When I first came to Lehigh, I honestly didn’t know Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) existed. Once I discovered it, WGSS completely changed how I think about power, identity, and the world around me. But I kept meeting students who either didn't know about WGSS or dismissed it based on stereotypes - that it's not practical, not rigorous, or claiming it’s “not for them” without even knowing the full context of it.
Instead of trying to convince people why WGSS matters through simply presenting basic statistics or arguments, as we know can becoming unengaging or just another set of facts we’re so use to hearing, I'm letting the WGSS community speak for themselves. These letters - from current students, alumni, faculty, and community members - show what gender studies actually teaches, how it transforms thinking, and where it leads.
If you're curious about WGSS, considering the major or minor, or just wondering what all of this is about, these letters are for you.
- Ashley Witkowski, Soar with Us Fellow
Show 3-4 short excerpts from powerful letters to start getting others excited
Browse letters and read the stories from students and alumni, and discover what WGSS really offers.
What WGSS Actually Is
Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines how gender, sexuality, race, power, and identity shape our world. It’s not just about women, and it’s not just about gender - it’s fully about understanding how systems of power operate, who benefits from them, who’s harmed by them, and how we might change them.
WGSS draws from history, sociology, literature, political science, philosophy, psychology, and more. You’ll read feminist theory, study queer activism, analyze policy through an intersectional lens, explore how media shapes identity, and examine global movements for gender justice. You’ll learn to ask questions like: Who has power here? Whose voices are missing? How did this system come to be? What would a more just version look like?
These are tools for understanding the world you’re living in right now - the workplace you’ll enter, the communities you’ll be part of, the systems you’ll navigate and hopefully change.
What You Actually Learn
WGSS students develop skills that matter in every field.
Interested in WGSS? Find out how to declare the major or minor, explore courses, and connect with faculty.
These are personal reflections from Lehigh students and alumni who've experienced Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies firsthand. They've written about what surprised them, how WGSS shaped their thinking, where it's led them in their careers, and what they'd tell someone curious about gender studies.