Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Social injustices are as old as society itself. Discrimination and violence based on race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality have mobilized a new generation of activists. Salve Regina University's minor in women, gender and sexuality studies aims to empower students with the tools necessary to interrogate power hierarchies, combat social inequities and fight for the dignity of individuals.

Pursue Your Desired Focus

By design, Salve Regina's minor in women, gender and sexuality studies is student-driven. Students in the program work with faculty in their field of expertise to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum tailored to their desired focus.

Salve Regina's program strives to rigorously but sensitively deal with major issues in the world. While some courses draw on current events as the basis for discussion, the power structures of people oppressing other people is a timeless problem. By reading theoretical texts in the introductory course, students develop the vocabulary to help fight oppression, open their minds to seeing new solutions and develop ways of understanding the injustices they’ve seen or experienced.

Program Spotlight: Awareness Campaigns

As part of a commitment to community action, students in WGS200: Introduction to Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies conducted three timely awareness campaigns on topics that they identified and researched. Using social media and poster presentations, teams focused on the challenges facing indigenous women, the relationship between social media and body image, and trends in Title IX and campus sexual assault.

This project allowed students to explore issues that interested us while fueling our commitment to advocacy. As my team researched issues facing indigenous women today, I learned how to be a better advocate and ally and how to spread this message to the public.

Beatriz Ferreira, elementary education major with minors in special education and women, gender and sexuality studies

Our Faculty

Our faculty is diverse, allowing us to tailor our curriculum to a student’s desired focus. We have expertise in anthropology, art history, communications, English, modern languages, nursing, philosophy, religious studies, social work and sociology, among other fields. All of our faculty have earned doctorates in their field of study, and many have authored books and articles on women, gender and sexuality topics.

Meet Our Faculty

Life After Salve

As a minor, Salve Regina's women, gender and sexuality studies program is perfectly tailored to support majors across a wide range of subjects in the humanities and liberal arts, social sciences and professional programs such as nursing, education and social work. Our recent graduates are working in organizations such as Child & Family and the Rhode Island Governor’s Office, while others are pursuing graduate study in fields such as international relations.

The minor is a great complement to my social work major. I knew in middle school that I wanted to do social work after graduating. I feel that, although some great strides have been made, there are still many minority groups in need of equity and equality. The women, gender and sexuality studies minor gives that direct focus to compliment my broad social work topics.

Kaylyn Bettencourt, women, gender and sexuality studies minor

Course Catalog

Academic Calendar

Schedule of Classes