Graduates of the WGSS program go in many directions after Wooster. Some have pursued graduate degrees in law, social work, library science, economics, psychology, nurse-midwifery, divinity, and feminist studies. Their careers include leading public policy initiatives, coordinating inclusive sex education programs, teaching from pre-school through College, expanding access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ people, to working in media production. Whatever their chosen field, alumni report the profound impact that their degree in WGSS has had on their lives, affecting everything from their career choices to how they have created families to becoming politically active. WGSS provides the tools, you choose what to build with them!
The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) curriculum at The College of Wooster is based in feminist scholarship and activism – within traditional academic disciplines, across the academic divisions, and in response to questions that cannot be answered within the framework of a single field.
Join us in shaping more feminist futures and creating a more just world for all.
Digital History of WGSS at Wooster Explore the Global Queer Studies Minor at Wooster
Walter D Foss Distinguished Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology
Professor of Anthropology and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies; Program Chair of Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Department Chair of Urban Studies
Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy; Co-Liaison to the Public Health Pathway
Aileen Dunham Professorship in History; Latin American Studies; Global and International Studies; Co-Liaison to Digital and Visual Storytelling Pathway
Professor and Department Chair of Theatre and Dance; South Asian Studies
Department Chair and Associate Professor of Economics & Business Economics; Pre-Business Advisor Fall 2025 (On Leave Spring 2026)
Associate Professor of Economics & Business Economics; Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Administrative Coordinator - Africana Studies, Archaeology, East Asian Studies, Middle Eastern & North African Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, South Asian Studies, Urban Studies, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Latin American Studies; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Assistant Professor of Communication Studies; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies (On leave Fall 2025)
Peyton Crook ’26, a psychology major and minor in statistical & data sciences and women’s, gender, & sexuality studies, knew she wanted to gain […]
Archaeology major Henry McMahon spent the summer before his senior year at The College of Wooster in Guatemala surveying an ancient plaza inside El […]
Amelia Menk Brown ’96, originally from Poland, Ohio, knew she wanted to attend a small, liberal arts college, but the Independent Study program made […]
Emilie Eustace ’24, a psychology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies major at The College of Wooster, has seen a notable increase in her […]
A major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies consists of 11 courses, including courses on the history of feminisms, queer lives throughout the globe, and a Senior seminar about bringing feminist teaching and learning into action.
View CoursesA minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies consists of six courses, including a wide range of electives in fields like Africana Studies, English, History, Neuroscience, Political Science, Psychology, Theatre & Dance, Religious Studies, and more.
View CoursesMajors explore their own research questions relating to gender and sexuality. In their Jr. Independent Study seminar, “Doing Feminist Research,” WGSS majors, minors, and other students who plan to pursue feminist research in their I.S. are introduced to research methods as well as distinctive feminist critical approaches to issues in the social sciences, natural sciences, and the humanities. In their senior year, working with a faculty mentor, students explore their own research for the Independent Study project.
The College Libraries and various academic areas, including Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and Global Queer Studies, collaborate to highlight the importance of feminist politics of citation, being aware and strategic with how we cite, and acknowledging those whose work inspires and influences our own. As part of that effort, we brought Dr. Christen A. Smith to campus to talk about her work with the Cite Black Women movement.
More Information| Student | Year | I.S. Title | Major 1 | Major 2 | Advisor |
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Alums of the WGSS program go in many different directions after Wooster. Some have pursued graduate degrees in law, social work, library science, economics, psychology, nurse-midwifery, divinity, and feminist studies.
Their careers include leading public policy initiatives, coordinating inclusive sex education programs, teaching from pre-school through College, and expanding access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ people.
Whatever their chosen field, alumni report the profound impact that their degree in WGSS has had on their view of the world, affecting everything from becoming politically active to the paid work they engage in to making choices about creating families and raising children! As one recent graduate shared:
“Every part of me has been influenced by my time in the WGSS program. WGSS nurtured me to become a person who thinks beyond myself in my day to day, who considers the lived experiences of others in all I do, who critically examines the world around me, and who values compassion above all else. I’ve built a career helping children learn to love themselves and others, and helping families learn to raise empathetic, compassionate, healthy children, and so much of what I bring to the table in my career I learned from the WGSS program!”
