Radford University's Minor in Women's Studies

Representatives from RU Women's Studies attended the Majors/Minors Fair in Heth Hall on Wednesday, October 5th. Some of the questions that students asked were: what is Women's Studies? And, what can I do with a minor in Women's Studies?  Since registration starts next week, I thought it would be a good idea to answer these questions.

What is Women’s Studies?

Women’s studies is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on women, gender, and issues of diversity and (in)equality both locally and globally.

What can I do with a minor in Women’s Studies?

While Women’s Studies does not have a particular career attached to it as do programs in Law, Education, or Journalism, a major or minor in Women’s Studies can be a valuable asset in a variety of fields. 

Many of our graduates have either gone on to graduate programs or have found related work in fields such as education, social services, healthcare, and counseling. Women’s Studies graduates worldwide have also found meaningful work in politics, human resources, media, criminal justice, business, etc.  

What Women’s Studies does do for you is offer you a set of skills that more and more employers are listing as desirable: effective written and oral communication, critical thinking abilities, a broader perspective on both local and global cultures, and a respect for diversity that fosters the ability to work well with others. In a recent issue of the Wall Street Journal,

Keisha Smith, global head of recruiting for [Morgan Stanley] … says "the most important thing is to select an institution and academic curriculum that will challenge you intellectually beyond your comfort zone. That's what best prepares you to handle the never-ending learning curve that you experience once you're here."

RU Women’s Studies students often remark that they enjoy WMST courses because they learn through their reading, writing, and participation in class discussions to think about issues from perspectives they had never considered.  These are the kinds of skills that managers like Keisha Smith have come to appreciate. 

Transferable skills are increasingly important in a competitive and global economy and Women’s Studies Minors are being prepared for such competition in a variety of ways. But, getting a job is not necessarily the first or only reason for students to choose a minor in Women’s Studies.  Most students select Women’s Studies because they are truly interested and invested in the materials and issues that Women’s Studies courses ask them to examine.  Perhaps Nikki Anyanna Stewart said it best in a 2007 issue of Ms. Magazine when she was asked, “What Can You Do With a Degree in Women’s Studies?” Her response: you can “transform the world.”

Know Your History; Know Yourself. Build the Future.

The minor in Women’s Studies at RU requires 15 credit hours of coursework that starts with WMST 101: Women in the World* and includes 12 credit hours of electives chosen from the following support courses:

COMM 457. Diversity in Communication.*

CRJU 365. Diversity in the Criminal Justice System.*

ENGL 453. The Female Literary Tradition.

HIST 306. History of Women. (May be taken twice as course topic changes.)*

HLTH 325. Diversity of Health in U. S.*

HLTH 453. Human Sexuality.*

HUMD 201. Marriage and Alternative Lifestyles

HUMD 300. Human Growth and Development: Birth through Adolescence* 

HUMD 301. Human Sexual Development

HUMD 401. The Family 

NUTR 316. Nutrition in the Life Cycle I: Maternal and Child

PSYC 250. Psychology of Diversity.

PSYC 343. Social Psychology.*

PSYC 391. Psychology of Women.

PSYC 393. Psychology of Human Sexuality.

RELN 305. Religion and Women.

SOCY 250. Social Inequality.*

SOCY 326. Men and Women in Society.*

SOCY 331. Race and Ethnic Relations.*

SOCY 333. Social and Cultural Diversity.

SOCY 389. Sociology of the Family.

SOCY 390. Sociology of Sport.*

SOCY 441. Global Inequalities.

WMST 290. Topics in Women’s Studies.

WMST 490. Seminar in Women’s Studies.

WMST 499. Internship in Women’s Studies.

*Indicates courses being offered in Spring 2012.

As you prepare to register for Spring 2012 classes, you might ask yourself … what can Women’s Studies do for me? To find the answers, please contact the RU Women’s Studies Program Director, Dr. Moira Baker, or the Women’s Studies Program Assistant, Dr. Michele Ren. If you already know that you would like to pursue a Minor in Women’s Studies, please fill out this form, and stop by Dr. Baker’s office (Russell 138) for a signature.