All gender and sexuality studies minors complete "Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies" and a Capstone course.

Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies (SC210)

Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies provides a broad overview of the role of gender in society. An interdisciplinary approach--ranging across history, psychology, art, economics, literature, philosophy, sociology, political science, biology, and anthropology--is used to address questions such as: How does biology contribute to gender differences? What role does culture play in the construction of gender? The myriad of ways gender, race/ethnicity, and social class intersect is a unifying course theme. Although the main focus is on the sex/gender system of contemporary U.S. society, cross-cultural and historical perspectives are incorporated.

Students frequently develop personally meaningful projects of very high quality for this course. Check out:

• Anastasia Canell, Corey Falls and Grace Hymel's presentation, Violence LGBT Youth: Are Schools Really Safe Space
• Alicia Espinal-Mesa’s presentation, "Women of Color in Film and TV"

Capstone Course

A Capstone course (sometimes a seminar) that rotates through disciplines is offered each spring term. Senior Gender and Sexuality Studies minors with varied majors come together to focus on a substantive issue and all benefit from the variety of perspectives. Instructors are eager to work with such an invested group. The schedule of upcoming Capstone courses includes:

Spring 2023: Gender and Justice (taught by Amanda Konradi)

Explores the capacity of the U.S. criminal justice system to deliver gender equal justice by also exploring how legislation, interpretation, and application of criminal law reflects gendered, raced, and classed assumptions about human nature, appropriate roles, and positions in society. Focuses on processing victims and offenders and access to legal employment.

Future Scheduled Capstone Offerings

• Spring 2024 offered by the Theology Department
• Spring 2025 Feminist Philosophy (taught by Mavis Biss)
• Spring 2026 offered by the English Department (taught by Melissa Girard)

Recently offered Capstone courses include the following

• Spring 22: History 478, Global Histories of Sexuality (taught by Andrew Ross)
• Spring 2021: Modern Language 309, Gender, Peace and Justice in East Asia: Texts and Contexts (taught by Dr. Yu Stearns)
• Spring 2020: Philosophy 337, Philosophy of Feminism (taught by Mavis Biss)
• Spring 2019: History 390, Gender and Sexuality in Latin America (taught by David Carey)
• Spring 2018: Modern Language 309, Gender, Peace and Justice in East Asia: Texts and Contexts (taught by Dr. Yu Stearns)
• Spring 2017: English 367.01, American Feminist Public Intellectuals (taught by Dr. Brian Norman)
• Spring 2016: Sociology 430, Gender and Justice (taught by Dr. Amanda Konradi)
• Spring 2015: Sociology 361, Social Inequality (taught by Dr. Barbara Vann)