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Department of Women’s and Gender Studies

Faculty

Kelly Hager, Chair and Professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies

Carole Biewener, Professor of Economics and Women’s and Gender Studies

Diane Grossman, Professor of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies and Chair of Philosophy

Laura Prieto, Professor of History and Women’s and Gender Studies

Heather Hole, Associate Professor of Art and Music and Faculty Affiliate of Women's and Gender Studies

Denise M. Horn, Associate Professor of Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies and Chair of Political Science

Dawna Thomas, Associate Professor of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies

Jo Trigilio, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies, and Director of the Graduate Program in Gender/Cultural Studies

Suzanne Leonard, Associate Professor of English and Faculty Affiliate of Women’s and Gender Studies

Briana Martino, Assistant Professor of Communications and Faculty Affiliate of Women’s and Gender Studies

Lena Zuckerwise, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Faculty Affiliate of Women’s and Gender Studies

Kristina Pechulis, Director of the Simmons College Barbara Lee Family Foundation Intern Fellowship Program and Senior Lecturer in Political Science

Overview

The goals of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies are to educate students in the theoretical, empirical, and methodological perspectives for considering the status and experiences of women; to consider gender in diverse national and international contexts by studying the multiple and contested meanings and roles of gender; and to develop an understanding of how gender is related to other social categories including race, class, age, sexuality, religion, and nationality. Women’s and Gender Studies courses, whether taken as part of the major or to enrich another discipline, invite students to understand past and present experiences in order to prepare for challenges and opportunities in their future personal, work, and social lives. Majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies has led to careers in management, law, academia, counseling, education, library, museum or archival work, health care, social services, public administration, writing, publishing, and the media.

Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation students with a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies will have gained the following skills, knowledge, and abilities:

  • Critical-Historical Awareness – Students will be adept at considering gender in diverse national and international contexts as a result of studying the multiple and contested meanings and roles of gender from an historical, a multidisciplinary, and a trans-national perspective and will have developed an understanding of how gender is related to other social categories such as race, ethnicity, social class, sexuality, religion, and nationality.
  • Interdisciplinary Content – Students will have acquired theoretical, methodological, and empirical perspectives for studying and critically analyzing the history, status, and experiences of women from diverse backgrounds.
  • Disciplinary Skills – Students will be skilled at integrating theory and practice and will be able to communicate effectively in both writing and speaking.
  • Practical Skills – Through independent learning or internships, students will be prepared to enter the workplace, graduate programs, and community-based volunteer work with an understanding of social justice issues informed by interdisciplinary scholarship and feminist perspectives.
  • Leadership Skills – Students will continue in leadership roles that they have either begun or further developed while at Simmons

Departmental Honors

A WGST major may qualify for departmental honors with a 3.5 average in WGST courses and completion of WGST 355, Thesis, or WGST 370, Internship with the addition of a substantial written project or paper.