Student Engagement
How do WGS students get involved on campus and beyond?
Our students in WGS are involved in student organizations, student government, and all kinds of activism on and off campus. The WGS internship, available to students as one option to complete the "Experiential Learning" requirement, is another way that WGS students do meaningful work with organizations in the greater Charleston community. Recent internships include:
- We Are Family
- Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA)
- YWCA
- EMPOWERR
- Gender, Sexuality, and Equity Center (GSEC)
- Tri-County Cradle to Career Initiative
- Tri-County Human Trafficking Taskforce
- Charleston Pro Bono
- ...and more!
Studying Abroad in WGS
In keeping with the interdisciplinary approach in WGS, professors from departments across campus offer study abroad programs that include WGS coursework. This means that WGS students have diverse opportunities for studying abroad during their time in the major or minor. Examples of recent locations include:
- Trujillo, Spain
- London, UK
- Rwanda
- Uganda
- Ireland
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Florence, Italy
In addition to College of Charleston faculty-led study abroad programs, the Center for International Education (CIE) also offers exchange and affiliate study abroad programs. There are many opportunities to take WGS classes abroad, including CofC faculty-led study abroad programs as well as exchange and affiliate study abroad programs. With careful planning, WGS students can study abroad for a summer or even a full semester while remaining on track for graduation.
Student Engagement FAQ:
What about opportunities for student leadership within Women’s & Gender Studies?
The WGS Student Advisory Committee is a great opportunity for WGS students to occupy a leadership position within the program. Student Advisory Committee members meet regularly with the program director and serve in an advisory role to the program and all of its efforts. Another opportunity for student leadership through WGS is volunteering for our two annual events, Yes! I'm a Feminist in the fall and Feminism in Motion in the spring. Both events are made possible by student volunteers in WGS working behind the scenes to ensure their success each year!
Student leaders in WGS also assume leadership positions in many registered student organizations, including Prism, Planned Parenthood Generation Action, Black Student Union, Colleagiate Curls, and the Hispanic Latino Club.
What kinds of events does the WGS program put on each year? What is “Yes! I’m a Feminist,” or “Feminism in Motion?”
WGS collaborates frequently with departments and programs across the campus, sponsoring and co-sponsoring numerous exciting events each year. In recent years, WGS has welcomed an impressive lineup of speakers, activists, and authors to campus, including author and theatre artist S. Bear Bergman, Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Mariah Parker, author and legal & cultural historian Dr. Martha S. Jones, and author and abolitionist teaching expert Bettina Love, to name a few!
The program's two signature events, Yes! I'm a Feminist and Feminism in Motion, occur annually in the fall and spring respectively. Yes! I'm a Feminist is the program's annual fundraiser and celebration, and Feminism in Motion is an annual celebration of our students and their scholarship in WGS. Learn more about our signature events on the WGS Events page.
What are the alums of the WGS program doing after graduation?
The WGS program has alums working across many different fields and interests. Recently our alums have found fulfillment in positions working with the YWCA of Charleston, We Are Family, the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), and Southerners on New Ground (SONG); working for a domestic violence legal nonprofit as a Teen Outreach Educator; teaching for Teach for America; and serving as the first female coroner in Williamsburg County, SC. Many of our alums also continue on to earn advance degrees in Women's & Gender Studies and related fields.