Women's Studies Program
Florida State University
214-J William Johnston Bldg.
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2205
Phone: (850) 644-9514
FAX: (850) 644-7661

Table of Contents
 
FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
 

WHAT IS WOMEN'S STUDIES?

Women's Studies emphasizes the teaching and study of women in society, history, and culture. It's major aim is to focus on women as a heterogeneous group, a group frequently overlooked by traditional disciplines within the academic community. Students explore women's lives and cultural contributions, as well as the history of feminism and current feminist approaches to social issues. Women's studies also serves as a focal point for the study of gender as a social process, and the consequences of being male and female. Courses in women's studies examine numerous ways that gender, sexual orientation, and culture shapes our experiences throughout life for women and men. 
 
 

WHAT KIND OF SKILLS WILL YOU OBTAIN FROM STUDYING WOMEN'S STUDIES?

Women's Studies provides you with all the benefits of a liberal arts degree.  Liberal arts education emphasizes critical thinking, which can be applied to a multitude of careers.  It demonstrates to a potential employer that you have the confidence, skills, and maturity to earn a college degree; that you are well-rounded, having studied a wide variety of topics rather than one narrow skill area; that you likely are able to think more globally than many other job applicants.  Manager often prefer liberal art majors because they think they are better at organizing material, writing well, and making oral presentations.  Moreover, a Women's Studies major equips you with significant additional advantages. 
 
 

WHAT ADDITIONAL SKILLS CAN YOU GAIN WITH A WOMEN'S STUDIES DEGREE?

Larissa Semnuk, a Women's Studies graduate, explains: "The major prepares one to do anything any other liberal arts major does but with deeper insight into issues of oppression and celebration of women. Hopefully, this insight carries over into important issues of other groups -- making one more sensitive and therefor more prepared to do all things/jobs with greater attention to ethical standards.  A Women's Studies major is taught to look for  the hidden -- like looking for the silenced voices of women in histoy.  It's invaluable!" (Luebke and Reilly, 19).  There are many practical applications for Women's Studies training on the job.  For example, as more women work, business and corporations find the need for more sensitivity to women's issues such as sexual harassment, flex-time, parental leave, pay equity, and equal employment opportunities.  The development of women's agencies and organizations is spurring demand for graduates with specializations in Women's Studies.  There is growing demand in the professions of law, medicine, social work, teaching, counseling, and government service for expertise in gender issues.  Similarly, women's studies specialists are increasingly being used as consultants in industry, higher education, insurance companies, and personnel firms.  Perhaps most importantly, many Women's Studies graduates say that their education gave them the confidene to pursue careers traditionally held by men.
 
 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FIELDS OF GRADUATE STUDY THAT WOMEN'S STUDIES MAJORS HAVE PURSUED?

The fields of graduate study that Women's Studies majors have pursued include: administration, advocacy, anthropology, arts, counseling, education, history, humanities, international studies, law, library science, philosophy, psychology, public health, public policy, social work, and sociology.
 


WHAT ARE SOME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF OCCUPATIONS PURSUED BY WOMEN'S STUDIES GRADUATES?

A recent national study uncovered more than 38 distinct occupations pursued by WS graduates (Luebke and Reilly).  Categories of careers include:
ARTS: Self-employed artist, Arts administrator, Author published her first novel, Heartscape, Naiad Press, 1989. She attended Women's Writing School, Cazenovia, NY.
BUSINESS:  Majoring in Women's Studies particularly helps professionals in these fields to learn how male-female interactions affect the business environment, gain an understanding of federal, state, and local equal opportunity legislation, and explore differences in women's and men's managerial styles.  Small-business owner, Trade associations (domestic and international), Sheet metal apprentice, Columbus, OH; department store manager, Coordinator for Shield Care Network in Albany, Employment at Motorola
EDUCATION: Majoring in Women's Studies particularly helps professionals in these fields to become aware of sexist, racist, and other biases in textbooks, learn more about subconscious classroom behaviors that limit students to stereotypical roles, and explore non-sexist teaching models and curriculum integration.  - Teaching English as a Second Language with Master's Degree in ESL from Hunter College, Counselor at Ulster County Health teaches courses in the Women's Studies Program and Humanistic Education Program. 
POLITICS AND LAW: Majoring in Women's Studies particularly helps professionals in these fields to learn how women have been excluded from the political process in the past, examine how women are working to achieve political empowerment today, and explore women's public policy issues.  Some Women's Studies graduates are currently working in areas such as Managing attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Mid New York, Inc., Women's advocacy groups such as NOW, NARAL, and Planned Parenthood, overseeing Affirmative Action in different divisions in NY State Services, including prisons, and in Foreign Service.
SOCIAL WORK AND PSYCHOLOGY: Majoring in Women's Studies particularly helps progessionals in these fields to explore sexist biases in therapeutic models, gain an understanding of the common concerns experienced by female clients, such as battering, reape, incest, body image, and self-worth, and relate women's personal issues to the social construction of gender.  Some Women's Studies graduates are currently working in areas such as the Colorado AIDS Project, Director of a volunteer program for a domestic violence agency in Chicago, Social worker at the Washington, DC Women's Council on AIDS, battered women's shelters, and as a job developer/trainer for the Arizona Women's Education and Employment. 
Information provided by:
http://www.msu.edu/~wmstdy/wsmjr1.htm Women's Studies Graduates often find employment as counselors, therapists, social workers, attorneys, journalists, market-analysts, political analysts, television producers, union organizers for women workers, and fundraisers for women's organizations.  Graduate work in women's studies enhances chances for faculty positions in traditional disciplines or can provide an additional credential for students in the professions of law, education, or medicine.From http://web.wst.ufl.edu/
 
 

WHERE CAN I FIND ADDITIONAL SOURCES FOR JUSTIFYING WOMEN'S STUDIES SCHOLARSHIP?

Some helpful articles and books are cited below:Boxer, Marilyn.  1998.  "Thinking Anew About the World and Women" and "Knowledge for What"  When Women Ask the Questions.

Bowles, Gloria.  1983.  "Is Women's Studies an Academic Discipline?" Theories of Women's Studies.

Luebke, Barbara F. and Mary Ellen Reilly.    Women's Studies Graduates:  The First Generation.  Teachers College Press, Teacher College, Columbia University, New York, 1995.

Also recommended is the report The Courage to Question:  Women's Studies and Student Learning by Caryn McTighe Musil, American Association of Colleges and NWSA, 1992.
This web site was created by:
© Women's Studies Program
  Revised 09/19/02 
For additional information, contact: womenstudies@mailer.fsu.edu
Dr. Joyce Carbonell, Director