Gender Studies Minor

Description. Gender studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores the making and meaning of gender-femininity and masculinity-as well as sexuality across cultures and social formations, past and present. The underlying belief of Gender Studies is that gender influences human options, conditions and experiences. Legal, political, economic and cultural systems are shaped by assumptions about gender and sexuality. Deep understanding of gender patterns, dynamics and biases can enhance the accuracy and scope of work in many fields, including criminal justice, psychology, anthropology, sociology, literature, philosophy and history. Gender awareness benefits individuals, communities and organizations.

Learning Outcomes. Students will:

• Demonstrate a working knowledge of key concepts in Gender Studies.
• Demonstrate the ability to think reflexively about one’s subject position within the literature of Gender Studies courses.
• Identify assumptions about gender and sexuality, including an awareness of how gender, race, class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation intersect, and how these intersections influence constructions of human identity in historical, cultural, and geographic contexts.
• Demonstrate the ability to connect scholarly inquiry about gender and sexuality to theories and institutions of justice, criminality and human rights, as per John Jay’s mission.

Rationale. One of the strengths of Gender Studies is that it teaches critical analysis by taking one of our most basic experiences-that of being a gendered human being-and forces us to question its meaning within a broad range of frameworks. Because students in the minor take courses from a variety of disciplines, such as political science, Latin American and Latina/o Studies, law and police science, and English, they are exposed to many different methodological approaches and theoretical debates. Students who earn a Gender Studies minor learn to be supple and critical thinkers, skills that will enhance their eligibility for any post–graduate work or career.

A minor in Gender Studies is very flexible. Like majors or minors in other social science and humanities disciplines, the Gender Studies minor does not prepare students for one job, but for many different kinds of employment. Gender studies courses train students in critical thinking, social science and humanities research methods and writing. Coursework provides knowledge about the interplay of gender, race, class and sexuality in the United States and globally. The ability to apply an internship toward credit in the minor allows students the opportunity to evaluate possible careers and provides employment experiences that help graduates find future employment. A minor in Gender Studies, with its combination of cross–disciplinary, analytic and practical skills, provides a well–rounded graduate with the tools to adapt to a world of rapidly changing work and family structures.

Students who pursue Gender Studies have gone on to work in social services administration, domestic violence advocacy, business, communications, journalism, law enforcement, psychological and counseling services, legal and political fields, and a host of other careers.

Minor coordinator. Professor Antonio (Jay) Pastrana, Jr., Department of Sociology (212.237.8665, apastrana@jjay.cuny.edu)

Additional information. Students who enrolled for the first time at the College in September 2016 or thereafter must complete the minor in the form presented here. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose the form shown here or the earlier version of the minor. A copy of the earlier version can be obtained in the Undergraduate Bulletin 2015-16. 

Requirements. The Gender Studies minor allows students to focus on the meanings and implications of gender by taking two required courses and four courses (18 credits) from the rich variety of gender studies courses offered in the social sciences and humanities. The gender studies coordinator compiles a list of all courses offered in the minor prior to student registration and posts it on the Gender Studies minor website: http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~wsc/minor.htm. A maximum of two courses can overlap with a student’s major, other minors or programs.

At least one course must be at the 300-level or above. Students minoring in Gender Studies can receive 3 credits toward the minor if they do an internship in a gender-related field. See the Minor Coordinator listed above for permission.

Total Credit Hours: 18