First established in the 1980s, Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) at UMKC is one of 650 such programs in the United States. WGS is both an inter- and multi-disciplinary academic program devoted to the critical analysis of how gender, race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality contribute to the diversity of women's and men's experiences. The program's interdisciplinary nature and cross-cultural academic training broadens students' understanding of gender and the experiences of women and men, girls and boys, in all cultures and societies. By placing gender at the center of scholarly inquiry, we not only examine the assumptions, methods, insights and claims of the traditional academic curriculum, but broaden it through our research interests, publications and courses to add cutting-edge feminist research, scholarship and activism.

WGS courses are offered by numerous departments in UMKC's College of Arts and Sciences, as well as in the Schools of Law, Medicine, and Nursing.  A full list of courses is available every semester from the WGS office.  The Program offers both an undergraduate minor and a concentration.

A minor in Women's and Gender Studies requires 18 credits.  Nine credits must be in upper division courses (that is, 300 and 400) and no more than nine credits may overlap with your major.  Reading courses on selected topics may be arranged with individual faculty members. 

More information is available at the Women's and Gender Studies program website at http://cas.umkc.edu/wgs.