Graduate
Program
Undergraduate Program
Mothers Memorial Scholarship Fund
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
MEN'S
STUDIES PROGRAM
Undergraduate Programs
in Women's Studies
For more information, contact
Amy K. Levin, Director
Reavis Hall, Room 103
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-1038
alevin@niu.edu
The Women's Studies Program is an interdisciplinary academic program housed in NIU's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Any undergraduate student in the university may earn a minor in Women's Studies by taking 3 core courses and 3 additional courses selected from related electives offered for credit towards a minor (Learn more about the Women's Studies minor). The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences also offers students the opportunity to construct an individualized major in Women’s Studies- B.A. or B.S. (Learn more about the Women's Studies Contract Major).
As an interdisciplinary field, Women's Studies offers courses which:
- Focus on women's experience in the analysis of human culture,
- Examine the contributions and status of women in society,
- Explore the meaning of gender in our lives,
- Investigate the impact of race, ethnicity, age, social class, sexual orientation, ability, and other factors on women's experiences.
Elective courses are offered in a wide range of departments, including anthropology, art, communication, English, foreign languages and literatures, geography, history, human and family resources, management, nursing, poligical science, psychology, and sociology. For example, students may study such topics as communication and the sexes, equal opportunity and employment, women and politics, growing up female, marriages and families, gender and crime, visual images of women, or women in U.S. history. We also offer a popular internship option that gives students practical experience working in women's organizations, government agencies, and other settings.
Students have found that a background in Women's Studies has benefited them in other college courses and in their work after college, regardless of career. Students entering social service fields such as psychology, health sciences, education, and others find it particularly valuable to have an in-depth knowledge of women's issues. In addition, Women's Studies may provide individuals with a greater awareness of the importance of gender in workplace.
Last Updated: August 7, 2007