Department Description: Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary field that investigates the evolving experiences and contributions of women and girls within various historical, social, political, personal, and cultural contexts. Drawing upon resources from the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, our department offers a wide range of thought-provoking courses. Students can expect to study topics like gender, feminism, race, age, class, religion, sexual identity, health and wellness, and reproduction through readings, videos, collaborative projects, and independent research. Women’s Studies provides a supportive environment that encourages women and men to think reflectively and critically, envision constructive new realities, respect human dignity and celebrate diversity, earn a developed understanding of the relationship between personal experience and social conditions, have a sense of humor, and take time for fun. Students who graduate with a Women’s Studies Certificate possess skills that are valuable and marketable to a wide variety of employers.

Department Learning Outcomes:

• Gain insight into diverse cultures and understand how culture impacts perspectives.
• Demonstrate an awareness of the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal power relations between groups in contemporary society.
• Develop a foundation of knowledge about women's roles in and contributions to the economy, politics, the arts, cultures, and society in the United States and around the world.
• Demonstrate the ability to integrate the analysis of race and ethnicity, class, sexual identities, culture, religion, disabilities, and geography into explanations of power relations in the contemporary world.
• Examine the diversity of women's experiences, past and present, using the concept of gender to identify progress and problems.
• Identify major feminist movements and explain how they shape policies and perspectives in the United States.
• Demonstrate understanding of reproductive anatomy and the women’s health initiative.

Special Department Information: Students may elect to complete the 12-credit Women’s Studies Certificate. Drawing from the expertise of faculty members in a variety of departments, the program is flexible and designed to help students achieve personal and professional enrichment as well as fulfill MnTC goal requirements.