BA in Gender Studies

How do ideas about gender roles and expectations vary over time and across place? What really is the sexuality spectrum, and how can one begin to interpret it both accurately and equitably?

Courses in Gender Studies approach questions like these from various academic perspectives, including anthropology, history, language and literature, politics, psychology, rhetoric, writing and public discourse, sociology, and visual culture, among others. Through a focus on gender identity, sexuality, and gendered representation as central categories of analysis, Gender Studies enriches students’ understanding of the complexity of human experience. Although many of the field’s lines of argumentation are inspired by feminism, Gender Studies courses take a wide variety of theoretical approaches to women’s studies, men’s studies, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender studies. Courses also investigate the entanglements of knowledge, power, privilege, and exclusion. The important ways these dynamics influence and are influenced by gender and sexuality are on a personal level and a broader social scale.

An education from Whitman College is special. As a small residential liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington, Whitman is rooted in the traditional liberal arts values like critical thought and academic rigor. But at our foundation is also a belief in the value of community and the power of relationships. Our graduates are scholars, but also explorers, advocates, and scientists. They climb mountains, travel to far-off corners, and give voice to others. They care about the community and aim to become citizens of the world.