Our Minors and Concentration

Women & Gender Studies

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Domestic Violence Prevention & Services Graduates group photo from 2019

2019 DVPS Graduates with Dr. Jennifer Naccarelli (center)

Our Minors and Concentration

The Department of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Delaware offers several minors and a specialized concentration for students in the women and gender studies major.

The Domestic Violence Prevention and Services (DVPS) minor and concentration provides students with specialized knowledge and practical skills to address and prevent domestic violence, preparing them for careers in advocacy, social services, and policy development.

The Sexualities and Gender Studies minor focuses on the study of genders and sexualities, offering concentrated training in these cutting-edge areas.

The Women and Religion examines how beliefs about gender and sexuality have been formed, transmitted, and practiced through global religious traditions.

All minors require a minimum of 18 credit hours, including core courses such as "Introduction to Sexualities and Gender Studies" and "Introduction to Women's Studies," along with elective courses that allow students to tailor their education to their interests and career goals.

Difference between minor and concentration

The only one of its kind available to undergraduates in the United States, the Domestic Violence Prevention & Services (DVPS) concentration and minor programs train students to become advocates for domestic violence survivors and prepare them for a range of careers focused on domestic violence advocacy and prevention.

Developed in conjunction with the certification and training curriculum of the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the course work for the program is interdisciplinary in nature and includes women & gender studies, sociology, criminal justice, and human development and family studies.

The concentration

Open to students who are Women & Gender Studies majors, the DVPS concentration combines coursework with practical experience by partnering with local domestic violence service agencies to offer our students the opportunity to serve victims and survivors of domestic violence in a 10-week paid summer practicum.

Successful applicants will receive a stipend for their 10-week summer practicum with a direct service provider. Upon completing the concentration, students will have acquired both the educational training and up to 500 of the 2000 direct service hours required to become a Certified Domestic Violence Specialist in the state of Delaware.

Students interested in this concentration must contact jnacc@udel.edu to apply.

Learn more about field placements

The Sexuality & Gender Studies (SGST) minor offers a unique plan of study designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary study of sexuality and gender. Spanning several colleges and more than ten departments, the minor includes faculty from across the University who specialize in the study of sexuality and gender. Students who choose the minor come from a variety of majors and include students interested in the academic study of gender and sexuality, literature, counseling, education, family studies, politics, law, and many other areas.

The program includes lectures and campus and community events related to the academic study of sexuality and gender. Students hear scholars from around the world present their work. Students can participate in the activist and academic community in the Delaware and Philadelphia areas such as the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

This interdisciplinary 18-credit minor is ideal for students interested in examining the ways that beliefs about gender and sexuality have been formed, transmitted, and practiced through global religious traditions. Students will develop models for understanding how the gendered practices within religious laws and customs limit or generate agency and social power. They will explore the role that religion plays in shaping family, marriage, and sexuality, and in turn, how these factors structure political, economic, and social life. The Women and Religion minor will cultivate an understanding of the way women through history and in contemporary contexts emerge as social and spiritual leaders in domestic life, sacred spaces, and the public sphere. Coursework will focus on sacred text, image, religious practices, and theology through the lens of women's lives and spirituality.