How gender and sexuality impact public health
A minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies offers you a way to cross disciplinary boundaries and take an active part in the world around you. The goals of the program include recognizing gendered individuals of all backgrounds as whole and productive human beings, providing a more accurate and equitable account of human experience, and employing gender as a central category of analysis.
Our minor exposes you to the scholarly traditions of history, English, political science, psychology, environmental studies, philosophy, anthropology, and sociology. This interdisciplinary perspective invites you to consider how gender plays out in your major field of study by exploring how gender and sexuality impact mental health; medical diagnoses and treatments; social, behavioral, and environmental initiatives for a healthier planet; and more. Whether you’re a student in the College of Arts and Sciences or Westbrook College of Health Professions, you can enrich your perspective by pursuing the minor.
Program
Brady Potter, '06
At the time, an Admissions Counselor at the ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ. Previously, worked as a Farm Manager at The Community School in South Tamworth, NH.
"Having a minor in Women's Studies and focusing on women in the environment helped me to foster my own relationship with the natural world. As a farmer, I was always thinking about how my relationship with the land differed from the one the farmers I learned from had. Each day I went about my work thinking of how to nurture and give back to the earth, as all of those women before me had as they connected with the natural world. I truly feel as though my minor helped open my eyes and my heart to the world, and to become a stewardess of the earth.
"My minor also helped me to take more risks. Through my research and personal experiences, I'm able to look at the world in a holistic way and to not put myself into any categories or boxes. Instead, I do what's different. I challenge myself. I live on a bus. I become a farmer."
Having a minor in Women's Studies and focusing on women in the environment helped me to foster my own relationship with the natural world.
One-of-a-kind Location
As a student in our Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies program, you study on ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ's scenic Biddeford Campus, where the waters of the Saco River flow into the Atlantic Ocean. Over the years, this confluence of natural resources has inspired students and faculty from around the world. Recently named the youngest city in Maine, Biddeford, and its twin city, Saco, boast an up-and-coming, hip downtown offering delicious eateries, exciting social and cultural events, and more. With the transformation of the old Biddeford/Saco mills into restaurants, breweries, housing, fitness facilities, salons, and retailers, there is something for everyone to explore in downtown. Looking to try a new type of food, grab a coffee, or shop for locally-made clothes? Biddeford/Saco has it all.