The Winthrop University Women's and Gender Studies Program was founded in 1989 as
an interdisciplinary program that promotes gender as a relevant and rigorous category
of academic analysis throughout the curriculum and in other areas of campus life.
Women's and Gender Studies is an ideal minor for students pursuing degrees in any
field. It complements professional degree programs by allowing students to include
a liberal arts component that focuses on the significance of women and gender in all
areas of society. Students can augment their studies in Business or Education, for
example, with women's studies courses in Political Science, Psychology, History, Literature,
and Art. Broadly trained individuals with diverse interests and backgrounds are highly
desirable in employment, academic, and other opportunities after college. Awareness
of diversity, including gender, is important to many government agencies, businesses,
and non-profit organizations; women's studies courses are especially valuable for
this reason.
A Women's and Gender Studies minor is also a perfect complement to a Bachelor of Arts degree, regardless of a student's interest - the fine arts, social sciences, or humanities. The Women's and Gender Studies minor is flexible, and students can select courses that appeal to their strengths and interests. As a result of its diversity, the Women's and Gender Studies minor at Winthrop University can complement a variety of different major courses of study, and also works well with other interdisciplinary minors such as African American Studies, International Studies, and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Resolution Studies.
