Women鈥檚, Gender and Sexuality Studies
- Department Interdisciplinary
- Academic Division The College
The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies program is a vibrant academic program that links the classroom with the world and offers the theoretical basis for activism and social change.
Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
An invigorating introductory course and disciplinary distribution requirements give students a sound theoretical orientation to defining and articulating concepts and practices in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Course offerings across the disciplines — psychology, English, Romance languages, political science, philosophy, sociology and anthropology — allow students to draw connections between their major fields of study and the evolving work of scholars of gender and sex. Students are encouraged to think broadly about the role of women, gender and sexuality across many dimensions of human life.
Many of our students come to W&L with an interest in gender justice and LGBTQ+ rights and want to pursue their interests via a combination of courses, co-curricular opportunities and activism on or off campus. Many others become interested in questions about gender and feminism during their time at W&L, either because they get interested in the topic through their academic coursework or because they are seeking to understand gender relations on campus. WGSS sponsors and hosts numerous events every year so students can interact with guest speakers, faculty and each other.
The WGSS capstone requirement allows students to pursue their particular interests with the kind of intensity that turns classroom competence into an abiding passion.
Our faculty encourage students to see their studies as relevant to their everyday lives and important for understanding and responding to social justice issues. Students do just that — in a math student’s investigation into why so few women study math in college, in a fraternity member’s paper analyzing how his fraternity brothers’ drinking habits shape male privilege, or in a missionary’s daughter’s attempt to better understand how a feminist might read the Bible.
Opportunities
- Amnesty International
- Gender Action Group
- Multicultural Student Association
- Project Horizon
- Queer Liberation Alliance
- Student Association for International Learning
- Sexual Health Awareness Group
- SPEAK
- Women in Technology and Science
Outcomes
Our students enter a wide variety of careers. Some pursue a Ph.D. in English, history or gender studies, while others attend medical school, law school or work in public policy, nonprofits or the business world. Alumni say that the WGSS program has helped them better understand and navigate the world around them and engage with it as citizens, activists and professionals.
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Hannah Denham ’20 was co-editor-in-chief of the Ring-tum Phi, the student newspaper. She interned at the Washington Post in summer 2019 and won a Randolph Hearst Foundation Journalism Award for her reporting. She completed a capstone on debates over co-education in W&L student media. She is now a reporter for the Washington Business Journal.
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Chase Isbell ’21 was an LGBTQ+ peer counselor and editor-in-chief for The Vigil, an online student journal that serves as a platform for underrepresented students, and co-editor-in-chief for Ampersand, a student-run literary and arts magazine. Chase was also vice president of the Queer Liberation Alliance, the LGBTQ+ rights organization on campus, and received the prestigious Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for the Class of 2021.
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Beverley Xia ’22 is co-president of the Gender Action Group. She has worked to raise awareness on campus about the Equal Rights Amendment, and she helped organize events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in America.
News
Mikki Brock will perform research leading to a new book at the Wellesley College-based academic center this year.
The assistant professor of history is one of 10 faculty members nationwide to win the prestigious award.
Sai Chebrolu 鈥26 and Valentina Giraldo Lozano 鈥25 are among 13 students chosen for the Zero Hunger Internship program.
The reporter and podcast host won a 2023 National Edward R. Murrow Award for her part in BURNED, which investigated failures by the U.S. Forest Service to protect California towns from potential high-risk wildfires.
These faculty have been recognized for their outstanding teaching, scholarship and service to the university.
The assistant professor of history will hold her talk on Feb. 7 at noon in the Harte Center Gallery.
Megan Dufault 鈥24 is studying the risks that environmental pollutants pose to fetal development.
The professor has also published two literary works in recent months.
The campus community will recognize women鈥檚 achievements with various events throughout the month of March.
The upcoming screening is the second installment in the DeLaney Center's ongoing film series.
Katie Shester is an associate professor of economics and a core faculty member for the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability, as well as Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Benefiel鈥檚 talk 鈥淯ncovering the mysteries of Pompeii鈥 will be held on Nov. 10.
Sample Courses
At 六合厅开奖现场, we believe education and experience go hand-in-hand. You鈥檒l be encouraged to dive in, explore and discover connections that will broaden your perspective.
POL 255
Gender and Politics
This course investigates the gendered terms under which women and men participate in political life. Attention is given to the causes of men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 different patterns of participation in politics, to processes that are likely to decrease the inequalities between men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 political power, and the processes by which society鈥檚 gender expectations shape electoral and institutional politics. The different effects of gender on the practice of politics in different nations are compared, with a special emphasis placed on advanced industrial democracies.
ARTH 265
Women, Art & Empowerment
This seminar explores female artists from the late 18th century through the present whose depictions of women have directly challenged the value system in art history that has traditionally privileged white heterosexual male artists, audiences, collectors, historians, curators, etc. Lectures, discussions and research projects address multicultural perspectives and provide a sense of feminism's global import in a current and historical context.
HIST 219
Age of the Witch Hunts
This course introduces students to one of the most fascinating and disturbing events in the history of the Western world: the witch hunts in early-modern Europe and North America. Between 1450 and 1750, more than 100,000 individuals, from Russia to Salem, were prosecuted for the crime of witchcraft. Most were women and more than half were executed. In this course, we examine the political, religious, social and legal reasons behind the trials, asking why they occurred in Europe when they did and why they finally ended. We also explore, in brief, global witch hunts that still occur today in places like Africa and India, asking how they resemble yet differ from those of the early-modern world.
PHIL 242
Social Inequality & Fair Opportunity
An exploration of the different range of opportunities available to various social groups, including racial, ethnic and sexual minorities, women and the poor. Topics include how to define fair equality of opportunity; the social mechanisms that play a role in expanding and limiting opportunity; legal and group-initiated strategies aimed at effecting fair equality of opportunity and the theoretical foundations of these strategies; as well as an analysis of the concepts of equality, merit and citizenship, and their value to individuals and society.
WGGS 246
Philosophy of Sex
This course explores questions related to contemporary conceptions of sexuality and its proper role in our lives. Questions addressed include: What is the purpose of sex? Are sexual practices subject to normative evaluation on grounds of morality, aesthetics and/or capacity to promote a flourishing human life? We consider the relation between sex and both intimacy and pleasure, viewed from the perspective of heterosexual women and men, and gay men and lesbians. What are our sexual practices and attitudes toward sex? What should they be like?
SOAN 261
Campus Sex in the Digital Age
This class explores how the cell phone has impacted hooking up and dating at college, with particular attention to Washington and Lee University as a case study. We discuss the development of campus sexual culture in America and the influence of digital technology on student sociality. Students use open-source digital research tools to analyze data they collect on the mobile apps they use to socialize with each other on campus. As a digital humanities project, students work in groups to post their analyses on the class WordPress site.
Meet the Faculty
At 六合厅开奖现场, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
![Sarah Horowitz](/Directory%20Profiles/horowitz-sarah-600x800.jpg)
![Sarah Horowitz](/Directory%20Profiles/horowitz-sarah-600x800.jpg)
Sarah Horowitz
Professor of History
Horowitz teaches courses on modern European history and specializes in French history and the history of gender in Europe. She is writing a book on the politics of gender and sexuality in the Steinheil Affair of 1908-1909.
![Melina Bell](/Directory%20Profiles/bell-melina-600x800.jpg)
![Melina Bell](/Directory%20Profiles/bell-melina-600x800.jpg)
Melina Bell
Professor of Philosophy and Law
- P: 540-458-8899
- E: bellm@wlu.edu
Bell is a part of the faculty in the Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability, and the Law, Justice, and Society Program. She also teaches at the Law School. Professor Bell鈥檚 primary research interests are in political philosophy, philosophy of law, and feminist philosophy.
![Jenefer M. Davies](/Directory%20Profiles/davies-jenefer-600x800.jpg)
![Jenefer M. Davies](/Directory%20Profiles/davies-jenefer-600x800.jpg)
Jenefer M. Davies
Department Head, Theater, Dance and Film Studies; Professor of Dance and Theater
- P: 540-458-8281
- E: daviesj@wlu.edu
Davies teaches courses on contemporary European dance, dance composition, movement for actors and aerial dance techniques. Her research focuses on modern dance composition and the feminine aesthetic.
![Megan Fulcher](/Directory%20Profiles/fulcher-megan-600x800.jpg)
![Megan Fulcher](/Directory%20Profiles/fulcher-megan-600x800.jpg)
Megan Fulcher
Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Science
- P: 540-458-8107
- E: fulcherm@wlu.edu
Dr. Fulcher teaches courses on child development, the development of gender roles, and socioemotional development. Her research focuses on children鈥檚 gender role development, toy play and their visions of their future selves.
![Genelle Gertz](/Directory%20Profiles/gertz-genelle-600x800.jpg)
![Genelle Gertz](/Directory%20Profiles/gertz-genelle-600x800.jpg)
Genelle Gertz
Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Thomas H. Broadus Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8763
- E: gertzg@wlu.edu
Gertz teaches courses on Milton, the Tudors and the Bible. She is currently working on methods of social network analysis as they apply to our understanding of the rise and fall of women mystics in English literary history.
![Sascha L. Goluboff](/Directory%20Profiles/goluboff-sascha-600x800.jpg)
![Sascha L. Goluboff](/Directory%20Profiles/goluboff-sascha-600x800.jpg)
Sascha L. Goluboff
Professor of Cultural Anthropology
Goluboff teaches courses such as Food, Culture, and Society, and Gender and Sexuality. Her research focuses on the anthropology of emotion in a variety of geographic and historic contexts.
![Wan-Chuan Kao](/Directory%20Profiles/kao-wan-chuan-600x800.jpg)
![Wan-Chuan Kao](/Directory%20Profiles/kao-wan-chuan-600x800.jpg)
Wan-Chuan Kao
Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8345
- E: kaow@wlu.edu
Professor Kao鈥檚 teaching and research interests include medieval literature, especially Chaucer; whiteness studies; critical theory; race and ethnicity; gender and sexuality; queer studies; hotel theory; affect; and cute studies.
![Robin LeBlanc](/Directory%20Profiles/leblanc-robin-600x800.jpg)
![Robin LeBlanc](/Directory%20Profiles/leblanc-robin-600x800.jpg)
Robin LeBlanc
Professor of Politics
- P: 540-458-8305
- E: lepagea@wlu.edu
LeBlanc is a political anthropologist focused on the civic engagement of non-elites in rich democracies. She teaches classes on global politics, urban politics, gender and politics, and political theory.
![Ellen Mayock](/Directory%20Profiles/mayock-ellen-600x800.jpg)
![Ellen Mayock](/Directory%20Profiles/mayock-ellen-600x800.jpg)
Ellen Mayock
Ernest Williams II Professor of Spanish
- P: 540-458-8816
- E: mayocke@wlu.edu
At Washington and Lee, Mayock has taught courses in Spanish, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her research focuses on gender and its intersections in literature and film, feminist theories and practice, and representations of conflict and violence. Mayock also writes poetry and creative nonfiction.
![Dominica Radulescu](/Directory%20Profiles/radulescu-dominica-600x800.jpg)
![Dominica Radulescu](/Directory%20Profiles/radulescu-dominica-600x800.jpg)
Dominica Radulescu
Edwin A. Morris Professor of Comparative Literature
Radulescu teaches upper-level French and Francophone literature, theater, and the representations of women, gender, and sexuality in literature. She researches feminist theater and is an award-winning novelist/playwright.
![Katharine L. Shester](/Directory%20Profiles/shester-kate-600x800.jpg)
![Katharine L. Shester](/Directory%20Profiles/shester-kate-600x800.jpg)
Katharine L. Shester
Associate Professor of Economics
- P: 540-458-8607
- E: shesterk@wlu.edu
Shester teaches courses on urban economics, women in the economy and U.S. economic history. Her research interests include American economic history, urban and labor economics, demography and education.
![Taylor Walle](/Directory%20Profiles/walle-taylor-600x800.jpg)
![Taylor Walle](/Directory%20Profiles/walle-taylor-600x800.jpg)
Taylor Walle
Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8362
- E: wallet@wlu.edu
Walle is a 六合厅开奖现场 alumna who teaches courses on Jane Austen, Mary Shelley and other topics in British literature. Her research interests include orality and literacy in the 18th century, women鈥檚 writing, and women鈥檚 and gender studies.
![Lesley Wheeler](/Directory%20Profiles/wheeler-lesley-600x800.jpg)
![Lesley Wheeler](/Directory%20Profiles/wheeler-lesley-600x800.jpg)
Lesley Wheeler
Henry S. Fox Professor of English
Wheeler teaches courses in poetry, creative writing and speculative fiction. Her research interests include 20th- and 21st-century poetry in English, especially as it involves sound, gender, politics and world-building.
![Julie Woodzicka](/Directory%20Profiles/woodzicka-julie-600x800.jpg)
![Julie Woodzicka](/Directory%20Profiles/woodzicka-julie-600x800.jpg)
Julie Woodzicka
Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Science and Department Head
Woodzicka鈥檚 courses include Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination, Social Psychology, Psychology of Humor, and Research Design and Analysis. She studies the effects of disparagement humor (specifically sexist and racist humor) and subtle strategies to confront discrimination.
![Melina Bell](/Directory%20Profiles/bell-melina-600x800.jpg)
![Jenefer M. Davies](/Directory%20Profiles/davies-jenefer-600x800.jpg)
![Megan Fulcher](/Directory%20Profiles/fulcher-megan-600x800.jpg)
![Genelle Gertz](/Directory%20Profiles/gertz-genelle-600x800.jpg)
![Sascha L. Goluboff](/Directory%20Profiles/goluboff-sascha-600x800.jpg)
![Wan-Chuan Kao](/Directory%20Profiles/kao-wan-chuan-600x800.jpg)
![Robin LeBlanc](/Directory%20Profiles/leblanc-robin-600x800.jpg)
![Ellen Mayock](/Directory%20Profiles/mayock-ellen-600x800.jpg)
![Dominica Radulescu](/Directory%20Profiles/radulescu-dominica-600x800.jpg)
![Katharine L. Shester](/Directory%20Profiles/shester-kate-600x800.jpg)
![Taylor Walle](/Directory%20Profiles/walle-taylor-600x800.jpg)
![Lesley Wheeler](/Directory%20Profiles/wheeler-lesley-600x800.jpg)
![Julie Woodzicka](/Directory%20Profiles/woodzicka-julie-600x800.jpg)
![Sarah Horowitz](/Directory%20Profiles/horowitz-sarah-600x800.jpg)