Gender studies seeks to advance understanding of the meaning and role of gender in social life. Doing so requires looking at gender against the backdrop of cultural, political, historical and social institutions and in relation to other influences such as class, race, sexuality, and nationality. As such, gender studies is inherently interdisciplinary.
The Gender Studies minor at the University of Southern Indiana explores the fascinating and complex connections between sex, gender, human sexuality, and sexual orientation across multiple disciplines, including history, economics, criminal justice, sociology, English, philosophy, communication studies, management, and psychology. Coursework provides students with a wide range of perspectives that greatly enrich their education.
View Minor Course Requirements
Gender is one of the most fundamental facts of existence, and courses in this minor serves to enhance students' understanding of its deep significance. The Gender Studies minor is an excellent complement to any major.
The Gender Studies minor prepares students for graduate studies in virtually any liberal arts field, particularly sociology, psychology, philosophy, history, English, communication studies, and social work, and for any career in which a more fully realized understanding of human complexity is valued.
Program Objectives
Queer Studies Zoom Series
Gender Studies is excited to offer Introduction to Queer Studies for the first time in the spring 2022 semester. To introduce this new program we have an upcoming speaker series on Zoom. More information will be added as it becomes available. Save the dates for this exciting series!
September 14, 2021 | 3:00p.m.-5:00p.m. | Zoom Link
Kristin LaFollette: “Understanding Queer Theory”
October 5, 2021 | 3:00p.m.-5:00p.m. | Zoom Link
Mel Lewis: “Queer Studies: Liberatory Education and Creative Praxis”
October 19, 2021 | 3:00p.m.-5:00p.m. | Zoom Link
Roland Betancourt: "The Case of Manuel I Komnenos: Gender, Sexuality, and Racialization"
November 9, 2021 | 3:00p.m.-5:00p.m. | Zoom Link
Stephanie Young: “Somewhere over the Rainbow: Exploring Queer Pop Culture"
2020 Suffrage Amendment Symposium
The Woman’s Suffrage Amendment is 100 years old in 2020. While this is an accomplishment worth celebrating, it is also one with a mixed legacy. Though women won the rights of citizenship and access to the ballot, that victory was not extended to all women or all Americans for decades after. Today the United States celebrates its legacy as a model democratic nation, yet many still do not enjoy the full rights of suffrage and political forces have conspired to limit access to the ballot and dilute the power of the vote.
The University of Southern Indiana’s Gender Studies Committee in partnership with Africana Studies and Global Studies is hosting a symposium in November 2020 to exhibit student research, art and other creative works that focus on the celebration of the women’s suffrage amendment, its complicated legacy, and the challenges that lay ahead. Read more on the Suffrage Amendment Symposium page.
For more information, please contact Dr. Denise Lynn at dmlynn1@usi.edu.
