Women's Studies Minor

The Women’s Studies minor at SUNY Geneseo focuses on women and gender using multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches. It includes feminist analyses of the construction and enforcement of gender differences and gender inequalities in various contexts, with an emphasis on the intersection of gender with race, class, sexuality, and nationality in the lives of women. Students are encouraged to apply what they learn in Women’s Studies classrooms to other areas of their lives. All students take a core program of Women’s Studies courses plus elective courses offered by other departments that study women and gender issues, using feminist methodologies and pedagogy. Additionally, each student completes a capstone experience individually designed to apply concepts from Women’s Studies to her/his life and career choices. The Women’s Studies Advisory Committee is willing to work closely with students to design feasible, individualized study, especially when students’ study abroad or other academic requirements make it impossible for them to take one of these courses.

Total Required Hours: 21 semester hours
Required Courses: 12 semester hours
WMST 100: Introduction to Women’s Studies
WMST 210: Race, Class and Gender
WMST 220: Gender and Sexualities
WMST 399: Research or Creative Project in Women’s Studies OR
WMST 395: Internship in Women’s Studies

Electives: 9 semester hours
choose from: WMST 201: Topics in Women’s Studies (3 hours, may be repeated) and/or courses cross-listed in other departments: ANTH 224 M/Ethnography of Gender in Latin America; ANTH 243 S/M/Women in Cross-cultural Perspective; ENGL 343 Women and Literature: (subtitle); HIST 200 Women in Western Society; HIST 260 S/U/Issues in the History of American Women; PHIL 204 Philosophy of Woman; PLSC 250 Women and Politics; PSYC 236 Human Sexual Behavior; PSYC 308 Psychology of Women; SOCL 201 Black Women in American Society; SOCL 210 Sociology of the Family; SOCL 215 Women and the Law; SOCL 225 Sociology of Gender.

Departmental slot or topics courses with appropriate subtitles can be submitted to the Women’s Studies Advisory Group for inclusion on an individual basis.

Guidelines for choosing electives:
1) No more than one at the 100 level.
2) No more than two with the same prefix (i.e. ENGL or HIST or SOCL).
3) At least one in the broad category of Humanities/Arts.
4) At least one in the broad category of Social Sciences.

(Old Requirements from Fall 1998; students who declared the minor before Fall 2006 use these requirements) 

While the Women's Studies Minor is in transition, the Coordinator will make course waivers for current minors to enable them to complete their minor. WMST 301 will not be offered, and students are encouraged to find an internship or work with a mentor to create an individual research or creative project in place of that course.

This minor offers students an interdisciplinary approach to women' s studies. Requirements both within the humanities and fine arts and within the social science will enable students to use several methodologies, including feminist theory, in connecting women's historical, economic, political, psychological, social, cultural, and artistic experiences. Through the minor, the students will explore the intersections of gender with race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality. 

The Women's Studies Minor consists of a minimum of 21 hours, including:

Required:

WMST 301: Seminar in Women's Studies (course no longer exists; contact Melanie Blood if you declared the minor when this was a requirement) 

Prereq: 12 hours of completed Women's Studies courses and permission of instructor. 

6 elective courses from the list below, selected to meet the following requirements:

-at least two courses from Humanities and/or Fine Arts 

-at least two courses from Social Sciences 

-at least once course dealing primarily with issues of women of color 

-no more than 2 courses with the same prefix (e.g. ENGL) 

-no more than 2 courses at the 100 level 

elective courses approved for WMST credit:

AmSt. 201 (with appropriate subtitle); Anth. 224, 243; Engl. 142 (with appropriate subtitle), 237 (with appropriate subtitle), 241 (with appropriate subtitle), 250 (with appropriate subtitle), 267 (with appropriate subtitle), 321 (with appropriate subtitle), 324 (with appropriate subtitle), 343, 358 (with appropriate subtitle), 394 (with appropriate subtitle); Hist. 200, 203 (with appropriate subtitle), 220 (with appropriate subtitle), 221 (with appropriate subtitle), 260, 380 (with appropriate subtitle), 391 (with appropriate subtitle); Phil. 204; PlSc. 250; Psyc. 238, 308; Socl. 201, 215, 225; WmSt. 201. New Courses and onetime courses may also be considered for WMST credit. 

Each semester a list of courses offered for WMST credit appears in the master schedule. 

Note: Some courses can meet two of the above requirements. For example, English 237 American Voices: Afro-American Women would be a Humanities course and meet the women of color requirement.

Any course on the introduction list will also count toward the Humanities, Fine Arts, or Social Science requirements.

Many departments offer a variety of courses which count toward the minor; check the list each semester at the back of the course schedule.