Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

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Join Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies as we explore evolving definitions of gender, sexuality, and feminism and continue our progress beyond exclusionary theories and practices.

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program

Study concepts of gender and sexuality as a foundational element of global societies and cultures and explore how they intersect with race, class, ability, nationality, ethnicity, religion, and age in the constitution of experience and identities.

Students in the program integrate knowledge from many disciplines and perspectives to analyze societal, cultural, global, and personal issues. Reflect on knowledge production within different and oftentimes unrecognized systems of oppression, including how fluid and socially constructed categories are presented as natural and permanent in their cultural and historical context. Acquire skills of critical analysis and advocacy that will equip you to challenge the normalization of inequalities.

The department offers both a major and a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
 

Learn about academic programs

Department Contacts

Director: Nimanthi Rajasingham
Academic Department Coordinator: Cathy Sheridan-Lee 
Office: 105B East Hall
Phone: 315-228-6868

The department’s focus on theory and praxis is where I found my passion for LGBTQ+ non-profit work and WGSS scholarship. With mentorship and support from my professors, I got accepted into a Gender Studies PhD program, which I start this fall. I would not have found my passion and career path without Colgate’s WGSS faculty.

R Hunsicker, ’24
Course Offerings

Learn about both required and elective courses available to students through Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Find Women's Studies Courses
Faculty and Staff

Meet the faculty and staff of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and learn about their ongoing scholarship.

Women’s Studies Faculty and Staff
Center for Women’s Studies

Explore resources for the Colgate community, including advocacy through the Center for Women’s Studies.

Center for Women’s Studies

Upcoming Events

 

View all upcoming WGSS events

My WGSS major gave me a critical lens to analyze systemic inequalities in healthcare, equipping me with the skills to challenge disparities and advocate for marginalized communities. This background set me apart as a post-baccalaureate pre-med candidate, demonstrating my commitment to a justice-driven approach to medicine—one that prioritizes equity, intersectionality, and the social determinants of health.

Noha Shahba, ’24