The Women’s and Gender Studies minor involves twenty-one credit hours, including a six credit hour core emphasizing collaborative learning and critical thinking in global, activist, and feminist contexts. The minor complements a wide variety of majors, including Business, English, Communication, Education, Family and Consumer Sciences, History, Justice Studies, Psychology, and Sociology, and is an excellent preparation for careers in the non-profit sector or in private sector fields such as human resources, marketing, management, education, and law.

Minor Requirements

Twenty-one credit hours, including a six credit hour core (WOMEN 200 and 399), and 15 hours in Women’s and Gender Studies electives. Electives are cross-listed with course offerings from other departments, such as History, Communication, Psychology, English, and Family and Consumer Sciences. A sample of past courses includes:

• ART 689 Contemporary Issues in Art
• COMM 795 Issues in Communication: Gender Communication
• ENGL 555/755 Topics in Literature: Booker Prize Winners
• FCS455 History of Costume
• HIST608 Women in American History
• JUST480 Women, Crime, and Justice
• SOC569 Society and Sexuality
• SOC663 Women, Men and Society

Please consult the online course schedule for a list of current electives.

The requirements for a certificate are 15 hours, including a 6 hour core consisting of WGS 200 Introduction to Women’s Studies and WGS 399 Global Women’s Issues. Additional Women’s and Gender Studies courses or electives will supplement this core. Graduate courses such as ENGL 875 Seminar can also be used if pursuing the certificate as part of post-undergraduate or graduate studies.

Both WGS 200 Introduction to Women’s Studies, and WGS 399 Global Women’s Issues can be used to fulfill general education requirements.

"I never realized my biases, never really understood the pain caused by my ideas of what women could and should be. I'm a different person now, more compassionate and capable and willing to fight. I'm not ashamed of that. I feel like I'm being honest with myself for the first time in a long while. Real change doesn't seem like pipe dream anymore. It's what we deserve."
-Rebecca Bauman

"Through Women's Studies I have met a group of strong, like-minded women on campus...My experience raising money for the Crisis Resource Center through the Vagina Monologues allowed me to do great work for the community, build bonds with women on campus and in the community, and use my talents and passion for the arts."
-Megan Stoneberger

"PSU's Women's Studies Program and the diverse individuals in it have guided, taught, and even argued with me, enabling me to think deeper, act more. Most of all, PSU Women's Studies has taught me the value of being an active participant in the community. The program has and will continue to inspire me to engage the world I live in through outreach at every level."
-Angel Asuncion Reed

The PSU Student Alliance for Gender Equality is open to all students, staff, faculty, and the Pittsburg Community. The Club does not discriminate against members on the basis of gender, race, religion, sexual preference, class, age, nationality, or physical ability.

Mission of the PSU Student Alliance for Gender Equality (SAGE)

     (formerly the Women's and Gender Studies Club)

To empower the students, faculty and staff of Pittsburg State University to advocate for equality on issues related to gender, sex and sexual orientation.

To organize activist and educational events that raise awareness about gender-based violence, exploitation and injustice.

To build coalitions with other student and community organizations to take direct action to end inequality.

Volunteers

The Student Alliance for Gender Equality would not be successful in its efforts without the help of volunteers. The PSU Women's and Gender Studies encourages women and men to get involved and attend meetings. Please join us in our efforts to create positive change on our campus and in the surrounding community. Contact us below for more information on general meeting times.

Collaborations

The Student Alliance for Gender Equality often collaborates with other student groups on campus, and the following local organizations:

PSU Groups: Hispanics of Today, The Black Student Association, The Gay-Straight Alliance, The Tilford Group

Local Organizations: Southeast Kansas National Organization for Women, Southeast Kansas Women Helping Women, The Crisis Resource Center of Southeast Kansas

A sample of past events include:

   Sponsorships

• Equal Pay Day Round Table Discussion and Mentorship Workshop
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month Programming
• Take Back the Night March and Rally against gender violence
• V-Day College Campaign, The Vagina Monologues Benefit Production for
• The Crisis Resource Center of Southeast Kansas
• Film screenings and discussions

   Special Events

• Equity Bake Sales
• Feminist Lunch Discussions
• Human Trafficking Awareness Guest Lecture
• International Human Right's Day
• Banned Books Read-in Against Censorship
• Love Your Body Day
• Reproductive Justice Advocacy Day
• and more!

Resources

All of the resources below offer support groups for survivors of abuse and sexual assault.
Please contact them for more information.

Local Resources

The Crisis Resource Center of SEK, Inc.
Phone: 620-231-8692
Hotline/Crisis: 620-231-8251
Toll Free: (800)794-9148

University Counseling Services
1801 S Broadway
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS 66762-7529
Phone: 620-235-4452
Fax: 620-235-6146
"UCS does not release private health information about a student without that student’s written permission, except in the case of imminent danger to themselves or others, child/dependent abuse, court order, or where otherwise required by law. Notations of counseling services are not part of a student’s academic record at PSU."

Student Health Services
1801 South Broadway
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS 66762-7527
Phone: 620-235-4452 Fax: 620-235-4455
"The Pittsburg State University Health Center promotes the health and well being of students in order to enhance their educational experience. The Health Center is an outpatient ambulatory care facility, directed by a physician designed to provide high quality, convenient, cost-effective health services and education."

Information about Date Rape Drugs "Remember, non-consensual sex, coerced sex, sex with a partner who is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and is therefore not able to give consent: IS RAPE!"

Medical Resources

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas
1700 North Locust, Building A
Pittsburg, KS 66762
Phone: 620-231-9873
Pre-natal precriptions, Ob/Gyn services including delivery, breast exams and pap smears, dental and mental services and much more.
No one will be denied service based on ability to pay.

Community Mental Health Center of Crawford County
3101 N. Michigan Suite B, Pittsburg, KS 66762
Appointments Or Information Call (620) 231-5130
Emergency # 232-SAVE (232-7283)
"Community Mental Health Center of Crawford County (CMHCCC) was established to help individuals just like you deal with the ups and downs of everyday living. Professionally trained staff at CMHCCC are available to work with you and your family to help you identify the source of problems and to work with you to develop strategies to meet life's difficulties."

Via Christi Health - CareVan Transportation Program
Phone: 620-232-0388
Hours: 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
"CareVan is a wheelchair-accessible transportation service offered by Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center providing rides for patients to and from medical appointments at the hospital, and its staff physician offices. For routine appointments, please give at least 24 hours advance notice for scheduling. There is no fee for the service, however donations are appreciated."

Abuse Resources

The Crisis Resource Center of SEK, Inc.
Phone: 620-231-8692
Hotline/Crisis: 620-231-8251
Toll Free: (800)794-9148
Helping to reduce domestic and sexual violence by offering women and their children a safe place to go. Crisis Resource Center employees are trained to help protect families from abusive relationships and that includes: relocating the victims when necessary, finding new employment for the victim if necessary and Police Response Assistance (PRA), responding to domestic violence calls with the local police.

Children's Advocacy Center
123 West Adams
Pittsburg, KS 66762
Phone: 620-235-0067
Toll-free: 866-66-CHILD (866-662-4453)
"The mission of the Children's Advocacy Center, Inc. is to reduce the traumatic effects of abuse; protect children from maltreatment; seek justice for child victims; investigate abuse as a team and strengthen our community's ability to nurture children, while keeping the comfort and safety of the child the first priority."

Financial/Housing Resources

SEK CAP
502 E. 20th
Pittsburg, KS 66762
620-231-5400
SEK CAP
110 N. Ozark, Box 128
Girard, KS 66743
620-724-8204
"Uniting staff, individuals, families, and community partners to provide quality, comprehensive services through compassionate respectful relationships."

SRS Service Center
320 S. Broadway, Box 402
Pittsburg, KS 66762
620-231-5300 or 888-369-4777
"Our Mission: To protect children and promote adult self-sufficiency.
Our Vision:
Partnering to connect Kansans with supports and services to improve lives."

Wesley House
411 E. 12th
Pittsburg, KS 66762
620-232-3760 Ext. 10
Free medical clinic every Tuesday
Free hot meal every Thursday
Food Pantry open 1:00-3:30 Monday-Friday
Social Worker available for counseling

Daycare/Child Education Resources

The Center
1700 N. Locust
Pittsburg, KS 66762
(620) 235-3150
High quality, affordable child care and preschool services for children from birth to 12 regardless of age, sex, race, color, creed, national origin, disability or economic status.

Statewide Resources

Kansas Crisis Hotline
Phone: 888-END-ABUSE (888-363-2287)
The Kansas Crisis Hotline is a toll-free, 24-hour statewide hotline accessed by phone. Trained professionals answer the phone and both help callers and connect or refer callers to local services and organizations.

Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
220 SE 33rd St., Ste. 100
Topeka, KS 66611
Phone: 785-232-9784
"The Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV) is a network of programs reaching across the state, helping us unify on a state level and to end battering and sexual assault wherever it occurs. Our primary focus is on providing support and safety to the victims of these crimes through the direct services of our member programs. The major work of the Coalition is to support this network of services by increasing public awareness through education and advocacy, exploring new options for services and funding, and by working for social change."

Other Resources

Kansas Women's Business Center "The Kansas Women's Business Center provides services to advance the success of women business owners, resulting in a stronger entrepreneurial economy. Serving clients statewide, the KWBC provides access to capital, education, and resources to women entrepreneurs at ever stage of business development through business counseling, seminars, classes, & workshops, networking and mentoring."

Wichita State University Center for Women’s Studies "The Center for Women's Studies at Wichita State University serves a dual purpose: it offers the major and minor in women's studies through an abundance of courses and acts as a campus and community resource / research center for scholarship concerning women. Unique in Kansas, the Center for Women's Studies at Wichita State is one of the longest-standing, degree-granting, and autonomous women's studies centers in the country."

International Resources

Africa Bridge
"Out of the hearts and minds of a small group of Africans and westerners, Africa Bridge was launched in the summer of 2000. The HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa serves as the foundation upon which a bridge can be built linking the western and African worlds - a bridge over which diverse cultures can share complementary gifts and lessons, and create possibilities for those in need."

Women for Afghan Women
"Women for Afghan Women (WAW) is an organization of Afghan and non-Afghan women from the New York area who are committed to ensuring the human rights of Afghan women."

Kansas Rape Statistics Reported in 2003

The following statistics were collected by law enforcement agencies through the Kansas Incident Based Reporting System and compiled by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Rape

There were 1,103 rapes reported to law enforcement.
The offender knew the victim in approximately 79% of the reported cases.
A rape was reported to law enforcement every 7 hours, 56 minutes, 30 seconds.
99.7% victims of rape were female and 94.8% of offenders were male.
The majority of rapes - nearly 80% of reported rapes - occurred in homes.
"Personal" weapons such as hands, feet, and fists were used in 80.3% of the rapes reported.

Domestic Violence

One domestic violence murder occurred every 13.0 days.
One domestic violence incident occurred every 21 minutes, 48 seconds.
Law enforcement made one domestic violence arrest every 39 minutes, 16 seconds.
"Personal" weapons such as hands, feet, and fists were used in 71.98% of incidents reported.
In Kansas, there were 8,238 Protection from Abuse Orders filed.
In Kansas, there were 5,202 Protection from Stalking Orders filed.

Source: http://www.accesskansas.org/kbi/stats/docs/pdf/2011_DV_Rape.pdf

Women's and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program that places women and gender at the center of academic analysis. Students learn how gender affects social relationships, artistic expression, institutional structures, and national and international political, cultural, and economic relations. While centrally concerned with gender dynamics, Women's and Gender Studies also explores the ways other dimensions of diversity, including race, ethnicity, nationality, class, sexual orientation, age, and ability shape the experiences of both women and men.

The program offers a twenty-one credit hour minor and a fifteen credit hour certificate that can be earned at the undergraduate or graduate level. Both include a six hour core emphasizing collaborative learning and critical thinking in global, activist, and feminist contexts. The minor and certificate complement a wide variety of majors, including Business, English, Education, Communication, Family and Consumer Sciences, History, Justice Studies, Psychology, and Sociology, and is an excellent preparation for careers in the non-profit sector or in private sector fields such as human resources, marketing, management, education, and law.

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program is headed by a Director, Assistant Director, and a Council comprised of core and volunteer faculty, and varied representatives from students and staff. The Director is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the program with the assistance of the Assistant Director and the Council. The Council is responsible for the program’s long range planning, visibility, and growth. The Council is charges with the responsibility of:

• planning the interdisciplinary program, including its two minors and its certificate, and coordinating the program’s implementation;
• recruiting faculty to participate in the program, stimulating faculty interest and participation in women's and gender studies, and promoting faculty development in the field;
• evaluating transfer credits, and evaluating departmental course offerings for inclusion in the program;*
• recruiting students to the program through advertising, web presence, social media, and participation in campus recruiting events;
• program assessment; and
• validating the credentials of candidates for the Women's Studies Certificate.*

*Primarily Director’s duties.

WGS Council

WGS Faculty

Women's and Gender Studies Program   

Student Alliance for Gender Equality   

Links

Resources

• American Association of University Women (AAUW)
• National Women's Studies Association
• Quotes about Women's Studies

Women's History

• Discovering American Women's History Online 
• National Women's History Project
• Women in World History

Multicultural Women

• African Women
• Latin America Network Information Center (LANIC)
• MANA-A National Latina Organization
• National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
• Native American Women on the Web
• Network of East-West Women
• Women in the Middle East
• Women for Women International

International Human Rights Organizations

• An International Women's Human Rights Organization
• Amnesty International Women's Human Rights
• COALITION-Against Trafficking in Women
• Equal Rights Advocates
• Global Fund for Women
• MADRE
• United Nations Development Fund for Women

Women in the Arts

• International Alliance for Women in Music
• International Women's Writing Guild
• National Association of Women Writers
• National Museum of Women in the Arts
• Women in the Arts
• Women in Film
• Women in Photography International

Women's Issues and Associations

• About-Face- Media Education and Women
• Feminist Majority
• Girls, Inc.
• The International Lesbian and Gay Association
• National Women's Law Center
• National Organization for Women
• Office on Women's Health
• Women in Development NET Work
• Women Work!
• V-Day-Global Movement to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls

Regional and Local Resources

• Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
• Kansas Women's Business Center
• University of Kansas Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center
• Wichita State University Center for Women's Studies
• Women's Center-Kansas State University

The Women's and Gender Studies Program would like to thank all those who have been so generous with their contributions. Your contributions help us to provide quality education, educational opportunities, and financial assistance to those seeking an education through Physics.

Areas of need include Women's and Gender Studies Program Scholarships, Women's and Gender Studies Program equipment, and the Women's and Gender Studies Program General Fund for areas of greatest need. You may also contribute to other Women's and Gender Studies Program areas of your choosing.

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