Women’s and Gender Studies Major

Core Courses

The Core Courses in Women’s and Gender Studies introduce students to the fundamental questions and concepts of the field, past and present. Students should aim to take WGS 110 - Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies early in the program to define their topical areas of interest and guide advanced course selection.

Note that Core Courses are taught in rotation by faculty members from different departments and disciplinary backgrounds. Therefore, the content of the courses may vary by semester, reflecting the instructors’ individual fields of study and areas of expertise.

• WGS 110 - Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies
• WGS 200 - Topics in Feminist Theory

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Elective and Specialization Courses

WGS majors must take three (3) Elective Courses from three different departments and three (3) Specialization Courses from at least two different departments.

Elective Courses are intended to expose students to a breadth of disciplinary perspectives on women and gender studies. WGS Elective Courses are taught by WGS affiliates in the Departments of English, Geography, History, International Development and Social Change, Language, Literature and Culture, Management, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Visual and Performing Arts. It is recommended that students choose Elective Courses from both the social sciences and humanities.

Specialization Courses are advanced electives at the 200-level or above that are taught by WGS-affiliated faculty from across the University. WGS majors will work closely with their advisers to formally declare an area of specialization for more advanced study in their junior and senior years. The specialization is not within an existing department or discipline, but should cross at least two academic departments and form a coherent thematic specialization. Examples areas of specialization have included: Women in Comparative Fiction, Women and Work, Gender and Environment, Gender, War and Militaries, Women and Social Change, Gender, Identity and Sexuality, Gender, Culture and Human Rights, and Feminist Critiques of Globalization.

* Note that special topics or capstone courses in other departments may carry a WGS attribute when the topic is relevant to Women’s and Gender Studies (for example, PSCI 289 - Advanced Topics in International Relations - Capstone Seminar). Always check the course grid for the titles of advanced topics and capstone seminars each semester.
 

• WGS 220 - Queer Theory
• WGS 299 - Directed Study

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Methods and Skills Courses

Women’s and Gender Studies majors must take one Methods or one Skills course relevant to their declared area of specialization, which may overlap with a required course for their minor or second major.

The Methods and Skills Courses below do not necessarily carry a WGS attribute, and will be listed under the department name in the course grid. Alternative methods or skills classes may be approved as exceptions by the Women’s and Gender Studies Director.

• GEOG 110 - Introduction to Quantitative Methods
• GEOG 141 - Research Design and Methods in Geography
• HIST 120 - Writing History
• ID 132 - Research Methods for International Development and Social Change
• PSCI 107 - Research Methods
• PSYC 105 - Statistics
• SOC 202 - Social Research Process

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Research or Internship Credit

All WGS majors and minors must take one Research or one Internship Credit. The research or internship requirement may be satisfied by (1) taking an advanced research seminar or capstone course in another department that is taught by a WGS faculty affiliate, (2) a Directed Study designed around a special project supervised by a WGS faculty affiliate, or (3) through a one-credit internship. Students may register for WGS 298 Internship, WGS 299 Directed Study, or the designated course number assigned by the department hosting the advanced research seminar or capstone course.

The Research or Internship Credit is intended to be a culminating research or practical experience that allows students to apply their knowledge and skills gained through WGS courses, and should be directly related to the student’s WGS Specialization or topical areas of interest. Students should plan to complete their research or internship experience during their junior or senior year, and must request pre-approval from their faculty adviser and the WGS Director.

* Note that special topics or capstone courses in other departments may carry a WGS attribute when the topic is relevant to Women’s and Gender Studies (for example, PSCI 289 - Advanced Topics in International Relations - Capstone Seminar). Always check the course grid for the titles of advanced topics and capstone seminars each semester.

• WGS 298 - Internship
• WGS 299 - Directed Study

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• ENG 249 - Signs and Crossroads: Semiotic Theory and Practice
• ENG 260 - Making Gender through the Eighteenth-Century Novel
• ENG 261 - Gender and Genre in the Nineteenth-Century British Novel
• ENG 262 - Special Topics in 19th Century British Literature
• ENG 263 - Traumatic Tales: British Romantic Literature and Nationhood
• GEOG 237 - Feminism, Nature and Culture
• HIST 213 - Gender and the American City
• HIST 234 - History of Racism in Modern Europe
• HIST 236 - Gender, War and Genocide in 20th Century
• HIST 295 - Dangerous Women
• ID 209 - Beyond Victims and Guardian Angels: Third World Women, Gender and Development
• PSYC 265 - Psychology of Men
• PSYC 275 - Societal Approaches to Thinking
• SOC 296 - Internship Seminar

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