Women’s Studies

Faculty

Dr. Jamey Piland, Associate Professor of Communication (program chair)
Faculty representing diverse disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences collaborate with and contribute to the Women’s Studies program.

Description

Trinity offers an interdisciplinary minor in women’s studies designed to support the academic life and scholarship of both students and faculty as they investigate and research the status of women in every field of academic inquiry.

The discipline of women’s studies was founded upon the integration of intellectual inquiry and social practice. Students in the program are strongly urged to combine feminist theory with practical applications of their scholarship. The Women’s Studies Program strives for a broad and complex understanding of the female experience in a global context.

Trinity has been committed to the advancement of women since its founding. The university’s general education curriculum expresses this commitment and emphasizes the value of an interdisciplinary, collaborative education. Using cross-cultural and multi-racial perspectives, the Women’s Studies Program explores women’s lives, labor, and arts; it examines the politics of gender, and it studies the history of gender roles as well as representations of those roles in different media. Focusing on the interaction of class, race, gender, and sexuality, it analyzes the relations of power in various cultures, and it provides students with a basic structure of ideas, a framework for analyzing the fundamental shift in understanding arising from a systematic retrieval of history and from women’s changing awareness; the program also investigates strategies for social change.

The program offers a minor in women’s studies to students in the College of Arts and Sciences and supports all of Trinity’s undergraduate majors as well as individualized and interdisciplinary majors. Courses that meet general education requirements may also count toward the minor. The introductory course should be taken in the spring of the student’s second year or the fall of the third year.

The Women’s Studies curriculum offers students skills such as critical thinking, writing, research, and social activism. Students will find these skills are necessary for a wide range of academic disciplines. A minor in Women’s Studies prepares students for careers in many fields, including research, policy, government and nonprofit agencies, publishing, international affairs, education, and advocacy.

Minor Requirements

Required Courses (18 credits)

ALL of the following courses:
WST 440 Senior Seminar in Women's Studies Senior Seminar in Women’s Studies
WST 240 Introduction to Women's Studies Introduction to Women’s Studies

TWO of the following courses:
WST 250 Women in Popular Culture Women in Popular Culture
WST 301 Women, Peacemaking, and Nonviolence Women, Peacemaking, and Nonviolence
WST 368 Women and Leadership Women and Leadership
WST 369 Women and Community Change Women and Community Change
WST 400 Internship in Women's Studies Internship in Women’s Studies

Elective Courses

TWO of the following courses:
COM 388 Gender and Communication Gender and Communication
COM 450 Women In Organizations Women In Organizations
ECON 223 Women in the Economy Women in the Economy
ENGL 434 Jane Austen and Her Influence Jane Austen and Her Influence
ENGL 435 The Bronte Sisters The Bronte Sisters
ENGL 476 Seminar on Toni Morrison Seminar on Toni Morrison
FNAR 247 Women in Music History Women in Music History
FNAR 321 Women Artists Women Artists
HIS 344A African American Women's History African American Women’s History
HIS 393 Women in US History to 1900 Women in US History to 1900
HUMR 301 Seminar: Perspectives on Gender Seminar: Perspectives on Gender
PHIL 237 Women and Philosophy Women and Philosophy
POLS 211 Women and the Law Women and the Law
POLS 213 Women and Politics Women and Politics
PSYC 262 Psychology of Women Psychology of Women
SOCY 333 Women and the Developing World Women and the Developing World
SOCY 341 Women, Men, and Complex Organizations Women, Men, and Complex Organizations

* Other courses may be approved by the Program Chair. The Women’s Studies Program usually publishes a list of approved courses offered each semester.

Program Policies

Advanced Placement:
Credits earned through AP examinations do not fulfill requirements of the minor.

CLEP Policy:
Credits earned through CLEP examinations do not fulfill requirements of the minor.

Grades in Required Courses:
Students are required to earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in all courses counted to fulfill requirements for the minor.

Pass/No Pass:
With the exception of internships, courses fulfilling minor requirements may not be taken pass/no pass.

Senior Assessment:
In order to complete a minor in women’s studies, students must take WST 440 Senior Seminar in Women's Studies that includes a comprehensive assessment.

Study Abroad:
Students may meet minor requirements with courses taken during study abroad.

TELL Policy:
The Women’s Studies Program supports and encourages Trinity’s TELL Program. Students applying for experiential learning credit should consult with the program faculty.

Transfer Credits:
Transfer credit from appropriately accredited institutions of higher learning may be counted for minor requirements, dependent on program review and approval. Associations recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEA) confer appropriate accreditation; these associations include but are not limited to regional accreditors.

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