Gender Studies

Notice: On August 10, 2023, the New College of Florida Board of Trustees voted to direct the administration to take the necessary and proper steps to terminate the Gender Studies program, beginning with the 2024 enrollees.

About the Gender Studies Program

Gender Studies, recognized as an interdisciplinary academic program at New College since 1995, draws on curricula across the campus (and beyond) to introduce students to the complex focal problem of “gender” and to support student and faculty research in this dynamic field. 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 and Natural Sciences, all of whom support student work in Gender Studies in their classes and tutorials. Contact information for our Director, Program Advisor, Office Manager, and the Gender Studies Steering Committee, as well as a roster of our faculty affiliates, can be found below. Each semester we offer a roster of 20+ courses, including courses specifically listed in Gender Studies, as well cross-listed and Gender Studies-eligible courses. See the list below for a sampling of regularly offered courses and representative senior project titles. 

Students in the AOC also complete an internship that allows them to explore career paths open to graduates. 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) help students to identify, apply for, and successfully complete internships.

Gender Studies is an active part of life on campus, including the Pride Living Learning Community, Feminist Fridays discussion group, and Queery student group. Support for students of all genders can be found in this guide to Gender Identity Affirmation Information at New College.

Find the latest news and events from the Gender Studies Program on Twitter @NCFGSP!

“The mentorship I received in New College’s Gender Studies program helped propel me into a successful career in the realm of political organizing. Without the skills I learned in this program, I would be on a totally different (and less exciting!) trajectory.”

Lauren Brenzel, ’13
Gender Studies AOC

Recent courses

Masculinities How a Woman Becomes a Lake and Other Unheroic Acts: A Craft Seminar in Gender and Genre Bending Positive Psychology Queer History: Sexuality in the 20th Century United States Queer Studies Race, Gender and Sexuality

Restoration and 18th Century British Drama: Staging Political Change Sex, Gender, Mind and Brain Social Epidemiology Sociology of Gender and the Body Topics in Feminist Philosophy Women Writing of/from Africa: Feminist Truths, Feminist Fiction

Recent Theses

• 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)

Potential Career Pathways

• Human Resources
• Marketing and Communications
• Medicine
• Social Work
• Community Relations and Organizing
• Education
• Writing and Journalism
• Nonprofit Administration and International NGOs
• Law