Come Celebrate Lavender Graduation!

lavender graduation banner

Thursday, May 8, from 12:15 to 2:00 PM in the SAMC Atrium. 

This ceremony celebrates the achievements and resilience of LGBTQ+ students and their allies as they graduate from Buffalo State.

Lavender Graduation honors the academic and personal journeys of these students while recognizing their contributions to the campus community. All students, faculty, staff, and guests are welcome to attend in support of our graduates.

Graduating seniors who wish to participate can sign up here:  https://forms.office.com/r/evNAkkJG30

What Is Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies?

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines gender, sexuality, and women’s experiences. It examines issues, such as:

  • How gender influences women and men’s lives and experiences in society and politics
  • The portrayal of women and men in arts, literature, and media
  • Sociocultural and biological influences on gender development
  • How gender influences thoughts and behavior
  • How gender intersects with other forms of diversity, such as race, class, and culture
  • The nature of sexuality
  • Feminist theory and scholarship

Minor Requirements

WGS Minor Requirements: 

  •  WGS 101 or SOC 312 AND WGS 201
  •  Group A Courses (at least 6 credits)
  •  Group B Courses (up to 6 credits) 

Questions: Please contact WGS Coordinator, Prof. Jennifer Toohey

WGS 101 Offerings; Summer and Fall 2025

WGS 101 - 3 Credits – Intro to Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Gender as a social construction that influences women and men and intersects with other social categories. Introduction to feminist theories. How gender affects childhood experiences, education, employment, family, bodies, and violence. Portrayal of gender in art, literature, and media. Gender in the social and natural sciences. Current issues related to women and gender. 

Summer A: CRN 1071 100% Online Asynchronous

Summer B: CRN 1090 100% Online Asynchronous

Fall 2025: CRN 1316 100% Online Asynchronous

Fall 2025: CRN 1755 T/Tr 3:05-4:20

Electives Group A; Summer and Fall 2025

Electives: Group A (9 credits) – Note: These also count in Group B 

*Courses that also count toward Gen Ed credits

*ENG 231 - 3 Credits – Women in Literature: Summer A CRN 1081 100% Online asynchronous; Fall CRN 2347 T/Th 3:05-4:20 p.m.; Fall CRN 1364  M/W/F 12:00-12:50 p.m.

The images of women in literature as they reflect attitudes about women and their roles. Emphasis on authors and eras varies with instructors.

HEW 308 – 3 Credits - Women’s Health Issues: Fall CRN 1368  M/W 1:00-2:15 p.m.

Prerequisite: Junior or Senior Status. Gender differences in health outcomes, health-care practices, and health behavior, with primary emphasis on women. Historical and current perspectives on women's health issues. Part of Women and Gender studies minor. Offered fall, J Term and summer.

HEW 340 – 3 Credits – Dimensions of Human Sexuality: Fall CRN 2248 T/Th 9:25-10:40 a.m.

Prerequisites: Sophomore status. Principles of public health applied to understand sexual health issues. Health-based approach to understand factors that influence human sexual behavior. Physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality. Prevention and wellness approaches in promoting sexual health when considering culture, religion, age, gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

HIS 302 – 3 Credits – History of Women in America: Fall CRN 2729 MWF 10-10:50 a.m.
The impact of women on American development from colonial times to the present. Effects of history on the roles and status of women. Changes in women's role in the family, economic contributions, legal status, struggle for equal rights. Women and demographic changes. Developing perceptions of women about society. Political growth and women. Society's regard for women in a historical context and the differences and/or similarities between women from various ethnic, racial, religious, and socioeconomic groups. Offered occasionally.

PSY 383 – 3 Credits – Psychology of Human Sexuality: Summer CRN 1096 100% Online asynchronous

Upper-division status and successful completion of English basic skills competency requirement; PSC 101 or PSC 103. The institutional and human force of story in race/sex/politics; legitimizing myths of the U.S. political system; limits to the achievement of consensus in group values and politics; standpoints of race/sex/political privilege and disadvantage; difficulties posed to the regime by the refusal of consent; and the transformation and assumption by citizens of self-government.

*PSY 387 – 3 Credits – Psychology of Gender:  Summer A CRN 1501 MTWRF 12-1:15 p.m.; Fall  CRN 22237 M/W/F 12:00-12:50 p.m.

Psych 101, grade of C. Request waiver from instructor for WGS minors. Empirical and theoretical issues of the psychology of gender issues; differences in female and male behavior in terms of such social factors as conformity to societal pressures, sex-role stereotyping, and gender-specific socialization patterns; biological influences on gender differences; development of sex differences; gender-role development; sex differences in cognition, personality, achievement, and leadership.

SOC 212 – 3 Credits – Feminist Theory: Fall CRN 3274 T/Th 9:25-10:40 a.m.
Background in feminist social theory and changes in feminism over time. Introduction to theoretical analysis from a feminist perspective. Offered occasionally.

 

Electives Group B: Summer and Fall 2025

Electives Group B (6 credits)

*BUS 305 - 3 Credits – Workforce Diversity in the 21st Century: Fall CRN 2341 T/Th 1:40-2:55 p.m.; Fall CRN 2341 T/Th 1:40-2:55 p.m.; Fall CRN 1267 T/Th 9:25-10:40 a.m.

Prerequisite: Junior/senior status. Workforce diversity as the positive acknowledgement of the way in which people are different. Recognizes gender, age, religion, and cultural background, and work and life responsibilities. Teamwork develops an understanding and awareness of cultural diversification in the 

COM 333 - 3 Credits – Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality in the Media; Fall CRN 314 W-  4:30-7:15 p.m

Prerequisite: Upper-division status. Critical analysis examining how American media shapes and represents issues relating to race, class and gender identities and relationships. 

EDU 304 – 3 Credits – Women and Mathematics: Fall CRN 3102 T/Th 1:40-2:55 p.m.

Prerequisite: CWP 102. The study of women and mathematics as it relates to career development, bias, stereotypes, anxiety and attitude. An examination of successful women mathematicians, past and present. Insights into the challenges faced by women when studying mathematics and in careers involving mathematics. Offered every spring.

*ENG 147 – 3 Credits - Introduction to Diverse Literatures: Fall CRN 2096 T/Th 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m

Introductory survey of diverse literatures of the United States with an emphasis on literatures by marginalized communities including ethnic and racial minority writers, LGBTQ+ writers, women writers, and members of under-represented groups. Offered every fall.

FTT 348 - 3 Credits – Fashion and Society: Fall CRN 2304 M/W/F 2:00-2:50 p.m.

Prerequisite: FTT 110. WGS minors ask for waiver. The history of fashion and its relationship with society and culture from a social justice framework; social and economic factors shaping fashion in different cultural contexts; the intersection of fashion with politics, gender, race, and other dimensions; the experiences and roles of marginalized, indigenous, and diasporic communities in fashion.

LIB 389 – 3 Credits - Social Justice Through Zines: Fall CRN 2649 T/Th 3:05-4:20 p.m.

Examines media, technologies, and information artifacts surrounding social justice movements to understand how information is produced and shared to (mis)inform, persuade, agitate, and build awareness. Reflects on current and historical social justice movements to consider how to best support the information needs of those advocating for social justice. Offered occasionally.

Why Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies?

A minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies will help you develop a well-rounded understanding of gender, sex, and sexuality.  This knowledge can complement your primary field of study as well as help you understand and act in an increasingly diverse world. 

Program Requirements

Course Descriptions

Career Options

The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor can help you succeed in careers such as:

  • Business
  • Criminal Justice & Law
  • Education
  • Human Resources
  • Human Services
  • Journalism & Documentary Film
  • Physical & Mental Health Professions
  • Public Policy
  • Social Justice & Political Activism
  • Social Work

Sign Up

If you have questions or would like to sign up for the minor:

Form to add a Minor in Women and Gender Studies 

Email completed form to Prof. Toohey, WGS Program Coordinator.

The mission of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Interdisciplinary Unit (WGSS) is to promote scholarship, teaching, and awareness of issues related to women, gender, and sexuality among faculty, staff, and students at SUNY Buffalo State.  As a unit, we strive to create a diverse and representative community of individuals who share a common interest in gender, sexuality, and women’s issues and engage in related activities, ranging from scholarship to pedagogy to activism.  We seek to generate interest, enthusiasm, greater knowledge, and deeper understanding of gender-relevant issues faced by all people, nationally, internationally, and across time, as well as to increase awareness of the ways that gender intersects with other forms of diversity, such as race, class, and culture. We recognize historical and contemporary issues relating specifically to women, issues related to gender and sexuality faced by men and individuals with other gender identifications, and the broader, evolving, and transforming field of gender-based inquiry.

To fulfill this mission, we engage in the following activities:

  • Administering the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) minor for students and promoting teaching and academic opportunities related to women, gender, and sexuality.
  • Encouraging and providing a supportive environment for research, scholarship, and creative work that examines issues related to women, gender, and sexuality.
  • Promoting campus activities that provide information and raise consciousness about women’s issues, gender, and sexuality as important forms of diversity.
  • Promoting a supportive campus-wide environment for the recognition, discussion, and advancement of issues related to women, gender, and sexuality.