Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies offers a cutting-edge academic program focusing on three areas:
Globalization
Sexuality Studies
Social change
Our program boasts an undergraduate major and minor as well as a rigorous masters program and a graduate women’s studies certificate for students in other departments who wish to develop a women’s studies specialization. About half of our students go on to further academic study in women’s studies as well as other disciplines and professions; another half goes directly to work in fields where a women’s studies education would be beneficial, such as community and non-profit organizations, the social service sector, the political arena, and the private sector. A small but significant number of our students pursue work in the creative fields as artists, musicians, poets, journalists, or filmmakers. The interests of our five core faculty members span the globe, including the African diaspora, the Arab and Islamic worlds, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on issues related to globalization, sexualities, spiritualities, and culture, as well as local and transnational articulations of feminism and womanism. Both theoretical engagement and the translation of theory into action are valued in our program and incorporated into our classes. In addition to traditional academic courses, we offer internships, practicum courses, and service-learning options at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Over 40 affiliated faculty members from other departments of Georgia State University add their expertise and support to our program, regularly offering interesting electives and serving on student committees. The Women’s Studies Institute offers an annual thematic Speaker Series that showcases nationally and internationally renowned scholars, artists, and social change agents whose work relates to gender, sex, or sexuality. The WSI is also home to several student organizations, including S.P.E.A.K., our women’s studies graduate student organization; Faces of Feminism, a student action group; and GSU BlackOUT, a social and service organization for LGBTQIQ students of African descent and their allies. Georgia State University’s urban campus is situated in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, just blocks away from the State Capitol and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Georgia State University is nationally ranked as one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse campuses in the United States. Georgia State University’s metropolitan mission means that opportunities to link academic study with social engagement abound. What better place to pursue a women’s studies education than the Women’s Studies Institute at Georgia State University?
