This one-of-a-kind program grounds students in a liberal arts foundation––one that prioritizes research and questioning across the humanities, sciences and arts––and immerses them in the interdisciplinary fields of ethnic and gender studies, which prioritize an intersectional approach to critical thinking and analysis. By focusing on the complex ways that identity is multiply shaped by systems of power and knowledge that impact opportunity, students learn to be active problem solvers, combining the content they learn with the tools that can help them to put their education to work in our communities.
The Fredonia Difference
You won’t find this program at other SUNY schools! Fredonia’s program highlights the importance of this intersection of identities by putting the two disciplines together so that scholarly discourse between and among multiple identity groups is central to the academic experience.
Additionally, our major requires, and our advisors will work with students individually to identify good opportunities for, skills-based coursework. Students seeking more public-facing career options may choose public speaking and argumentative writing as skills coursework, while those interested in advocacy might instead choose grantwriting and statistics. The content knowledge learned in the EGS major ensures that students are prepared to identify areas where they would like to see change. The skills-based coursework prepares them to develop and apply solutions.
Finally, our program also draws on some of the best teaching by faculty committed to diverse scholarship, establishing a learning community dedicated to addressing real problems through engagement with a wide range of scholarly perspectives.
