College of Arts and Sciences
School of Multidisciplinary Social Sciences and Humanities
www.kent.edu/multidisciplinary-studies

About This Program

The Women's Studies minor offers a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the experiences and contributions of women throughout history and in contemporary society. With courses in gender, race, sexuality and more, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of social justice issues and be equipped to make a positive impact in your community.Read more...

Contact Information

• Program Coordinator:Suzanne Holt|slholt@kent.edu| 330-672-8042
• Speak with an Advisor
  • Kent Campus
  • Stark Campus

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • Fully online
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus
  • Stark Campus

Admission Requirements

Admission to a minor is open to students declared in a bachelor’s degree, the A.A.B. or A.A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree (not Individualized Program major). Students declared only in the A.A. or A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree in Individualized Program may not declare a minor. Students may not pursue a minor and a major in the same discipline.

Program Requirements

Minor Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be upper-division coursework (30000 and 40000 level).
• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be outside of the course requirements for any major or other minor the student is pursuing.
• Minimum 50 percent of the total credit hours for the minor must be taken at Kent State (in residence).

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Acquire and employ new lenses of study into subjects and experiences of "women" in contexts wherein such a designation matters.
2. Employ new approaches to knowledge, new strategies of engagement with peers, new methods of research and new techniques of critical analysis and appraisal.
3. Converse — and become conversant — in critiquing various studies, histories and perspectives through the lens of feminism.
4. Interrogate and be able to continually interrogate the expansive lexicon of sexed-and-gendered terms to which "woman" as a question gave rise.
5. Master the "thought and theory" of the field (e.g., sex, gender, feminism, intersectionality, identity politics, sisterhood, womanism).
6. Understand and be able to engage feministpraxis: the techniques and tools of navigating difference, seeking transversals and attaining and optimizing goals and skills to meet demands of activism.

Full Description

The Women’s Studies minor offers both diversity and depth of coursework, ranging from feminist humor to feminism as serious theory and world-making practice. Students can immerse themselves in experiential learning via internships and capstone work.

Through inventive classes, facilitated engagement in discussion and carefully crafted opportunities for guided independent work, the minor embraces a logic of study initiated from many start-points; grounded in cores of feminist thought, substance and practice; enriched by multiple disciplines and capped by challenge.

The minor's curriculum aims to satisfy students' desire for both a solid foundation in women's studies and a taste of the diverse, complex and often contentious field. The minor's aim is to deliver coursework that speaks to students' very specific scholarly interests as well as to their passions and persuasions, both personal and political.