberal arts background as well as specific interests that may set them apart from other students. For those wishing to pursue graduate education, maintain a high GPA and establish relationships with faculty to secure strong recommendations, and gain experience through volunteer, work or research opportunities.

Related Major Skills

Critical and Inferential Thinking Effective Writing Skills Understanding Human Interactions
Identify Value Systems Problem Solving Leadership Abilities
Able to Observe, Analyze, & Interpret Information Interact with Diverse Populations Explain Ideas Clearly

What about the future?

“Employment of social and community service managers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations.”

For specific job outlook information, refer to www.bls.gov/

Available at Albright College Career Development Center’s Resource Library

  • Great Jobs for Liberal Arts Majors, by Blythe Camenson
  • Careers for Bookworms and Other Literary Types, by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler
  • Careers for Born Leaders and Other Decisive Types, by Blythe Camenson
  • Careers for Caring People and Other Sensitive Types, by Adrian A. Paradis
  • Careers for Extroverts and Other Gregarious Types, Jan Goldberg
  • Careers for Good Samaritans and Other Humanitarian Types, by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler
  • Careers for Persuasive Types and Others Who Won’t Take No for an Answer, by Jan Goldberg
  • Careers for Scholars and Other Deep Thinkers, by Blythe Camenson
  • Career Opportunities in Law and the Legal Industry, by Susan Echaore-McDavid
  • Career Opportunities for Writers, by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
  • Opportunities in Counseling and Development Careers, by Neale Baxter and Philip A. Perry
  • Opportunities in Education Support Careers, by Mark Rowh
  • Opportunities in Government Careers, by Neale Baxter
  • Opportunities in Law Careers, by Gary Munneke
  • Opportunities in Nonprofit Organizations, by Adrian A. Paradis
  • Opportunities in Public Health Careers, by George E. Pickett and Terry W. Pickett
  • Opportunities in Social Science Careers, by Rosanne J. Marek
  • Opportunities in Social Work Careers, by Renee Wittenberg
  • Opportunities in State and Local Government Careers, by Neale Baxter
  • Opportunities in Writing Careers, by Elizabeth Foote-Smith

Disclaimer

Links to Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement by Albright College or the Experiential Learning and Career Development Center.

Resources for Women’s and Gender Studies

Professional Organizations

 

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