Franklin & Marshall College

A gendered slant on liberal education

Gender is a powerful lens through which we interpret knowledge and understand our world and ourselves.

Women's and Gender Studies at Franklin & Marshall is informed by the intellectual excitement that has arisen from feminist critiques in virtually all academic disciplines. Male and female students alike benefit from incorporating the diverse perspectives of feminist theory and gender studies into their academic studies.

We recently changed our name to Women's and Gender Studies to emphasize that we also study masculinity and femininity in addition to the experiences of women. Although WGS is a minor, students may also concentrate on WGS in a Special Studies major or create a Joint major with WGS and another department.

Unlike some other women's studies programs which focus on the West or on the United States, the Women's and Gender Studies Program at F&M has a global focus. Our strengths include cross-cultural studies in Anthropology, comparative women's history in the History department, classes in women and economic development in the Economics Department, and the transnational study of women's art, popular culture and literature.

WGS at F&M has also cultivated strong connections with the sciences. We have offered courses on women’s health, women’s healing systems, and a public health class on pregnancy outcomes.

We provide exceptional opportunities to connect theory and practice. Our students have served on the Alice Drum Women’s Center Board, which organizes weekly campus discussions, and the annual Take Back the Night event. Our students have also presented their research at the annual Central Pennsylvania Consortium women’s studies conference, curated exhibits at the Phillips Art Museum and worked as Public Service Interns through the Ware Institute.