Mission Statement
We see our department as a force for change in California, in the nation as a whole, and in the world, change which strives to achieve social justice, deepen democracy, and create world peace.
We do this by offering students an outstanding undergraduate education in Gender and Women’s Studies. Courses in Gender and Women’s Studies are taught by faculty from numerous disciplines and different parts of the world. Our international and diverse faculty members provide excellent teaching, engaged mentoring, cutting-edge research and scholarship, and provide valuable community service locally and globally.
We seek to develop a new generation of compassionate and critical thinkers, and professionals who, with us, will advance our mission to recognize, understand, and interrogate the persisting injustices and inequalities based on gender, race, class, sexuality, nation, geography, ability, ethnicity, and religion that plague societies. We expect our GWS students to stretch their social imagination to become agents of social change.
We believe that through the nurturing of the mind, the elevation of historical and moral consciousness as well as opportunities to put into practice social justice skills we can make a better world for all.
The major and minor provide a background for various careers such as law, counseling and healthcare or advanced graduate degrees in fields such as Gender Studies, Women’s Studies, education, communication, political, cultural and media studies.
Academic Advisement
The Gender and Women’s Studies department helps students select the program and courses that best satisfy their individual needs and interests. Contact Department Chair Breny Mendoza at (818) 677-3110 to schedule an appointment. The College of Humanities (COH) Student Services Center/EOP reviews students’ progress to ensure that the requirements of a major or minor in Gender and Women’s Studies are fulfilled. Call (818) 677-4784 or (818) 677-4767 to schedule an appointment with the COH Student Services Center/EOP.
Careers
A degree in Gender and Women’s Studies is an avenue to jobs in the mass media, public relations, community and labor organizing, social work, counseling, teaching and government, as well as new fields, such as women’s career training. Specialized career preparation may be obtained by combining the Gender and Women’s Studies major with a minor from another department. In addition, a Bachelors of Arts in Gender and Women’s Studies provides an entry for advanced graduate degrees in fields such as women’s studies, gender and ethnic studies, law, education, healthcare, social sciences, global studies, the arts, and cultural and communication studies.
Clubs and Societies
Contact
Chair: Breny Mendoza
Staff: Janaki Bowerman
Jerome Richfield (JR) 340
(818) 677-3110
www.csun.edu/humanities/gender-womens-studies