What is Women's and Gender Studies?

  • We are a multidisciplinary program housed in the College of Arts and Sciences that offers a well-established undergraduate major and minor, as well as a minor in LGBTQ/Sexuality Studies.
  • Central to our program is the study of women, in all their diversity and through a variety of disciplinary lenses. We study women's contributions as writers and scholars, artists and activists, public figures and private citizens, both in the past and in the present.
  • The study also studies gender more broadly, by analyzing the construction of feminine, masculine and queer identities across time and cultures and by assessing in turn the ways gender signifies relationships of power.
  • With course offerings from more than twenty academic disciplines Women's and Gender Studies introduces students to exciting ideas, dynamic professors and classmates, as well as feminist thought and perspectives in small, collaborative communities of learning.

Why get a degree in Women's and Gender Studies?

A degree in Women's and Gender Studies offers an interesting, interdisciplinary program of study in a vibrant field on the cutting edge of scholarly inquiry. Graduates of the program hold positions as counselors, social workers, health care professionals , editors, and teachers; others are pursuing MAs and PhDs in a variety of disciplines or are obtaining law and medical school degrees. Many of our students combine a major with another field, such as English, History, Journalism, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology, earning valuable interdisciplinary training, appealing to employers and higher education programs alike.

A degree in this field of study allows you to:

  • learn about the lives of women and analyze the social, political, economic, and educational structures that influence their lives,
  • critically examine how gender and sexuality are constructed and defined,
  • gain a wider perspective about current social and academic debates,
  • take courses from a wide range of disciplines,
  • develop finely tuned skills in reading, writing, and analysis.

Related Activities

  • attend our annual Colloquium Series featuring outstanding presentations by Women's and Gender Studies faculty and students, visiting scholars, creative writers, activists, and artists
  • participate in No Limits, an academic conference that features students' scholarly and creative work
  • join SAGE (Students Advocating Gender Equity), a student group that combines the social with the political by sponsoring fundraising drives for various local organizations and organizing political rallies for feminist causes
  • engage in an internship with such organizations as the American Civil Liberties Union, Friendship Home, League of Women Voters, PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), Planned Parenthood, and UNL's Women's Center

Undergraduates can pursue a major or minor in Women's and Gender Studies, as well as a minor in LGBTQ/Sexuality Studies.

Contact Women's and Gender Studies advisor Rose Holz for more information on the WGS major or minor or contact LGBTQ/Sexuality Studies Advisor Rose Holz for information on that minor.

Honors Thesis in Women's and Gender Studies

Internship Information

Internship Contract