Gender studies degree overview

The field of gender studies explores what gender is and how it affects the way the world works. It was born out of an acknowledgement that we have for a long time viewed the world from several default perspectives: white, male, straight, and cisgender — relating to people whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds to their birth sex.

Students of gender studies approach and examine this disparity through the lenses of history, humanities, social sciences, theory, and global context. They come to understand and learn to apply gender theory from the perspectives of feminist theory, queer theory, and men and masculinity studies. In short, they develop appreciation of human diversity and awareness of intersectionality, the acknowledgement that multiple social categories — race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, and socioeconomic status — interact and intersect to influence lived experiences.

Note
Many programs offer a gender studies curriculum in combination with women’s studies.

Bachelor’s Degree in Gender Studies – Four Year Duration
At the bachelor’s level, students of gender studies gain a fundamental understanding of gender identity, sexuality, and gendered representation and how they characterize and impact the human experience. The perspectives from which the curriculum explores these dynamics include anthropology, history, language, politics, psychology, rhetoric, writing and public discourse, and sociology.

Here are examples of core courses that may be offered in a gender studies bachelor’s program:

• Introduction to Gender Studies – introduction to questions in which gender is a significant category of analysis: the construction of gender identity and sexuality, the relationship of gender to past and present social and cultural institutions, gendered representations in the arts and literature, feminist and related theoretical approaches to various disciplines
• Problems with Privilege – how various structures of discrimination and privilege, such as sexism and racism, intersect and influence our daily lived experience as well as our social institutions and policies
• Men and Masculinities – what it means to be a man, to be constructed and construed (or not) as a man; how masculinity is experienced; the concept of toxic masculinity; challenging ‘appropriate’ ideologies of masculinity; how alternative and non-dominant masculinities evolve
• Rhetoric, Gender, and Sexuality – examination of how rhetoric rooted in gender and sexuality creates, reinforces, adjusts, and sometimes overcomes sex and gender based bias in society; how rhetorical constructs of gender and sexuality form the basis for social, political, and economic conditions and experience for many; discussion of communication in the media, daily discourse, the law, politics, and personal experiences
• Trauma: Race- and Gender-Based Violence – exploration of race- and gender-based violence and trauma, its personal and collective impacts, and the social, cultural, and political actions required to respond to it
• Queer Studies – introduction to some key authors and texts in queer theory / queer studies, which developed in the early 1990s out of the intersection of feminist theory, sexuality studies, and queer activism
• Affect Theory and Gender – ‘affect theory’ is the idea that feelings and emotions are the primary motives for human behavior, with people desiring to maximize their positive feelings and minimize their negative ones; this course focuses on the role of emotions and feelings in the formation of gendered experiences
• Feminism and Psychoanalysis – discussion of various authors’ psychoanalytic critique of the subject of gender and of questions of gender and sexual difference; is sexual difference a metaphysical condition?
• Feminist and Queer Legal Theory – gender, sexuality, and the law; the relationship between queer theory and feminist theory; related legal doctrines and norms; legal issues such as marriage equality, sexual harassment, workers’ rights, and privacy
• Social Bodies, Diverse Identities: the Anthropology of Sex and Gender – why sex and gender are invaluable to understanding the human condition; cross-cultural expressions of sex and gender; examination of theoretical developments in the field
• Queerness in Contemporary Latin American and US Latinx Narrative – queer narratives from the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States; tracing the configurations of race and class, ethnicity and nationality, and immigration and legal status that typically intersect with queerness
• Capstone Project – a research project and presentation that puts into practice the knowledge and skills gained over the course of study

American Studies
As the name implies, students who major in American Studies study the United States, its history, literature, politics, economy, people, and popular culture. Increasingly, programs in this field incorporate examination of the wider Americas and the Caribbean.

Anthropology
Students of anthropology study the evolutionary history of people, how they interact, how they adapt to various environments, how they communicate and socialize with one another, and how their bodies and cultures have changed over time. The field attempts to answer big questions on many of the fundamentals of human culture, from gender to political systems to violence, religion, race, and economics.

English
In English degree programs, students read, study, and write about the literature and culture of the English-speaking world. Coursework also includes the history, linguistic structure, and use of the English language.

History
History is the study of change over time. Degree programs in the field examine political history, diplomatic/international relations history, cultural/ideological history, social/living standards history, economic history, intellectual/philosophical history, and military/armed conflict history.

Humanities
The humanities examine the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the human condition and experience. Coursework in the field spans many subject areas, from psychology, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and religion to language, communication, history, arts, and ethics. The goal is to learn how to learn and how to continue learning about humanity and the development of culture and society, past, present, and future.

• Ability to analyze inequities and initiate change
• Ability to understand texts, concepts, and theories
• Ability to work independently and in groups
• Capacity to debate and lead discussions
• Capacity to summarize material
• Creative and critical thinking, reasoning, and analysis
• Cultural awareness
• Persuasive writing
• Research
• Understanding of social and political processes and structures

The interdisciplinary nature of a gender studies degree means that it can be applied in a particularly wide variety of career paths. Employers in every industry can benefit from the gender studies graduate’s social justice perspective and understanding of diversity and equity and discrimination based on sex, gender, and sexuality. They can benefit from employees who understand gendered issues in the workplace – issues such as sexual harassment, flex-time, parental leave, pay equity, and equal employment opportunities.

Potential Sectors of Employment

• Arts
• Communications and media / journalism
• Counseling
• Government
• Health
• Human / social services administration
• Human resources
• Human rights / social justice
• Law
• Law enforcement
• Lobbying
• Marketing / market research
• Non-profit administration and fundraising
• Politics
• Public policy analysis
• Teaching