Manisha Desai, associate professor of women’s studies and sociology meets with Asahi Hoque (’16 – CLAS).
The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program is a flexible interdisciplinary academic program devoted to pursuit of knowledge concerning women and the critical analysis of the production of gender and sexuality within transnational and cross-cultural contexts. Combining the methods and insights of traditional academic disciplines with the special insights of feminist studies, gender studies, and sexuality studies, our courses focus on understanding the origins of and changes in diverse cultural and social arrangements. The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major is broad as well as flexible.
The Program is committed to a vision of people of diverse sexualities and genders that is truly transnational and cross-cultural and that recognizes the diversity of sexual and gender desires, practices, and identifications, as well as racial, ethnic, class and religious differences.
The Program prepares students to employ critical learning in their private lives, in their public roles as citizens and as members of the work force, and enhances their ability to advocate for gender and sexual justice. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies fosters interdisciplinary breadth and critical thinking and thus opens the way to a wide variety of career choices and graduate programs. Our students are flourishing in social service agencies, business, law, education, and journalism, and employers appreciate the broad interdisciplinary perspective of a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies education.
Core Courses
Students are required to pass the following core courses (15 credits): WGSS 2250, 3256, 3265W, 3269, 4994W.
Supporting Courses
Students are required to pass five additional WGSS courses at the 2000 level or above (15 credits). At least three (nine credits) of these must be chosen from the following: WGSS 2105, 2105W, 2124, 2217, 2217W, 2255, 2255W; WGSS 2263/HRTS 2263; WGSS 2267; WGSS/AFRA/HIST/LLAS 2622; WGSS 3042/AFRA 3042/AMST 3042/HDFS 3042; WGSS 3105, 3105W, 3252, 3253, 3253W; WGSS 3254/ASLN 3254; WGSS 3255, 3255W, 3257, 3257W; WGSS 3258/LLAS 3230; WGSS 3259/LLAS 3231; WGSS 3260/COMM 3321/LLAS 3264; WGSS 3264, 3270, 3270W; WGSS 3652/AFRA 3652/POLS 3652; WGSS 3672, 3718, 3718W, 3891, 3894, 3993, 3995, 3998, 3999; WGSS 4100/AAAS 4100/AFRA 4100/LLAS 4100. NOTE: Up to six credits of WGSS 3891 (Internship Program) may be counted toward the major.
Related Courses
Students must pass an additional 12 credits at the 2000-level or above in fields closely related to the major.
General Education Requirements
WGSS 4994W fulfills the information literacy competency and writing in the major requirements.
A minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is described in the Minors section.