quotation mark icon“My experience at Ball State has been a blast. I am an intern for the WGS Program this year. For that, I am planning a campus wide event and will be helping plan women's week during the Spring semester. I enjoy that the Women's and Gender Studies major provides flexibility and variety with the courses offered. I like how I can tailor my degree with what suits my interests and needs."

 

— Lauren Szymczak

Student WGS

As a Women’s and Gender Studies student, you will have a number of opportunities to enhance and personalize your academic program through internships, independent studies, and participation in our affiliated student organization, Feminists for Action. See below for more information about these opportunities.

Internships

Students may earn anywhere from one to six credits by completing an internship, either in our program office or in an outside organization.

Some of the organizations where students have interned in recent years are Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Planned Parenthood, women’s shelters like the YWCA, and domestic abuse agencies such as A Better Way.

Students who have completed internships in our program office have created educational materials, developed marketing strategies, made presentations, planned events (such as Women’s Week), designed promotional materials, assisted with fundraising, and maintained our social media.

How to Apply

Start by meeting with us to discuss what you’d like to do.

If you are interested in an internship in our office, we ask that you reach out to us at wgs@bsu.edu to get started! 

If you are interested in interning at another organization, you’ll work with the Career Center to identify and interview with an organization, and we’ll take care of getting you registered for credit. 

Students may earn anywhere from one to three credits by completing an independent study.

If there is a topic that you’re curious about, you can pursue independent research and/or creative projects under the supervision of a faculty mentor.

Recent students have written papers, contributed to faculty research projects, presented lectures, or completed creative projects, including documentary films, zines, and photography projects.

How to Apply

If you have an idea for an independent study, the first step is to meet with a faculty member who has expertise in your topic area. (You’ll want to do this in the semester before you plan to do the independent study.)

Present your idea, and ask the faculty member to supervise your project. If the faculty member agrees, contact us in the program office. We’ll take care of getting you registered for credit.

Feminists for Action is an intersectional feminist student-run group sponsored by full-time WGS faculty Rachael Smith.

The group is dedicated to the empowerment of individuals from all walks of life through advocacy and education. They strive to educate others about issues of concern in the global, national, and community level. They encourage thought-provoking discussions and work to organize events to benefit intersectional feminist causes, such as an annual Slut Walk, educational tabling events, and the annual production of The Vagina Monologues on campus.

How to Get Involved

Email wgs@bsu.edu to express interest and receive future meeting information. You can get involved by coming to any meeting – newcomers are always welcome!

Women’s Week is a 30-plus-year-old Ball State Women’s and Gender Studies tradition, scheduled each year in March to celebrate Women’s History Month. Every year, the dynamic week is filled with performances, films, lectures, discussions, marches, and workshops presented by students, faculty and guests.

See This Year's Schedule

How to Get Involved

There are multiple opportunities for you to get involved, as a presenter, a planner, a participant, or spectator. If you’re interested in Women’s Week, contact us.