Gender Studies

*This program is not available to students admitted after 2023 fall.

Overview 

Gender Studies, recognized as an interdisciplinary academic program at New College since 1995, draws on curricula across the campus (and beyond) to serve students pursuing the Area of Concentration and to introduce students working in other AOCs to the complex focal problem of “gender.” Our program is defined broadly and encompasses other related fields including Women’s and Feminist Studies; Gender and Sexuality Studies; Queer and Trans Studies; and Masculinity Studies; it also intersects with interdisciplinary fields including Cultural, Ethnic, and Africana Studies. Our program is comprised of a dedicated cohort of core faculty members, along with more than 30 faculty affiliates in disciplines in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences, all of whom support student work in Gender Studies in their classes and tutorials. Each semester we offer a roster of 20+ courses, including courses specifically listed in Gender Studies, as well as cross-listed and Gender Studies-eligible courses; see the NCF course schedule for each semester’s offerings and the Gender Studies web page for lists of recently offered courses. A complete roster of affiliated faculty and contact information for the Program Director are available on the Gender Studies web page.

The AOC in Gender Studies complies with the New College Academic Learning Compact, which ensures that graduates have demonstrated the requisite levels of ability in oral and written communication, appropriate content knowledge, and creative and critical thinking skills for the Bachelor of Arts degree. These skills are assessed in each academic and service-learning component. The senior thesis project and the baccalaureate examination comprise the final capstone requirement, demonstrating the student’s achievement of the required skills and abilities and their engagement with interdisciplinary inquiry.

At New College, students may choose either:

1. A “Joint-Disciplinary” Area of Concentration, in which they combine their work in Gender Studies with work in another disciplinary AOC; or
2. A full AOC in Gender Studies, which has more extensive expectations.

We require that students complete the Gender Studies AOC application (usually in a student’s 5^th or 6^th contract) before being formally recognized as Gender Studies concentrators. AOC requirements and checklists for the AOC and Joint-Disciplinary AOC, as well as a link to the AOC application, are on the Gender Studies web page. Students should contact our Program Director for guidance in Gender Studies, including assistance planning a course of study and completing the application.

The AOC in Gender Studies is explicitly interdisciplinary and intersectional, encouraging students to complete courses in a range of disciplines from across the College’s three divisions, in addition to interdisciplinary courses specifically designated as Gender Studies. Students pursuing a full AOC also complete an internship or volunteer experience designed to support exploration of possible career paths. The Joint-Disciplinary option enhances students’ interdisciplinary focus on gender and its intersections with a solid grounding in a complementary discipline (e.g. biology, literature, sociology, etc.).

Faculty in Gender Studies

Amy Reid, Professor of French Language and Literature/Director of Gender Studies/Chair of the Faculty

A complete roster of current affiliated faculty is available on the Gender Studies web page, or contact the Gender Studies Program for additional information.

*This program is not available to students admitted after 2023 fall.

Requirements for the AOC in Gender Studies

A minimum of ten (10) academic units, plus an internship.

Requirements for the Joint AOC in Gender Studies

A minimum of six (6) academic units.

Note: The requirements listed above, whether for a full or joint AOC, should be completed primarily by taking Gender Studies and Gender Studies cross-listed courses. Up to three Gender Studies-eligible courses can be counted toward the electives requirement. A list of regularly-offered courses that fulfill each requirement is available from the Gender Studies Program Director. Electives listed in more than one category can be counted for either requirement, but classes cannot be double-counted. It is possible for tutorials, and courses taken at other institutions, to fulfill AOC requirements with prior approval by the Gender Studies Program Director. Aside from the internship and thesis, no more than two requirements may be fulfilled with tutorials. These requirements were updated in June 2021; students who enrolled at NCF before 2021 may opt to follow these requirements or to continue with the previous AOC requirements. Please speak to the Gender Studies Program Director about options.

*This program is not available to students admitted after 2023 fall. 

Internship Opportunities

Local internships are available with organizations including SPARCC (Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center), Women’s Resource Center, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, ALSO Youth, and Family Law Connection. Others explore opportunities out of state, whether during the summer or ISP, or as part of a study abroad program. The Center for Career Engagement and Opportunity (CEO) can help students to identify, apply for, and successfully complete internships. Internships may be completed during the fall or spring semester, during ISP, or over the summer.

Representative Senior Theses in Gender Studies

• Everyday Activism for Everyday People: Transformative Practices of Self-Care, Cultivating Relationships, and Collective Care (Gender Studies)
• Exuberant Viscera (Art/Gender Studies)
• Prolific Mothers and Eternal Self-Sacrifice: Representations of Women in Fascist German and Italian World War II Propaganda (History and Gender Studies)
• Your Turn to Role: Queer World Building in Dungeons and Dragons (Gender Studies/Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies)
• The Relationship Between the Notions of Gender Roles in Flamenco Performances: How Are These Roles Defined in the Flamenco Culture? (Music/Gender Studies)
• The Forest, the Fire, and the Witness Watching It: Mitski Miyawaki’s Physical and Musical Embodiment of Gender, Asian American Identity, and Autonomy (Gender Studies)
• “Queer is the Best Word for It”: Exploring Preference for and Interactional Processes of ‘Queer’ Identities (Sociology and Gender Studies)
• Feminist Visions of Rural Development: Methods of Finding Local Well-Being and Global Sustainability (Gender Studies and Spanish Language and Literature)
• Sexual Minority Women’s Gender Expression, Connection to the LGBTQ+ Community, and Self-Esteem (Psychology/Gender Studies)
• Puerto Rican Feminists' Understandings of Sterilization Narratives (Sociology/Gender Studies)