Courses

Here’s what it takes: It’s 55 quarter credits, five required courses and six elective courses of your choice from an array of disciplines. The required courses are:

• WGST 2010—Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• WGST 3710—Feminist Theories
• WGST 3720—Feminist Methodologies
• WGST 4010—Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Seminar
• WGST 4800—A Capstone Course on Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (Degree Requirements)

This is an opportunity to deepen your research skills as you work closely with a Women & Gender Studies faculty mentor. If your overall GPA is 3.5 or higher, you can work on an empirically rigorous and theoretically grounded individual research or creative project on a subject of your choice. In addition to the 55 credits for the BA, you will take three courses:

• WGST 4770—Honors: Directed Reading
• WGST 4780—Honors: Directed Study
• WGST 4790—Honors: Thesis Supervision

Major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with Departmental Honors (Degree Requirements)

If you simply want to add a Minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies to complement your major in another field, you need to take just 30 credits.

• WGST 2010—Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• WGST 4010—Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Seminar
• Electives from approved list (20 credits)

Minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (Degree Requirements)

If you simply want to add a Minor in LGBTQ Studies to complement your major in another field, you need to take just 30 credits.

• WGST 2020—Introduction to LGBTQ Studies
• WGST 3730—Queer Theories 
• Research Methodology: You can choose from SOCL 3130 (Sociological Research Methods), ANTH 3140 (Ethnographic Methodologies), and WGST 3720 (Feminist Methodologies).
• Electives from approved list (15 credits)

Minor in LGBTQ Studies (Degree Requirements)

A major or minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies provides an open intellectual setting to study the historical, social, and political experiences of women and the complex dynamics of gender and sexuality. 

On successful completion of this program, you will be able to:

1. apply a variety of critical feminist theories or methodologies to research questions or social problems [for the theories and/or methods class]
2. analyze the complex relationship between theory and practice [for the methodology class]
3. analyze how genders and sexualities are socially constructed [for any required class]
4. analyze intersecting structures of power and oppression [any required class]
5. envision feminist, intersectional alternatives to systems of power [capstone]

An LGBTQ Studies minor is a focused examination of the intellectual, cultural and political experiences and knowledge of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-identified individuals and groups. 

On successful completion of this program, you will be able to:

1. analyze the complex relationship between theory and practice [for the methodology or queer social movements class]
2. analyze how genders and sexualities are socially constructed [Introduction and theory class]
3. envision queer, intersectional alternatives to systems of power [introduction or queer social movements class]