The Department of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies fosters innovative teaching and cutting-edge research by focusing on how relations of gender—intersecting with race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, nation and other differences—affect every aspect of society. With a core faculty of three professors and more than 15 contributing faculty members, our department is truly interdisciplinary in its scope, breadth and depth.

Our courses explore women’s and men’s historical lives and contemporary experiences around the world, cross-cultural analyses of gender, gendered economies around the world, women’s and men’s roles in religion, same-sex sexualities and theories of gender, sexualities and intersectionality. The department pushes majors (and minors) to develop a rich and complex understanding of the range of women’s and men’s gendered experiences, underscoring differences based on class, race, culture, ethnic origin, religion, age and sexual identity.

We sponsor the Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality by Students Symposium every spring with the President’s Commission for Women, Gender & Sexuality; teach introductory and advanced courses on such topics as feminism and spirituality, fat studies and sexual labors; and work with other departments and offices to bring compelling speakers to campus.

Contact Info

Chair

Megan YostAssociate Professor of Psychology and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies

Department Coordinator

Denise McCauleySr. Academic Department Coordinator

Phone

717-245-1519

Fax

717-245-1479

Location

219C, Denny Hall Mailing Address

Department Features


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Annual Research Symposium
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Study Abroad
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Current Courses

Student Outcomes

Where Our Students Go From Here

Jobs:

  • Princeton in Asia
  • Community-Word Project
  • Marion P. Thomas Charter School
  • Intouch Solutions
  • YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School
  • Veranda magazine
  • AmeriCorps/Vista
  • City Year
  • Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic
  • Travel for Teens
  • McShane Firm, LLC

Graduate Schools:

  • Boston University
  • Boston College Law School
  • University of Michigan
  • Emory University
  • Columbia University Teachers College
  • Northwestern University 
  • Columbia University
  • University of Connecticut School of Law
  • Adelphi University
  • Claremont Graduate University
  • Johns Hopkins University 
  • University of East Anglia
Where Our Students Have Interned

Internships:

  • Girls on the Run                                 
  • United Way of Columbia and Montour County                                             
  • The Black Institute                             
  • National Network to End Domestic Violence                        
  • Planned Parenthood                          
  • Rural Women Development Foundation, Guangdong                                                                      
  • Global Mental Health Program, Columbia University                                   
  • Connecticut Democratic Party                                  
  • National Sexual Violence Resource Center                           
  • LGBT Center Central PA History Project                                
  • Women Organized Against Rape (WOAR)                                         
  • North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault                                                                   
  • Fund for Global Human Rights                                  
  • Spectrum Community Services     

Student Perspective

Taking classes in the WGSS department quickly became one of the most impactful and powerful aspects of my college experience at Dickinson. The courses challenged me both intellectually and personally, and the faculty interactions and classroom environments helped me to gain confidence in other areas of school and life while expanding the boundaries of my knowledge. My experience with the WGSS department continues to empower me and my ability to evaluate and identify the systematic structural and institutional inequities that exist. One of the gifts that I believe I have gained from the WGSS department is the continued confidence I now have to challenge injustice when I encounter it.

—Morgan Silverman ’20


Women's, Gender & Sexuality News

All News Department News
Dickinson to Host Virtual Discussion on Diverse Suffragists

Dickinson to Host Virtual Discussion on Diverse Suffragists

Author and social historian Cathleen Cahill will explore the hidden stories of suffragists of color in a virtual talk.

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Dickinson College Professors to Discuss Protests Around the World

Dickinson College Professors to Discuss Protests Around the World

A panel of five Dickinson professors representing a variety of disciplines and national backgrounds will address worldwide environmental activism and protest movements in different countries.

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Beyond the Big Screen

Beyond the Big Screen

Costume designer Kristin Achtmeyer ’06 turns a vision into a consistent and accurate reality throughout the entire cast of a production, and she has some impressive credits to her name.

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Dickinson College to Host Filmmaker and French Film Screening

Dickinson College to Host Filmmaker and French Film Screening

Filmmaker Amandine Gay will visit Dickinson for a screening of her film, “Ouvrir la voix” (Speak Up/Make Your Way), and a related discussion.

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Dickinson College to Host Author

Dickinson College to Host Author's Discussion of Journey Towards Self-Love

Award-winning author, actress, director and scholar Sharrell D. Luckett will share stories about the journey towards self-love in a lecture at Dickinson.

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Panel Discussion at Dickinson College Addresses Feminism Within Sororities

Dickinson College will host a panel of experts to discuss the history of white, black and multicultural sororities and the possibility for activism within them.

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