
GWS tabling with Alum Alayna Milby and new GWS Coordinator Dr. Dawn Hall
Gender and Women's Studies Program
Virtual 2020 Awards Ceremony
GWS Statement In Support of the Black Lives Matter Movement and of Solidarity & Commitment
The faculty of the Gender and Women’s Studies Program at WKU, are saddened and enraged
by the murder of George Floyd and by the unwarranted shooting of Breonna Taylor. We
stand in solidarity with those mobilizing and seeking justice for these two individuals,
Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless others who have fallen victim to police
violence, state-sanctioned lynching, torture, and unjust incarceration. Though the
police officers guilty and complicit of Mr. Floyd’s murder are finally being held
accountable, we believe that is not enough.
We will continue to stand in support of the protesters calling for systemic change
and an end to violence against Black people of all gender identities in an effort
to amplify all marginalized voices. WKU’s GWS program is committed to critiquing and
confronting the long histories of racism and white patriarchal power ingrained in
American institutions, and the inequalities that they produce.
Below is a sampling of the rich and vast literary heritage that explores what it means
to be a person of color; READ, ASSIGN, REVIEW THEM and START MAKING CHANGE. Thanks
to Hector Dominguez, English MFA/GWS graduate assistant, for this list of readings.
Nonfiction:
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge
The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin
The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander
How to Be an Anti-Racist – Ibram X. Kendi
Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
Slavery by Another Name – Douglas A. Blackmon
The Souls of Black Folk – W.E.B. Du Bois
Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism – bell hooks
Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde
Fiction & Memoir:
Sing, Unburied Sing – Jesmyn Ward
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
How We Fight for Our Lives – Saeed Jones
The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
Click here to watch Erin Miller's "Why I Am a Feminist" video, which features many of you/us!
Our mission is to broaden students' knowledge of gender dynamics, globally and historically, with an emphasis on issues central to women's lives. Through an interdisciplinary classroom experience, community outreach, and special events, the Gender & Women's Studies Program advances understanding of the social and cultural institutions and practices that affect us.
Goals:
- sharpen ability to critically analyze gender issues
- encourage the practice of feminist scholarship
- enhance intellectual and personal growth
- foster an atmosphere in which diversity and sustainability are valued
- advocate ethical conduct, social justice, and responsible global citizenship
Why a Gender & Women's Studies minor or graduate certificate?
Drawing on historical perspectives and cultural analysis, Gender & Women’s Studies
examines the social construction of gender and the intersections of gender with race,
ethnicity, class, nationality, disability, age and sexuality. The GWS minor and graduate
certificate address the ways in which these factors shape our daily lives.
Gender & Women's Studies builds on the critical thinking, speaking, writing, and organizational
skills that you acquire in your major. Because GWS is an interdisciplinary program,
we help you learn how to make connections and to understand the "bigger picture" in
ways that will enhance your educational program.
Gender & Women’s Studies is one of the most important fields of inquiry to emerge
in higher education in the past forty years or so. Founded in 1990, Western Kentucky
University’s Gender & Women’s Studies program seeks to enrich the lives of all students
with learning that is truly transformative. Our students often say that our classes
and program provide a supportive, intellectually stimulating, and inspiring environment
that provides the potential for personal and professional growth.
JOBS
A recent survey conducted through the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that the areas in which graduates were least prepared, in terms of functioning in their careers, ranged from global knowledge, self-direction, adaptability, ethical judgment, and self-knowledge to such skills as writing, critical thinking, oral communication, and intercultural sensitivity.
Such skills appear to be increasingly needed, as our worlds become more and more complex, interconnected, and global. As important as it is to be appreciated for your skills, it's just as crucial to know how to interpret the world and your experience in it. Gender & Women's studies helps you gain that kind of breadth of knowledge and experience.
After graduation, Gender & Women's Studies graduates often find meaningful work in the following areas: (click here for list)
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