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
Alissa Ehmke, '08
UNE's Women's and Gender Studies minor helped me professionally and personally develop a voice and have confidence in my voice. I'm able to more readily share my opinions in a constructive way and know that I'm justified in wanting my voice to be heard.
Academically, the minor shaped my graduate career in guiding what courses I've taken, my paper topics, and how I look at and respond to teaching practices. At a personal level, it made me critical of everyday practices that are seen as normal. I'm better able to analyze the world and the structures that organize it.
The Women's and Gender Studies minor helped me professionally and personally develop a voice and have confidence in my voice.
One-of-a-kind Location
As a student in our Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies program, you study on UNE'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.