Women's and Gender Studies

Interested in how masculinity, femininity, gender roles and sexuality have changed over time?

Explore the diversity of women’s experiences at Albright College. Learn how race, class and other aspects of identity interact with gender and sexuality.

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.

Combined Major in Women’s and Gender Studies

Students interested in women’s and gender studies will combine the major with another area of study such as English, history, political science, psychology, religious studies or sociology.

Faculty from multiple departments teach courses for the program, emphasizing an “interdisciplinary” approach to studying women’s and gender issues. Faculty encourage students to seek personal advising to explore the varied coursework options. Course offerings vary greatly by semester and a variety of courses across disciplines may qualify for women’s and gender studies credit.

Please contact Women’s and Gender Studies Coordinator Dr. Katherine Lehman for more information.

Outcomes

In both the Women’s and Gender Studies minor and the co-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

Faculty

Arcana Albright, Ph.D.
Professor of French
610-921-7694
aalbright@albright.edu

Jennifer Koosed, Ph.D.
Professor of Religious Studies
610-921-7760
jkoosed@albright.edu

Victor J. Forte, Ph.D.
Professor of Religious Studies
610-921-7731
vforte@albright.edu

Midori E. Hartman Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Classical Studies
610-929-6620
mhartman@albright.edu

Michelle McGowan, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish

Andrew Mbuvi
Visiting NEH Chair in Religious Studies
ambuvi@albright.edu

Guillaume de Syon, Ph.D.
Professor of History
610-921-7822
gdesyon@albright.edu

Adam John, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of French and Spanish
610-921-7699
ajohn@albright.edu

Lisa Bellantoni, Ph.D.
Department Chair; Associate Professor in Philosophy
610-921-7709
lbellantoni@albright.edu

John Pankratz, Ph.D.
Professor of History
610-921-7823
jpankratz@albright.edu

Patricia Turning, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History; Chair of Department
610-921-6733
pturning@albright.edu

Melissa Katz, M.A.
Senior Instructor of Spanish
610-921-7858
mkatz@albright.edu

Katherine L. Brown, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Spanish
kbrown@albright.edu

Requirements

Combined Major Requirements

Introducing Sex and Gender (WGS 210)
Seminar in Women’s Studies (WGS 400)
200-level internship
Four other women’s and gender studies courses (It is important to understand that students electing the combined major in women’s and gender studies can not earn general studies credit for the courses which are part of their major.)

The listings and topics vary from year to year, but among the courses offered on a regular basis for either the minor or the co-major are:

Introducing Sex and Gender (WGS 210)
Sex, Gender, Bible (REL 244)
US Women’s History (HIS 204)
God and Doctors: Religion, Health, and Medicine (REL 236)
Gender and Sexuality in American Religions (REL 260)
Women’s Work (HIS 275)
Women in Latin America (LAS 340)
U.S. Social History: The American Family 1600-1900 (HIS 311)
Sex, Gender and Culture (ANT 320)
The Family (SOC 261)
Social Stratification (SOC 262)
Parenting and Technology (SOC 270)
Work and Family Conflict (SOC271)
Domestic Violence (SOC 311)
Immigration and Transnational Families (SOC470)
Women Writing in America (ENG 235)
Black Women Writers (ENG 235)
Women Writers: Africa & the Caribbean (ENG 235)
Women’s Texts (ENG 390)
Women, Gender & Mass Media (COM 283)

Minor Requirements

Introducing Sex and Gender (WGS 210)
200-level internship
Three other women’s and gender studies courses

Courses

Required Courses of all WGS minors

WGS 210
Introducing Sex and Gender
Is gender merely a matter of biology? Or is it an identity we perform through the way we move, the relationships we choose, the culture we create, the politics we espouse? This course is an introduction to the basic content, theories, and methods of women’s and gender studies. We will explore the ways in which society constructs gender, the ways in which people develop gender identity, and the ways in which gender intersects with race and class identities. We will also explore issues surrounding sexuality: sex, reproductive health, and sexual orientation. We will investigate how different ideologies of sex and gender affect our everyday lives. GENERAL STUDIES CONNECTIONS-HUMANITIES

WGS 400
Seminar in Women’s Studies
Addressing developments in the new scholarship on women and in feminist theory and methodology, the seminar focuses on topics from different disciplines and affords students the opportunity to present their own scholarly work in the field. Topics vary from year to year and take advantage of the wide range of expertise of faculty specializing in women’s studies fields. Major focus in this seminar course is on issues related to past, present and future constructions of gender in the United States.

Resources

What Can I do With a Major in Women and Gender Studies?