Women and Gender Studies & Queer Studies Minor
AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON
What is Women and Gender Studies and Queer Studies?
In Women and Gender Studies and Queer Studies classes, students explore a wide variety of historic and contemporary topics including gender, sexuality, queer theory, race/racism, culture, activism, privilege, and social and reproductive justice/injustice through theory, philosophy, art, literature, film, and the social sciences. Our students engage, explore, and interrogate these topics in challenging discussions that move beyond the surface, as a way to practice and improve critical thinking.
Classes are generally not focused on lengthy lectures or PowerPoint presentations. We believe that learning happens through intense and illuminating conversations and meaningful interactions with our fellow students, faculty, and community. An important component of our program is student and community activism. We expect our students to take what they learn from these discussions and turn that knowledge into action.
What to do with a Women and Gender Studies or Queer Studies degree
Students who choose to add the Women and Gender major or minor or the Queer Studies minor do so because they are looking for a level of learning beyond job preparation. Getting an education consists of more than acquiring a skill set that you may or may not use in the future. Women and Gender Studies and Queer Studies students are not treated like potential workers who are only valued for their ability to become productive members of society. Our students are valued as human beings with the capacity to think critically and take action.
Because of the nature of our curriculum, Women and Gender Studies graduates come to the world with valuable insight that travels through many disciplines. As a result, our graduates are prepared to pursue careers in a variety of fields such as education, law, counseling, social work, health care, journalism, art, business, human services, nursing, and many professional arenas.
Learn More About a Degree in Women and Gender Studies or Queer Studies
We encourage you to learn more, and find out if a Major or Minor in Women and Gender and Queer Studies is right for you! Visit our website or call to speak to an adviser who can answer all of your questions, and help lead you down the right path.
Women and Gender Studies Department and Queer Studies Home
Talk to an Adviser
- Xhercis Mendez: xmendez@Fullerton.edu
- Or call: 657.278.3888
Alumni Features
Kimberly Gomes
Columnist and Editorial Assistant at the San Francisco Chronicle, Freelance Writer, and MFA Student at SFSU
“I had an intro to WGST class during my second year of college and it completely blew my mind."
Kimberly came to CSUF as an English major because she loved and had a knack for writing. During her sophomore year, she enrolled in an intro to Women and Gender Studies course that ultimately led to a minor that changed her outlook on writing, career goals, and life.
Since graduating, Kimberly developed a career in journalism and publishing with the San Francisco Chronicle, and now runs a freelance writing business where she has written for Forbes, Sunset Magazine and other high-profile clients. She is also furthering her education as an MFA student in Creative Writing at SFSU and is even working on a novel and collection of shorter works that are heavily influenced by her Women and Gender Studies minor.
Kimberly credits her major with providing a practical foundation for a writing career, but claims that her minor in Women and Gender Studies helped her to grow into the person that she wanted to be. It taught her the true impact of individual actions and why they matter, and continues to serve as the focus and motivation behind a lot of her writing to this day.
Yanel Bueno
Community Education Advocate, An Undisclosed Domestic Violence Shelter
“If not for the education I received in the Women and Gender Studies Major I would not see the world through the lens I see it now.”
“In all honesty, I was not the greatest college student right out of high school” Yanel admits. “It was not until I found feminism that I was truly passionate about something.” After a bit of research, Yanel discovered the Women and Gender Studies Major and CSUF became her destination of choice – a decision she describes as “the best one I had ever made!”
Upon arriving, Yanel knew she had made the right choice, stating “I met some amazing people in class and the faculty was incredibly inviting and passionate; I felt I was exactly where I needed to be.” She also credits her time in the department for shaping her view, and helping her to learn about herself and our society.
Upon graduating, Yanel put her degree to work as she found employment in the social work sector first by working with adults with mental health disabilities and then as a Community Education Advocate at a Domestic Violence Shelter. Her long-term plan is to earn a Master’s Degree in Social Work – an endeavor she will undertake in August 2016.
Contact Information
- 657 278 3888
- Karyl Ketchum: kketchum@fullerton.edu
About Our College and Campus
The Department of Women and Gender Studies is a part of the larger College of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU, Fullerton. H&SS offers its students more than 20 unique degree programs ideal for students who plan to continue their studies in graduate programs, or who want to work in areas such as education, law, politics, business, psychology, public administration, and more.
To learn more about our college and our campus, visit our Prospective Students and our College of Humanities and Social Sciences pages below.
All additional Spark photos are decorative background photos.
Photo Credits: San Francisco Chronicle by Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, modified.
