Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies

Why study RGSS?

If you aren't sure what you want, either academically or career-wise, view our advising help page.

Many students love Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies courses, but wonder whether majoring or minoring in it is a good idea. Our assessment process tells us that our students gain a great deal from RGSS courses.

What RGSS Students Gain from Our Courses

You will enhance your critical thinking skills.

You will learn to generate new ideas by shifting the paradigm.
You will learn how to solve problems and to use your university skills to do so.
You will learn how to provide evidence to support your ideas.
You will learn the value of writing as a powerful tool for thinking.
You will even learn how to generate evidence that holds water, and how to recognize "evidence" and arguments that don't stand up to scrutiny.

You will advance your ability to communicate, especially "on your feet."

Many RGSS courses center around discussion, backed up by reading and writing.
Most students are nervous about speaking in class at first, but our students find that the issues they encounter in RGSS unleash their tongues.

As you gain more information and sharpen your analytical skills, both your speaking and your writing improve.

You will be equipped with skills to produce tangible results.

Many RGSS courses embed applied research into course assignments. In other words, you tackle a specific problem using the theories, facts, and research skills you are learning in college.
RGSS links so well with so many career paths that many of our courses embed service-learning experiences that offer students hands-on experience.
Many RGSS students eventually choose to do either an internship or an applied research project, or both. Often these projects link to their major and career goals, and some projects draw upon or develop into collaborations that benefit the whole community.

You will develop your sense of self and increase your self-confidence .

This is a function of the entire college experience, but our students report that the way we teach RGSS courses, as participatory rather than passive lecture-only, provides them with much more opportunity to grow as individuals than many of their other courses have.

What can you do with these skills and attitudes, and with the knowledge you gain from RGSS?

You can do many things with a degree in RGSS: the great power of the degree lies in how it helps you think differently about whatever you choose to do. For ideas, check out William & Mary's Women's Studies FAQ pages to see exactly what their students are doing after college -- you'll be surprised at the range! To meet our own graduates, join our Facebook page! To meet others in the region who are interested in RGSS, join the Women's Studies Interest Group's Facebook page.

New Mexico State's Women's Studies career page provides some links to excellent articles about the value of Women's Studies courses and degrees.

WorldWideLearn lists a very similar set of skills to those we've identified, and a good basic list of actual jobs.

For more information on career planning, see the Career Planning page on this website.