Program Overview
Through a multidisciplinary approach among thirteen academic departments, students explore the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, age, class, ability, sexuality, and religious affiliation. Students can choose to major or minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and learn to apply theoretical concepts to understand and challenge forms of oppression from racism to sexism and homophobia, to classism and religious intolerance. Furman’s diverse WGSS curriculum prepares students to pursue a wide range of professional opportunities and/or additional education. Recent evidence on the pandemic’s imbalanced toll on working mothers who left the workforce and on queer youth who remained in unsafe or non-affirming homes, as well as the #MeToo movement’s focus on systemic abuse of power/privilege, reminds us that WGSS goes beyond curricular issues; it is about the world we live in.
Major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Complete one of these introductory courses— Issues in WGSS or Queer Theory —and the equivalent of seven elective courses in at least three different disciplines. As a culminating experience, students either conduct directed research or participate in a supervised internship for course credit.
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Minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Complete one of these introductory courses — Issues in WGSS or Queer Theory — and at least four additional courses, representing three different disciplines from a wide array of choices.
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Career Opportunities with WGSS
Furman’s diverse WGSS curriculum prepares you for myriad possibilities in the professional world. Some sample fields and vocations are:
- Educator
- Medical doctor
- Non-profit manager
- Local, state and federal government roles and agencies
- Lawyer
- Human resources professional
- Social worker
- Marketing and public relations professional
- Journalist
- Counselor
- Researcher
Student Experiences

In the Fall of 2023, the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program launched a three-year interdisciplinary speaker series. For the first year, the series’ theme is broadly organized around multidisciplinary discussions of “the body.” In year two of our three year speaker series, we will explore the theme of “Belonging.” Talented Furman alumni will explore what it means to create communities of belonging both on and off campus.
In organizing this series, WGSS collaborated with many departments, centers, and institutes on campus. The series is generously sponsored by the Furman Humanities Center, the Reid Endowed Lecture Fund, the Center for Interpersonal Communication, the English, History, Biology, Psychology, Health Sciences, Politics and International Affairs, Music, and Art departments, the Duke Library, the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dean, and the new Master’s program in Advocacy and Equity Studies.
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Donate to our program today.