Women & Gender Studies Program

The Women & Gender Studies program is an interdisciplinary field of study that places women and questions of gender at the centre of inquiry. Our field emphasizes the important role that gender plays in shaping an individual's experiences and how women’s lives continue to be left out of traditional approaches to knowledge. We stress the complex ways in which gender is fundamentally linked to class, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, and sexual orientation, and how these aspects shape and construct our sense of self, our roles in society and our institutions. The goal of the Women & Gender Studies program is to encourage students to develop an understanding about the ways in which society thinks about gender by attaining the analytical, oral and writing skills needed to think about the interconnection and nuanced interactions of all these forces in society. Through our devotion to teaching, learning, research, scholarship and creativity, our aim is to engage students in a field that provides tools that can help them to shape their lives and the world around them.

Students can earn an Honours BA Women & Gender Studies in combination with another Honours BA program (such as Global Studies, English, Communication Studies, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Psychology or History). The Honours BA, which normally takes four years to complete, consists of 20 full-credit courses, including at least seven credits in women & gender studies. The minor in women and gender studies requires the completion of three credits from the WS courses: WS100, any two half-credit senior WS courses, and a further one and a half credits from the core WS courses. Students are advised to consult the Laurier Undergraduate Calendar (www.wlu.ca/calendars) or the Program of Women & Gender Studies website to determine which courses are required for each program. For more information, contact the Women & Gender Studies Co-ordinator, Dr. Margaret Toye mtoye@wlu.ca.

Our program has integrated the following components into its structure:
1. A research and writing supplemental instruction project led by upper-level students to enhance the academic skills of first- and second-year students.
2. A service-learning component in key courses to enhance the relationship between classroom and community learning experiences.
3. A mentorship program that pairs upper-level students with first-year students to enhance the latter's integration into university and community life.

Honours Combination BA and Minor: