Ethnic Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Develop a deep understanding of how gender, sexuality, and ethnic identity are socially constructed — and how those constructions shape lives, communities, and systems in the United States and around the world. Drawing on multiple disciplines, you’ll examine both the forces that create and sustain identity and the far-reaching consequences they have on society.
Explore how identity is created, lived, and contested — and how it shapes the world around us. In our department, you’ll examine the intersections of gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, age and class, and investigate how these forces influence culture, politics, and everyday life. Through history, literature, art, and social science, you’ll study how identities are constructed, how stereotypes and prejudice emerge, and how power operates across different times and places.
Our interdisciplinary programs — which include majors in Ethnic Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, as well as minors in Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, and Sexuality Studies — combine theory with real-world application. You’ll engage deeply with foundational scholarship on identity and inequality while exploring how these constructs are lived out today. Along the way, you’ll learn from the lived experiences of women and other historically marginalized groups, examine the specific histories and contributions of diverse communities in the United States and beyond, and critically analyze how bias has shaped traditional scholarship — and how it can be challenged.
You’ll also put your learning into practice through internships, research projects, or community-engaged experiences with organizations and communities both locally and globally. Graduates leave with the knowledge and skills to think critically, communicate effectively, and advocate for equity and justice — preparation that serves them well in careers across politics, law, education, social services, business, medicine, and more.
Programs of Study
Ethnic Studies and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Courses
In our courses, you’ll explore how gender and ethnic identity shape our world — and your place in it. Through five key areas of study — historical contexts, representations, global perspectives, self-making, and institutions or systems of knowledge — you’ll examine the complex forces that influence identity and power. Along the way, you’ll develop an in-depth understanding of how gender and ethnicity intersect to create both burdens and privileges, gaining tools to critically analyze the systems around you and your role within them. Explore courses offered by our department and those accepted for transfer credit.
Build Community on Campus
Be a part of building a true culture of belonging at Albion.
The Office of Belonging and Office of Student Engagement and Activities offers learning opportunities for all students to belong, engage, and lead in a supportive and inclusive environment.
Participate in one of our many different campus organizations that promote and celebrate diverse identities and advocate for positive change on and beyond campus.
Campus Organizations