New Major: Women’s and Gender Studies
Launched in spring 2011, Lafayette’s Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) major empowers students to understand the role of gender in society and in their own lives.
Mary Armstrong, associate professor and chair of women's and gender studies, moderates a discussion of artists' books during Women's History Month.
“The WGS major prepares students to become confident leaders within today’s diverse society and evolving global workplace,” says Mary Armstrong, associate professor of WGS/English and program chair. “Students acquire the ability to understand how gender affects every level of human experience — cultural, technological, psychological, scientific, political, economic, and aesthetic. WGS courses teach students to combine and synthesize different kinds of knowledge into a set of sophisticated problem-solving skills.”
Reflective of the College’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning, the major links to more than a dozen other departments and programs and involves approximately 40 faculty members. “WGS students learn to use knowledge across multiple conceptual and analytical frameworks. They gain the ability to think and work across disciplinary boundaries and to use different perspectives to fully analyze and address complex social problems,” says Armstrong.
WGS majors are encouraged to participate in internships, community-based service learning, and courses in other countries. Among the numerous career paths that a WGS major might take are advocacy, counseling, education, law, psychology, public health, and public policy.