Where do we go from here?
| What Is Women's Studies? | What does Women's Studies look like? | How has it affected me? |
Treating the ordinary as extrordinary.
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What Is Sociology?
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What does Sociology look like?
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How has it affected me?
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"The task that remains is to cope with our interdependence--to see ourselves reflected in every other human being and to respect and honor our differences."
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Where do we go from here?
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Treating the ordinary as extrordinary.
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What Is Women's Studies?
Women's Studies, or as some like to say, Gender Studies, began entering colleges and universities in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Essentially, Women's Studies is concerned primarily with the interconnections of race, class, sex, and gender in society and the ways in which such connections are made manifest. The discipline serves as an ever-present reminder to remain aware of power differentials in society and the manner through which such differentials can either privilege or marginalize various populations.
What Does Women's Studies Look Like?
Women's Studies programs, staff, and students vary immensely. No two programs are identical and every person involved with Women's Studies brings a fresh interpretation and approach to the discipline. Commonly, Women's Studies programs are multi-disciplinary, meaning that classes are taught in a variety of academic fields. Also, feminist pedagogy, a common method for teaching among Women's Studies professors, provides an open and flexible manner through which students conduct research, receive evaluations, present projects, and write papers. The emphasis is on the ways in which individual experiences shape our definition of who we are in relation to the rest of society. The goal is to better understand our interconnectedness with all other beings.
How Has It Affected Me?
The four years that I have spent within Women's Studies has influenced and changed my life in ways that are indescribable. 
Not only has the program redirected my future career goals, it has also positively altered my perspective of all beings. I have a better understanding of my vocation, and I have a greater appreciation for the mulititude of experiences and opinions that every person contains. I cannot imagine my life or college career without Women's Studies. I know that I have been forever changed as a result of the Women's Studies program at PLU.
Interested in Women's Studies as a career? Look into these organizations:
What Is Sociology?
Sociology is the study of everyday seemingly ordinary events, actions, opinions, behaviors, etc. of people. 
The discipline seeks to explain why such actions occur through the use of qualitative and quantitative research. Sociology stresses the importance of empirical research and consistenly attempts to prove sociological theories regarding societal occurances. Areas of study include, but are not limited to, crime, deviance, delinquency, gender, race, class, stratification, hierarchy, family, and sexual orientation.
What Does Sociology Look Like?
There exist several consistancies among Sociology programs throughout colleges and universities. In general, a Sociology program will include a thorough foundation of all sociological arenas, an exploration of various sociological theories, training regarding sociological research methods (both qualitative and quantitative), and guidance regarding individual and original research. An important aspect of a comprehensive Sociology program is the ability to produce a scholarly piece of Sociolological writing revolving around empirical research.
How Has It Affected Me?
Sociology has served as a means through which I better understand my position as a privileged white female in the greater society. Throughout my studies I chose to focus primarily on issues of gender and family, with an emphasis on women in leadership positions. The discipline has positively complemented my work in Women's Studies and has strengthened my committment to issues of societal stratification and oppression.
Interested in a career in Sociology? Look into these websites:
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