Gender and Women’s Studies, a program within the English Department, is a diamond in the rough. Gender and Women’s Studies, or GWS, is versatile and offers a range of different ideas and perspectives that can be applied within any career. A student could pair their current field and interest with a GWS minor. Through GWS courses, we learn that gender is everywhere, and we can learn a lot about behaviors and actions based on societal norms that everyone brings with them no matter what job they have. Therefore, GWS could offer students, especially those in front-facing jobs like nursing or therapy, powerful knowledge to apply to their everyday encounters with clients.

There are two main courses for GWS minors to take: Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS 200) and Contemporary Feminist Thought (GWS 400). Both courses consist of reading works by writers that many know and love, like bell hooks, a Kentucky native who did not capitalize her name, so her words would be emphasized rather than her identity. We dedicated weeks of class to hooks when we read her ideas and learn about her life. Both classes are discussion based, where we listen to and appreciate others’ ideas and opinions. GWS classes are a safe space to connect with others and find a community of fellow students interested in feminist ideas. Even though we are a tight-knit community, we are still open to all fields and new students craving intentional discussion spaces.

Besides the two main courses, GWS minors have a plethora of elective classes to choose from. These elective classes cover a wide range of different subjects like literature, history, anthropology, film, and folklore. This shows how GWS can be applied across multiple fields of study and is disciplinary.

Many GWS classes also count as colonnade courses, so there are many opportunities for students to experience a GWS class while also getting colonnade credit. For example, GWS 200, Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies, is a colonnade course and serves as a great method of learning about the foundation of Western Feminism that can be applied to any field of work. This class will be offered during the Fall 2026 semester.

The Gender and Women’s Studies Department holds a wide variety of events like film screenings open mic nights. We also collaborate with student-led organization like Women in Film and Feminist Student Union. I have attended multiple GWS events, and I encourage everyone to attend and experience the amazing community that GWS creates!