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Women, Gender, and Sexuality Program

Curricular Options—Students may either major or minor in women, gender, and sexuality. The requirements for both are listed below.

The Major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality—Majors are required to complete, with grades of C- or better, thirteen course credits in women, gender, and sexuality, which must include the following:

  • Four core courses

    • WMGS 101. Women, Gender, and Sexuality

    • WMGS 301. Western Feminist Thought

    • WMGS 369. Queer Studies: Issues and Controversies

    • WMGS 401. Senior Seminar, or a departmental senior seminar cross-listed with women, gender, and sexuality

  • Five courses in a concentration—By the spring of junior year, each student will design a concentration. These may be in a discipline or field (e.g., sociology, history, queer studies), on a theme (e.g., race and ethnicity), or on a problem (e.g., violence against women).

  • Four other courses in women, gender, and sexuality (one course credit of a 2-credit thesis may count toward the elective total.)

In order to ensure rigor, breadth, and diversity, the concentration and elective courses must include the following:

  • Four courses at the upper level (300 and above)

  • Two courses from arts and humanities and two courses from social and natural sciences

  • Two courses from a list of transnational and multicultural courses, at least one of which must be a transnational course, chosen in consultation with the program director.

Up to two cognate courses and a one-credit internship may be counted toward the major.

The award of honors in women, gender, and sexuality will be based on a grade point average of 3.5 or better in the courses for the major and completion of a senior thesis with a grade of A- or better. Application to complete a senior thesis should be made to the director of women, gender, and sexuality the semester before the thesis is undertaken.

The Minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality—The minor consists of six courses completed with a C- or better: two required core courses in women, gender, and sexuality; three electives in women, gender, and sexuality; and a senior seminar.

  • The core courses (recommended in sequence)

    • WMGS 101. Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality (ordinarily taken in the first or sophomore year)

    • WMGS 301. Western Feminist Thought or WMGS 369. Queer Studies: Issues and Controversies

  • The electives—Students planning a minor in women, gender, and sexuality will, in consultation with the program director, select three electives chosen from a list of cross-listed women, gender, and sexuality courses. As a rule, this selection will be made in the sophomore year. One elective course must be taken in both the arts and humanities and the social sciences and natural sciences

  • The senior seminar: WMGS 401. Senior Seminar

Course Offerings —The core courses are offered every year. The other women, gender, and sexuality courses vary somewhat from year to year but are offered on a fairly regular basis.