• Independent studies
• Individualized instruction
• Departmental research
• Writing courses

Internships can be counted toward the minor if the project, study, or agency specifically reflects the curriculum goals of the Gender Studies Minor.

To obtain approval for these individualized courses, a petition must be admitted to the minor director and approved of by the majority of the advisory board members.

Gender Studies Minor essay winner explores female sexuality

Established in 2011, the Gender Studies Minor (GSM) Essay Competition is held annually and open to all BU students taking GSM courses. This academic year, the winner is Hannah Long, who is graduating with a double major in communication studies and psychology with a double minor in gender studies and philosophy.

Her essay, “What’s the Buzz About? Reclaiming Female Sexuality through the Vibrator,” investigates the liberating function of the vibrator for women.

Initially developed as a treatment for the condition of hysteria, the vibrator has changed the way that women’s pleasure is viewed and achieved. Because of this liberating aspect, the vibrator serves as a device for sexual freedom as well as a call for discussions on social and ideological realms of female sexuality.