Undergraduate Experience

Feminist studies is an interdisciplinary field of analysis that investigates how relations of gender are embedded in social, political, and cultural formations. The undergraduate program in Feminist Studies provides students with a unique interdisciplinary and transnational perspective. The department emphasizes theories and practices derived from multiracial and multicultural contexts.

Students are introduced to key texts that have shaped the feminist movement in successive eras and within global publics. The department's interdisciplinary approach provides numerous opportunities for hybrid projects that draw upon anthropology, sociology, film, literature and the sciences in order to cultivate new modes of critical thought. Students are encouraged to forge their own intellectual path in which diverse interests are brought together under the rubric of feminist thought, pushing the boundaries of exploration, growth and social change in a variety of political circumstances.

The B.A. degree in Feminist Studies provides an excellent foundation for undergraduates with career aspirations in a broad array of fields, including law, health, public administration, education, public service and social services. Students wishing to pursue doctoral work will find that interdisciplinary training in feminist studies equips them with theoretical and methodological strengths in most disciplines and applied research fields.

Specialists in feminist studies are being hired as consultants in industry, higher education, insurance companies, and human resource firms. State and federal government agencies require people with special training in understanding gender relations. Finally, educational institutions need specialists to develop and administer feminist studies programs, women's centers, and other institutional structures designed specifically to study and address women's rights and gender issues.