Major Requirements

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, 13 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; one of which must originate in the women, gender, and sexuality program).
  • 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.

Honors---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
  • 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.