Women and Gender Studies

The Women and 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 people’sexperiences, all of the complex ways in which gender is fundamentally linked to class, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, ability and sexuality, and how these aspects shape and construct our sense of ourselves, our societies and our institutions.  The goal of the Women and Gender Studies Program is to encourage students to develop an understanding of the ways in which society thinks about gender by attaining the analytical, oral and writing skills needed to systematically consider the nuanced interactions of all these forces in society. Through our devotion to teaching, learning, research, scholarship, critical thinking and creativity, our aim is to engage students in a field that promotes a commitment to practices of leadership and social justice and ensures that women’s lives are included in the production of knowledge.

In accordance with the mission of the University, The Women and Gender Studies Program, notable for its excellence in and commitment to teaching and research, aims to provide an undergraduate program devoted to the intellectual development of students over four years. These aims are realized in an environment which encourages a diversity of interdisciplinary perspectives. The Program provides a range of courses which expose students to the breadth and richness of the field of Women and Gender Studies, while developing their capacity for critical thought, reflection and expression. We offer a student-centred environment in a distinctive program, devoted to teaching, learning, research, scholarship, creativity, professional expertise and personal development. The Program plays a crucial role by providing students with training in critical thought, research and writing. Students are exposed to a wide range of scholarly forms of expression, from different cultural contexts, thereby fulfilling the University’s commitment to encourage “life-long learning and educating engaged and aware citizens of an increasingly complex world”. True to the aims of the Faculty of Arts, the Women and Gender Studies Program also emphasizes the importance of a high quality and broadly based liberal arts education. Additionally, as an Interdisciplinary Program, Women and Gender Studies encourages faculty and students to cross disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as the Sciences and Business and Economics in order to broaden the experiences of all. The Program is designed so that students can focus on one or more disciplines, while exploring a range of interests with Women and Gender Studies.

Contacts 

The Women and Gender Studies Program office is located at 202 Regina Street, room R106. (See link in left hand menu "How to Find Us" for directions)

Please direct administrative matters to our administrative assistant, Ms. Faith McCord (fmccord@wlu.ca) or by phone 519-884-0710 ext. 3625. 

For academic advising, please contact Dr. Margaret E. Toye, Program Coordinator, by email at mtoye@wlu.ca or by phone 519-884-0710 ext. 2010.   Room R106U, 202 Regina Street. Office hours by appointment. Note: many questions can be answered via our webpage. On the left hand menu, click on "Undergraduate Information" and then the link "Academic Advising."

Course Overrides: Course overrides can only be granted where space allows as fire regulations have to be adhered to.  The best way to get into a course that is full is to keep checking LORIS and add the course when a space becomes available. A waiting list option is now available for most courses. No overrides can be given for online courses. Also feel free to contact Faith McCord (fmccord@wlu.ca) and she will see if an override is possible.

Curriculum 

Curriculum decisions are made by the members of the Program Committee's Curriculum Committee, struck every year, and chaired by the Co-ordinator, who reports to the Coordinating Committee, and recommends course and teaching assignments to the Dean. Budget constraints limit the number of courses we can offer each year. This means that not all courses can be offered every year, a situation that is common in other small programs. As we underline in our Program’s Goals and Objectives, every year we offer a range of courses so that over the span of their degrees, students can be exposed to the breadth of the discipline of Women and Gender Studies. 

For a copy of our Goals and Objectives, download a copy of our Policy Manual at:

https://www.wlu.ca/forms_detail.php?grp_id=80&frm_id=2969