Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Oakton offers an innovative and comprehensive concentration program on women, gender and sexuality studies. Oakton is one of the few community colleges in the nation to offer such a curriculum. Dynamic classes are taught by first-rate faculty who deeply care about social justice and engaged student learning.

Our courses in women, gender and sexuality studies will train students in the exercise of interdisciplinary thinking and inspire students to be consistently aware of current events in our changing world.

Whether you take classes to meet general education requirements, plan to transfer to a four-year college or university, or simply want to explore this vital field for personal enrichment, you can complete an optional 15-hour concentration of women, gender and sexuality studies at Oakton.

We teach with values always in mind. Find out more about our program objectives and how Oakton is committed to equity in our women, gender and sexuality courses.

Concentration Information

The women, gender and sexuality studies concentration is a 15-credit-hour program that introduces students to feminist perspectives and gender studies education. You will learn about women in history, the arts and the sciences who have shaped our understanding of feminism and its methodologies. Students can look forward to promoting social justice through lively engagement and dialogue with communities in the greater Chicago area during their coursework. Women, gender and sexuality studies courses foster creative thinking about the ways gender and sexuality shape our experiences.

Oakton's concentration includes courses in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and special sections of core transfer courses such as English composition and speech. With classes focused on community discussion and a unique final project, Oakton's women, gender and sexuality studies concentration will provide you with a head start on any additional study at a four-year institution toward a major or minor.

Learn More

Oakton's transfer program for the women, gender and sexualities concentration provides you a structured roadmap to help you meet and reach your educational goals based on your individual needs and responsibilities.  The diverse coursework in this academic program prepares you to continue learning confidently at four-year institutions. 

Connect with your academic advisor at Oakton early on to discuss your interests and options to help you develop a roadmap and course schedule that meets your goals to smoothly transfer to a partner institution to obtain your B.A.  

Some of Oakton's partner institutions include:

Learn More About Oakton's Transfer Resources

Program Objectives

To be open, inclusive and welcoming of all members of the Oakton community.

To incorporate inter- and cross-disciplinary approaches to teaching and learning.

To examine oppressions related to gender and sexuality experienced by people in multicultural, transnational, and global contexts.

To highlight the often-overlooked contributions of women to diverse histories and women's struggles for political and human rights.

To celebrate the transformative impact of Women's and Gender Studies on humanities disciplines as well as the social and natural sciences.

To draw on feminist principles integral to cooperative methods of teaching, learning, curriculum development, and research.

To foster critical thinking that examines the complex intersections between gender and other identity categories such as sexuality, race, class, ethnicity, age, and ability.

To meet a wide range of student needs and interests, including seeking personal enrichment, satisfying general education requirements, attaining a WGS Certificate, or preparing to transfer as a WGS major.

To fulfill the unique mission of the community college through programming that supports the WGS curriculum and promotes active engagement with our multiple communities.

Appears to be woman holding up her painting of a head exploding.

Meet Your Faculty

Oakton's women, gender and sexuality studies faculty is committed to providing you with an interdisciplinary education. Our faculty’s varied backgrounds and unique perspectives contribute to each women, gender and sexuality studies course as you learn to critically examine different viewpoints.

Lindsey Hewitt
Coordinator, Women's & Gender Studies
Professor, Anthropology & Humanities
lhewitt@oakton.edu

Wendy Adele-Marie
Professor, History
wadelemarie@oakton.edu

Tina Fakhrid-Deen
Co-coordinator, Creative Writing
Associate Professor, English
tfakhrid@oakton.edu

Victoria Giambrone
Professor, Anthropology & Geography
vgiambro@oakton.edu

Mary Hope Griffin
Lecturer
mgriffin@oakton.edu

Therese Grisham
Lecturer
therese.grisham@gmail.com

Greg Hamill
Professor, Sociology
ghamill@oakton.edu

Scott Johnson
Coordinator, Technical Communication
Professor, English
sjohnson@oakton.edu

Megan Klein
Associate Professor, Anthropology & Sociology
mklein@oakton.edu

Scott McLellan
Lecturer
smclellan@oakton.edu

Cari Paterno
Lecturer
cpaterno@oakton.edu

Marian Staats
Co-coordinator, Environmental Studies
Professor, English
mstaats@oakton.edu

What's Next?

We are glad you are considering attending Oakton College. No matter where you are in your decision-making process, we are here to help you with your next steps. Whether you're ready to apply now, need information on paying for college or have questions and want to contact someone, we're here to help.

Contact Us

Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Annual Events