The Women's Studies Minor in the College of Arts and Sciences is an interdisciplinary program designed to supplement study in the students' academic major. It was established in the 1970's with the intent of exposing students to contemporary feminist scholarship and its potential for enriching and extending traditional academic scholarship.
The program's goal is to contribute to the understanding of forces which have influenced and continue to influence not only the unique social, political, and economic positions of women in all cultures but the life experiences of women as well. The various disciplines encompassed by the program offer unique starting points in interpreting these experiences. Ultimately, the interdisciplinary understanding developed by the students should form the basis on which they will build a better future for women and men.
In consultation with the directors of undergraduate studies, students develop a minor concentration that complements their major concentration and is suited to their individual needs. Students must complete six women's studies courses with a grade of C or higher. These six are to include the introductory core courses, CAS WS 113 and 114; one additional WS course; and three other courses, two of which must be at the 300 level or higher, from Women's Studies and departmental offerings.
Consult departmental listings or the department director for women's studies courses in American and New England studies, anthropology, art history, biology, classics, economics, English, history, modern foreign languages and literatures, philosophy, psychology, religion, and sociology. Some women's studies courses may be taught as departmental seminars. Courses offered by Metropolitan College or other University Schools and Colleges may be taken as electives with the permission of the women's studies director. Check departmental listings to ascertain that specific courses are being offered in the current year.
For further information, contact Professor Shahla Haeri, Director of Women's Studies, at 704 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 101.