New Jersey City University has begun offering a bachelor of arts degree in women’s and gender studies. The University had been offering a minor in the program for the past 37 years.
The University’s women and gender studies major places women’s lives and experiences as the central focus of study, although all courses incorporate analyses of masculinity as well as perspectives informed by LGBT Studies, queer theory, and feminist practice. The B.A. program promotes feminist analyses of the urban experience with particular emphasis on African Diaspora, im/migrant, Latino/a, working class, and queer studies.
Completion of this major prepares students for a variety of careers in such fields as education, social services, public advocacy, counseling, and community organizing. Continued study in the field could include a master’s and/or doctoral degree in the humanities or professional fields such as social work, education, or law.
Dr. Barbara Feldman, dean of the NJCU William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences, commented about her College’s new degree program, “The University has been offering a minor in women’s and gender studies for almost four decades. As this program of study continues to be among the most versatile of the liberal arts programs, preparing graduates for careers and further study in a multitude of disciplines, it was obvious that we should provide the opportunity for students to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the field.”
Course offerings include: “Women and Work,” “Sex: Power, Pleasure, Politics,” “Introduction to LGBT Studies,” “Black Womanhood,” “Men of Color in Urban America,” “Gender and Popular Culture,” “Migration and Citizenship,” and “Latina Feminisms.”
“The B.A. in women's and gender studies enables students to analyze complex social, political, and cultural issues and to make essential connections between their own experiences and their local, national, and global communities. As an interdisciplinary major, women’s and gender studies also provides students with academic skills—like critical thinking and the ability to use multiple sources of information to examine a particular problem-—that are highly-valued by potential employers,” explained Dr. Jacqueline Ellis, chair of NJCU’s Women’s and Gender Studies Department.
Faculty members in the Department also include Dr. Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Dr. Liza Fiol-Matta, and Dr. Catherine Raissiguier.
For further information call Dr. Ellis at (201) 200-3170.