Majors and Minors

THE MAJOR AND MINOR in Women’s and Gender Studies are broad-based and flexible, providing study in various disciplines, such as history, literature, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, politics and government, and zoology. This curriculum focuses on the pervasiveness and relevance of women’s and gender issues in the academic fields and their diverse applications.

Basic courses acquaint the student with contemporary women’s issues and with historical and cultural perspectives on these issues. For example, courses on women in history and contemporary society contribute to the understanding of sex roles, stereotypes, and gender-based discrimination and promote awareness of issues that are relevant to students’ lives.

The Women’s and Gender Studies major and minor provide superb complements to other majors by adding perspectives on gender roles and knowledge of the contributions of women to history, culture, and society.

Women’s and Gender Studies courses are categorized in three ways:

1. Program Courses
2. Discipline-Focused Courses
3. Related Courses

Program Courses are primarily interdisciplinary, taught wholly within the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and carry the WGS prefix and course number. Some of these courses are also cross-listed with other departments. These courses focus on the study of women and gender constructions through the frameworks of feminist theories, methodologies, and activism. These courses explore not only the constructions of femininity and masculinity but also how additional social locations and identities (race/ethnicity, socioeconomic class, sexuality, and nationality) shape and make one another.

Discipline-Focused Courses are classes taught by faculty whose primary appointment is in another department or program. These classes generally address the study of women and gender within the context of a particular discipline (such as English or History). Many of these courses also explore how feminist frameworks have reformulated their disciplines and analyses.

Related Courses are listed under a course number from the originating department or program. These are courses in which substantive attention (approximately a quarter of the course content) is given to feminist frameworks that explore the intersections of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, class, and nationality, but such issues may not be the primary focus of the class.

Major

A minimum 10 units consisting of: WGS 210, one theory or methods; the remaining 8 units of the major will be a mix of program, discipline-focused or related courses; of these 8 units a minimum of 6 units must be program or discipline-focused; a minimum of 3 courses must be from program courses; no more than 2 courses can be from related courses; and a course taken in the theory/methods list cannot double count towards these 8 units. At least 7 out of the 10 courses must be above 250 or higher in level. Students are also encouraged to take relevant electives across the curriculum to enhance their major.

Minor

A minimum 5 units consisting of: WGS 210 and 4 units from program, discipline-focused, or related courses. Of these 4 units one unit must be from program courses.

Requirements for the Major

1. WGS 110 Introduction To Women’s & Gender Studies (normally taken by end of second year)
2. Select one from (Theory/Methods): (normally taken third or fourth year)
   • WGS 499A Seminar in Feminist Literary Theory and Criticism (Steinitz)
   • WGS 499B Seminar in the History of Feminism (DeMarco)
   • WGS 499C Seminar in Feminist Anthropology (Howard)
   • WGS 499D Seminar in Contemporary Feminist Theory (Bhaskaran)
   • WGS 499E The Representation of Women of Color in Literature and the Arts (Aneja)
   • WGS 499F Feminist Research Methodologies (Bhaskaran)
   • PHIL 350 Feminist Philosophy (Stone-Mediatore)
3. The remaining 8 units:
   • Category A: Program Courses:
   • WGS 260 Bodies, Medicine, Feminist Health Activism (Bhaskaran)
   • WGS 300.1 Gender and Race in the Sciences (Richards & Tuhela-Reuning)
   • WGS 300.2 Gender, Globalization, Militarization (Bhaskaran)
   • WGS 300.3 Queer Studies (Bhaskaran)
   • WGS 499A Seminar in Feminist Literary Theory and Criticism (Steinitz)
   • WGS 499B Seminar in the History of Feminism (DeMarco)
   • WGS 499C Seminar in Feminist Anthropology (Howard)
   • WGS 499D Seminar in Contemporary Feminist Theory (Bhaskaran)
   • WGS 499E The Representation of Women of Color in Literature and the Arts (Aneja)
   • WGS 490 Independent Study: 1 Unit can be counted towards major
   • WGS 491 Directed Readings: 1 Unit can be counted towards major
   • WGS 495 Apprenticeship Program: 1 Unit can be counted towards major

   Also, any new, temporary or special topic courses with the WGS prefix can be counted as a program course.

4. Category B: Discipline-Focused Courses:
   • ENG 224 Images of Black Women in Fiction and Film (African American Images: Ryan)
   • ENG 266 Women’s Literature in English (Carpenter, DeMarco, Lewes, Poremski)
   • ENG 268 Black Women’s Literary Traditions (Ryan)
   • ENG 415 Queer Theory and Literary Studies (DeMarco)
   • HMCL 226 Gender and Identity (Staff)
   • HMCL 251 Women in Antiquity (Cook, Lateiner)
   • HIST 375 Women in American History (Terzian)
   • HIST 385B Women & Gender in Modern America (Flamm)
   • PSYC 339 Psychology of Women (Staff)
   • PSYC 337 Human Sexuality (Dolgin)
   • SOAN 348 Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspectives (Howard)
   • SOAN 349 Gender in Contemporary Society (Durst)
   • PHIL 250 Environmental Ethics (Stone-Mediatore)
   • PHIL 350 Feminist Philosophy (Stone-Mediatore)
   • PE 300.4 Women in Sport and PE (Gehring)
   • PG 260 Equality and American Politics (McLean)
5. Category C: Related Courses:
   • ECON 277 Labor Economics and Problems (Gitter)
   • ENG 226 American Images (Carpenter, Caplan, Poremski, Ryan)
   • ENG 369 Genre Studies in African American Literature (Ryan)
   • ENG 350 The Victorians (Steinitz)
   • ENG 273 Approaches to African American Literature (Ryan)
   • ENG 278 Native American Literature (Poremski)
   • ENG 360 Early American Literature (Carpenter, Poremski)
   • ENG 362 19th Century American Literature (Carpenter, Poremski)
   • FREN 379 Topics in Francophone Culture (Fete)
   • GEOG 336 Cultural Geography of the Middle East (Ebel)
   • HMCL 124 Love and Sexuality in the Literature and the Arts (Aneja, Lateiner, Staff)
   • HMCL 375 Postmodern World Literature (Aneja)
   • HMCL 265 Freedom and Constraint (Aneja)
   • PG 352 Civil Rights and Liberties (Esler)
   • PHIL 310 Topics: Violence & Non-Violence (Stone-Mediatore)
   • RELI 352 Radical and Liberation Theologies (Twesigye)
   • SOAN 351 The Family (Durst)
   • SOAN 359 Social Inequality (Smith)
   • THEA 190.1 American Women Playwrights (Gardner)
   • ZOOL 102 Genes, Evolution and Society (Burtt)
   • ZOOL 251 Human Structure and Function (Waterhouse)

For additional information refer to the Admission | Academics Web page.