The major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies places gender and sexuality at the center of inquiry, drawing on the methodologies of the interdisciplinary field of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies. In required and elective courses for the major, students work together to explore the ways that race, ethnicity, sexuality, social class, nationality, age, and ability intersect to shape gendered experience, injustice, and social change. Using an intersectional lens, students gain expertise in analyzing gendered social roles and the ways in which they affect personal lives, artistic expression, work, relationships, institutional structures, the production of knowledge, and national and international political and economic relations.
Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies seeks to:
Provide students with a systematic knowledge of the interdisciplinary scholarship about gender and by women and other gender minorities.
Enhance the qualifications of students to work in today’s diverse workplaces.
Further university and societal goals of diversity and equity.
Work for social and institutional change.
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
The major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies requires a minimum of 36 credits, of which 15 credits are required in the major, 12 credits are required in Field Electives, and 9 credits are required in Interdisciplinary Electives. 15 credits of electives must be at the 300-400 level. You may view a sample four-year plan for the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major in the WSU Catalog.
Required Courses (15 credits)
WGSS 101 W ST Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
OR WGSS 120 Sex, Race, and Reproduction in Global Health Politics
WGSS/ANTH 332 Global Feminisms
OR WGSS 340 Gender and Decolonial Representation in Film
OR WGSS 406 Women and Work in Global Contexts
WGSS/SOC 385 Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies
WGSS 481 Feminist Theory [M]
WGSS/CRMJ 403 Violence Toward Women (CAPS)
ORWGSS 495 ReDirections in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (CAPS)
Students are encouraged to
Reevaluate assumptions.
Analyze the structures and systems controlling and shaping the lives of people of all genders.
Use intersectional knowledge in practical and meaningful ways for gender equity and justice.
Field Electives (12 credits)
WGSS 101: Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
WGSS 120: Sex, Race, and Reproduction in Global Health Politics
WGSS/ENGL 211: Sex Matters: Introduction to Queer Culture and Literature