The GWS 660 Internship course offers students a powerful opportunity to connect feminist scholarship with hands-on community engagement. Each spring, students earn academic credit while working approximately ten hours per week with community and university-based organizations across Dane County. These placements focus on issues related to gender, sexuality, and social justice, with particular attention to how these intersect with race, class, ability, and other markers of identity.
This spring, students contributed their time and expertise to a wide range of organizations, including Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, the Office of the Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian, Sex Out Loud, the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, Project ECHO at UW Health Services, Disability Pride Madison, Midwest Mujeres, Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, and OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center.
In their internships, students supported a wide range of projects and initiatives, including data collection and analysis, the creation of community- and provider-specific databases, feminist archival work, digital media support, event coordination, and much more. Through a weekly seminar, they reflect on the relationship between theory and practice, exploring what it means to take on professional roles as feminists in real-world settings. The course fosters collaboration and peer learning, as students share insights from their varied placements and collectively examine community-based approaches to equity and advocacy.
By the end of the program, students not only gain meaningful professional experience but also develop practical skills and a polished portfolio that supports diverse career pathways. Just as importantly, the program strengthens connections with alumni and community partners through ongoing networking, demonstrating how the frameworks of Gender and Women’s Studies continue to shape professional lives and community engagement well beyond the classroom.