Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Degree: B.A., General Liberal Arts and Studies
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program
The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major focuses on gender and the experiences of women as central categories of scholarly inquiry. This interdisciplinary program, leading to a general liberal arts and studies degree (Bachelor of Arts), emphasizes diverse perspectives on both the construction and the experience of femininity and masculinity in society, including the complex interactions of gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and race. Students learn to appreciate the breadth of human experience and the challenges that all people face as gendered beings.
The purpose of the major is to provide students with interdisciplinary breadth; however, students are encouraged to work with their faculty advisors to formulate their course work around issues or themes of particular interest.
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations Courses | ||
| WGST 101 | Introduction to Women's Studies | 3 |
| WGST 102 | Perspectives in Sexuality | 3 |
| PHIL 220 | Introduction to Feminism | 3 |
| Methods Course | ||
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| Introduction to American Studies | ||
| Methods of Art History | ||
| Methods of Advanced Literary Studies | ||
| Documentation and Field Work | ||
| Research and Writing in Political Science | ||
| Research Methods for Psychology | ||
| Quantitative Research Methods and Analysis | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods and Analysis | ||
| Public Sociology | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select six elective courses 2 | 18 | |
| Capstone | ||
| WGST 485 | Senior Project 3 | 3 |
| Total Credits | 33-34 | |
| 1 | Many of these courses have prerequisites; consult the sections of this Catalog where these course descriptions appear. Ideally, a student will choose a methods class in a discipline that is likely to support their work on the capstone project. |
| 2 | Taken from at least three (3) different disciplines, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. One of the electives must emphasize difference in the form of race, class, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or sexuality. Additionally, at least three of the six courses should be taken at the 300-400 level. The permanent list of approved electives appears below. An additional list of approved electives will be circulated by the program director each semester and posted on the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies website. Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Study electives are searchable in the Banner schedule of courses. |
| 3 | All Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors will design a capstone project under the supervision of an affiliated faculty member. The student will submit a proposal for approval by a committee composed of the program director, the student’s faculty advisor, and another member of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies advisory committee the semester before it is to be completed. The project provides students with the opportunity to engage in the creation of original material and to apply the methods and approaches that they have acquired in the major. |
Women’s and Gender Studies Electives List
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AMST 305 | American Gender and Sexuality | 3 |
| ANTH 212 | Anthropology of Gender | 3 |
| ARTH 460 | Seminar: Women and Western Art | 3 |
| CLAS 310 | Women in Antiquity | 3 |
| ENGL 327 | Jane Austen | 3 |
| ENGL 353 | Asian-American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 369 | Women and Modernism | 3 |
| HIST 334 | Early Modern European Women’s History | 3 |
| HIST 326 | History of Manhood in the US | 3 |
| HIST 327 | US Women's History to 1870 | 3 |
| HIST 328 | US Women's Hist Since 1870 | 3 |
| HIST 368 | Gender in Chinese History | 3 |
| HIST 462 | Women in Latin America | 3 |
| LING 307 | Language and Gender | 3 |
| PSCI 370 | Women and Politics | 3 |
| PSYC 349 | Psychology of Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PSYC 350 | Psychology of Women | 3 |
| RELG 310 | Gender and Sexuality in Early Christianity | 3 |
| SOCG 304 | Social Stratification | 3 |
| SOCG 315A | Gender and Society | 3 |
| SOCG 331 | The Family | 3 |
| SOCG 400 | Sociology of the Body | 3 |
| SOCG 434 | Gender and Work | 3 |
| SPAN 475 | Hispanic Women Writers | 3 |
| THEA 250 | Fashion History | 3 |
| WGST 300 | Special Topics in Women's and Gender Studies | 3 |
| WGST 400 | Special Topics in Women's and Gender Studies | 3 |
| WGST 491 | Individual Study | 3 |
| WGST 499 | Internship | 1-3 |
General Education Requirements
The general education requirements for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degrees apply to all students who are seeking to earn an undergraduate B.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. degree.
Students seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree have a separate set of BLS general education requirements.
Electives
Elective courses are those that are not needed to fulfill a general education requirement or major program requirement but are chosen by the student to complete the 120 credits required for graduation with a B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. degree or the BLS degree. These courses may be taken graded or pass/fail (or S/U in the case of physical education and 100-level dance). No student in a regular B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. program may count more than 60 credits in a single discipline toward the 120 credits required for graduation.
Total Credits Required for the Degree: 120 credits
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program
Surupa Gupta, Program Coordinator
Affiliated Faculty
Jennifer M. Barry, Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion
Laura A. Bylenok, Department of English and Linguistics
Tracy B. Citeroni, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Rosalyn L. Cooperman, Department of Political Science and International Affairs
Shumona Dasgupta, Department of English and Linguistics
Antonia L. Delgado-Poust, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
Mindy J. Erchull, Department of Psychological Science
Susan R. Fernsebner, Department of History and American Studies
Carole A. Garmon, Department of Art and Art History
Surupa Gupta, Department of Political Science and International Affairs
Mary Katherine Haffey, Department of English and Linguistics
Christine R. Henry, Department of Historic Preservation
Liane R. Houghtalin, Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion
Benjamin J. LaBreche, Department of English and Linguistics
Janie Lee, Department of English and Linguistics
Elizabeth F. Lewis, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
Miriam N. Liss, Department of Psychological Science
Will B. Mackintosh, Department of History and American Studies
Kristin L. Marsh, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Mary Beth Mathews, Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion
Jeffrey W. McClurken, Department of History and American Studies
Kevin J. McCluskey, Department of Theatre and Dance
Laura H. Mentore, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Krystyn R. Moon, Department of History and American Studies
Gary N. Richards, Department of English and Linguistics
Farhang Rouhani, Department of Geography
Mara N. Scanlon, Department of English and Linguistics
Debra J. Schleef, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Gregg Stull, Department of Theatre and Dance
Laura C. Wilson, Department of Psychological Science