The Major

A student who graduates with a degree in Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies will develop critical thinking skills, strengthen reading, writing, and spoken communication, hone research abilities and apply theory and skills to real world circumstances.  In addition students will develop deep understandings of the concepts of gender, race, and sexuality, explore gender, race and power relations of societies and engage with theories of intersectionality. Students study the complexity of sexuality, race and gender from contemporary, historical and transnational perspectives.  Students will analyze movements that challenge racial, sexual and gender domination through civic and transnational activism, and develop social and ethical understanding and global awareness.

Students may individually tailor their program by focusing their courses in a specific area of interest or choosing a general approach. The department has a strong advising system. All students work one-on-one with a faculty sponsor, and a professional academic advisor is available for general advising on the major or minor, internships, practica, and independent studies. Students design their programs by selecting from the wide range of courses listed in the Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Course Offerings Guide.

There are no prerequisites for entry to the major, just a simple application form and a faculty sponsor are required in order to be formally admitted. All students who complete the application process are admitted.  Students considering the major are encouraged to contact the undergraduate academic advisor in the department, who can offer assistance with completing the application process, obtaining a faculty sponsor, and identifying courses best suited to a student’s interests.

Requirements

A minimum of 36 credits in Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies related courses is required for the major.  Courses must be above a 100 level to count towards the major with the exception of WGSS 187. Courses which meet the requirements are listed each semester in the Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Course Offerings Guide.

(1) Required WGSS courses: 201 Gender and Difference: Critical Analyses; a course that fulfills the theory requirement (for example 301 or 394H--a theory class is offered every fall); 310 Writing for Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Majors, which fulfills the Junior Year Writing requirement (offered every fall); and 494TI Unthinking the Transnational (offered every spring), which fulfills the Integrative Experience requirement.

(2) Majors are also required to take at least two courses (total) chosen from two of the following three categories: critical race feminisms, transnational feminisms, and sexuality studies. Students may count each course toward only one distribution requirement.  If a course listing indicates that it can be used to fulfill more than one distribution requirement, a student may designate which requirement the course will fulfill.  All distribution requirement classes are above an introductory level and focus on topics in Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies.

(3) Electives include: Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies courses; Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies courses offered in other departments at the University and the Five Colleges and listed in the Course Guide; or listed component courses, if the paper or project done by the student focuses on Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. Elective credit may also be earned, when approved, in independent studies or practica related to the major (to a maximum of 15 credits). The course guide can be found on the department's website. The introductory class, WGSS 187, is the only 100-level course that can count towards the 36 required credits.

A Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies fieldwork coordinator is also available for advising

Optional Concentrations

Majors have the option of designing an individualized course of study focused on a particular theme within Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. Examples of concentrations completed by Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies majors include topics in women’s health and sexuality; African American women; the impact of race, sex, and class in American history; the construction of white privilege; Latin America; peace and militarism; gender and sustainability; poverty; labor organizing; feminist writing and criticism; arts management; sexual violence; fashion and media; trans issues and queer theory; and more. Students design their concentration in consultation with their faculty sponsor.

Majors choosing to focus their academic work on a theme may also have “skills courses” counted toward their major requirements. These are courses that are necessary to the components of their individualized programs within Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, even if the courses are not directly part of the department itself. For example, students focusing on areas of gender and health care might use biology courses to fulfill part of the elective credit requirement. No more than 12 elective credits may be earned in this manner. Faculty sponsors must approve these requests.

Honors Opportunities

Honors opportunities in Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies range from honors courses to research and project options. Students should contact the departmental honors coordinator for details. Opportunities are also available for upper-level honors research in the department through a departmental honors research track. Information on Commonwealth Honors College is provided elsewhere in this catalog.

Double Majors

Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies majors may also major in another field or discipline, as the interdisciplinary and integrative nature of the department allows flexibility to develop coherent and complementary programs of study. These might include second majors in the departments of Afro-American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Biology, Communication, Comparative Literature, Education, English, History, Journalism, Judaic Studies, Legal Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Social Thought and Political Economy, Sociology, or Theater for example.  Students must coordinate fulfillment of requirements with advisors from each department.  Many students in the department also complete minors in other disciplines and Five College certificates.