Are you intrigued by the changes in women’s roles in society and the many ways in which gender affects one’s life? If so, the Women’s Studies minor offered at Penn State DuBois may be for you. Women’s Studies explores women-centered issues in every area of modern life. By studying the perceptions, contributions, and experiences of women, students learn about women’s lives throughout history and across cultures.
Enhance your career opportunities
Through a variety of course work and interaction with instructors and fellow students, Women’s Studies students develop their critical and analytical thinking skills and their ability to understand and articulate alternative views. All these skills enhance career opportunities and give students an important competitive edge in their professional lives. Former students enrolled in the Penn State minor are currently employed as legal advocates, journalists, public relations experts, managers, nonprofit administrators, teachers, medical professionals and political staffers. Career opportunities also exist in such organizations as women’s centers, agencies for women returning to the workplace or school, centers for abuse or assault survivors, as well as in more traditional professions in business and industry.
The minor also provides excellent preparation for students who plan to attend graduate and professional schools.
Program requirements
The 18-credit minor enriches study in many majors. Students in the minor come from a variety of academic backgrounds, including liberal arts, business, human development, education, science, and engineering.
Requirements for the minor include the following courses:
For a list of approved courses, see your advisor. Click here for a list of approved courses: http://www.womenstudies.psu.edu/undergraduate/Minor_requirements.shtml&…;
WMNST 001: Introduction to Women’s Studies (3 credits)
WMNST 301: Introduction to Feminist Thought (3 credits)
Additional elective courses (12 credits)*
Which must include:
One 3-credit course from approved Humanities courses.
One 3-credit course from approved Social Sciences courses.
Two 3-credit courses at the 400 level.
And one of the courses must be designated either a Nonwestern Women (NWW) course or a Women of Color (WOC) course.
*For a list of approved courses, contact your academic advisor
Women’s Studies Course Descriptions
Complete the minor at DuBois
Students may complete the Women’s Study minor at Penn State DuBois. Courses that meet the requirements of the minor include:
WMNST 001: Introduction to Women’s Studies
An historical study of women’s roles and experiences in the United States since 1700. Topics include: equal rights, suffrage, gender roles, and women in leadership. Biographies of American women are also discussed.
WMNST 194: Women Writers
Examines how women writers have portrayed both women and men in the 19th and 20th century novel in Great Britain and the Americas. Students read novels, short fiction and essays and discuss issues of interest to women writers and women in general as seen through the fiction.
WMNST 301: Introduction to Feminist Thought
An examination of feminist thinking and theory throughout the three waves of American feminism. Students become familiar with important feminist thinkers and major feminist issues past and present.
WMNST 420: Women in Developing Countries
An analysis of women’s work, experiences, and development policies and practices in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This course also meets the Nonwestern Women (NWW) requirement for the minor.
WMNST 462: Reading Black, Reading Feminist
Provides two important learning opportunities for undergraduate students. The first is to examine the construction of female identity in the textual representations of gender, class, color, and cultural differences by black American women. The second is to identify, explore, and analyze the major issues concerning the discovery and development of a black feminist literary tradition.
WMNST 455: Gender Roles in Communication
Strives to ensure that students understand female and male differences and similarities in communication patterns, perceptions of the opposite sex, and expectations and stereotypes regarding the opposite sex.
Click here for more information:
https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/liberal-arts/womens-st…
Women’s Studies Faculty
Penn State is recognized for its award-winning faculty, and the DuBois campus is no exception. Here, students learn from faculty with rich and diverse backgrounds who bring years of experience to the classroom.
Faculty who teach some of the courses in the Women’s Studies minor include:
Ms. Jackie Atkins, Senior Instructor in English and Women’s Studies
Dr. Mary Mino, Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Ms. Keely Roen, Instructor in Wildlife Technology
Contact Information
Enrollment in the Women Studies minor is open to men and women. To find out how you can enroll, call the campus Admissions office at 1-800-346-ROAR or Ms. Jackie Atkins, program leader, at (814) 375-4815 or [email protected]