Women's and Gender Studies Minor

Evanthia Speliotis, Ph.D., Division Chair
Alumni Hall 108, Phone 502.272.8232, espeliotis@bellarmine.edu

Kathryn West, Ph.D., Women's and Gender Studies Minor Advisor, kwest@bellarmine.edu

The Women's and Gender Studies minor is housed in the English Department.

Gender impacts everyone.  Nevertheless, we do not always think intentionally and systematically about the role that gender plays in our lives, nor do we necessarily recognize the many impacts it has had through human history.  The Women's and Gender Studies Program and the associated minor offer an umbrella for those who wish to concentrate study on women's experiences, masculinity, gender, LGBTQIA+ experiences, and/or other questions of diversity. Students will have the opportunity to examine aspects of experiences that have traditionally been underrepresented in the academy--the lives and works of women, of gays and lesbians, and of Trans and Gender Fluid people, both throughout history and in our time. Students will encounter fundamental methodologies of women's and gender studies and work toward an increasingly rich understanding of gender as a social construction, one that intersects with class, race, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, and sexual identity.

Guided by the history and fundamentals of Women's and Gender Studies work, the program is intentionally interdisciplinary, drawing upon coursework in sociology, history, English, psychology, political science, religious studies, anthropology, and others. Classes explore everything from gendered communication, feminist theory, masculinity studies, women's literature, multicultural feminist perspectives, women and religion, gender portrayal in film, pressures imposed by contemporary patriarchal gender role expectations, the rhetoric of gender, the impact of the legal system on Trans, LGBTQIA+, and Gender Fluid populations, and the political contexts of women's health.

This holistic approach means that students develop a broad understanding of the extent to which gender stereotypes, biases, and truths permeate all aspects of our culture. We do not, however, simply study cases of victimization and oppression, but in both academic and service learning experiences build awareness about how to create change for the better.

A minor in Women's and Gender Studies fits with the mission and vision of Bellarmine University as it emphasizes "each individual's intrinsic value and dignity" and seeks to engage "diverse students of many faiths, ages, nations, and cultures."

The minor is open to all students in the university and compatible with any major.