Major & Minor Requirements

The Major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

A Bachelor of Arts degree with a Major or Second Major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies requires a total of 27 credits, 21 of which must be taken in courses numbered 300 or above. At least 18 of the 21 upper level credits for the major may only count for the WGSS major and may not be double-counted towards another major. Classes that count for the major should be registered as WGSS courses (i.e., with the WGSS designation, L77). All courses taken for the major must be taken for a grade and earn at least a C- or above.

The following six requirements must be fulfilled through WGSS home-based or cross-listed courses taken at Washington University. The Theory and the Methods/Service Learning requirements MUST be completed at Washington University. Students wishing an exception, to transfer credits in Theory or Methods/Service Learning, may petition the Director and Associate Director, who will consider the request.

The following requirements start with the Class of 2022 .  If you have previously declared the major requirements differ, please meet with your advisor regarding requirements prior to the Class of 2022.

  • 3 credits of an Introductory-level course: WGSS 100B Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. You must file a copy of a paper from this course with the WGSS office (McMillan Hall, Room 210).
  • 3 credits of a Theory course
  • 3 credits of a Feminist Research Methods OR a Community Engaged Learning course. *Students who write an honors thesis must take the Feminist Research Methodologies class (L77 417W) and enroll in Honors Thesis:  Research and Writing (L77 499) to fulfill this requirement.  Students who take L77 417W must turn in a copy of their final paper from this class to the WGSS office located in McMillan Hall, Room 210.
  • 6 credits at the 400 level OR an Honors Thesis (Students who declared prior to Fall 2018 only 3 credits at the 400 level are required) - One of the 3 credit classes must be a home-based WGSS class; the second may be either home-based or cross-listed. Please see your WGSS advisor for approval of your choice and to ensure that one of your classes is a home-based course.  
  • 3 credits of a Historical Context course - A course home-based or cross-listed in WGSS that examines gender in a historic context. Note: A class that satisfies one of the above 4 areas may also fulfill this requirement.
  • 3 credits of an Ethnic/Global/Racial Context course-A course home-based or cross-listed in WGSS that examines gender in an ethnic/global or racial context. Note: A class that satisfies one of the above 4 areas may also fulfill this requirement.

We strongly encourage and support students who wish to study abroad and will accept up to 9 credits from approved programs. Please see Barbara Baumgartner, WGSS Study Interim Abroad Supervisor, about this option.

Current students wishing to take courses at another university during the summer may transfer up to 6 credit hours. These credits do not fulfill the methods, theory, or intro. requirement.

Transfer Students - Students transferring to Washington University, who wish to complete a major in WGSS, may transfer no more than 9 credits of WGSS course work taken elsewhere

Optional WGSS Major Concentrations

A student majoring in WGSS may choose one of the following two tracks within the major if the student’s interests lie within these areas.  The tracks do not require additional courses; rather, the courses outlined in each track fulfill the WGSS requirements through a concentration of courses in one of the two tracks.  One class can double-count for two of the following requirements.  Only six credits may be taken at the 100- or 200-level. 

 

Politics Concentration

 

Intro (3 credits, required by all majors)

WGSS 100B Introduction to WGSS

You must file a copy of a paper from this course with the WGSS office (McMillan Hall, Room 210).

 

Race/Ethnicity/Politics (3 credits; Choose one. These courses can also be electives.)

WGSS 3002 Feminist Fire! Radical Black Women in the 20th Century

WGSS 357B Gender and Politics in Global Perspective

WGSS 383A Topics in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: Sex in the City

Gender, Sexuality, and the Urban Landscape

WGSS 39SC Imperialism and Sexuality: India, South Asia, and the World

WGSS 421 From Mammy to the Welfare Queen: African American Women Theorize Identity

WGSS 437 Transnational Feminisms

WGSS 4401 Intersectionality

WGSS 475 Reformers and Radicals: Feminist Thinking through History

 

Sexuality and Politics (3 credits; Choose one. These courses can also be electives.)

WGSS 206 Sexuality and the State

WGSS 3014 Queering Citizenship

WGSS 3103 Sex and Money: Economies of Desire

WGSS 3141 The Racial and Sexual Politics of Public Health

WGSS 3172 Queer Histories

WGSS 3211  American Religion and the Politics of Gender and Sexuality

WGSS 323A Sex Trafficking

 

One non-U.S. course (3 credits; Choose one)

WGSS 312 Globalization and Gender

WGSS 3416 War, Gender, and Genocide in Modern Europe

WGSS 3548 Gender, Sexuality and Communism in 20th Century Europe

WGSS 362A Islam, Gender, and Sexuality

WGSS 39SC Imperialism and Sexuality: India, South Asia, and the World

WGSS 437 Transnational Feminisms

WGSS 49SC Incredible India!

 

Theory (3 credits; Choose one)

WGSS 3203 Bodies Out of Bounds: Feminist and Queer Disability Studies

WGSS 371 Confronting Capitalism: Feminism, Work, and Solidarity

WGSS 4102 Everyday Unruliness: Feminist and Queer Resistance

WGSS 421 From Mammy to the Welfare Queen African American Women Theorize Identity

WGSS 429 Feminist Political Theory

WGSS 437 Transnational Feminisms

 

History (3 credits)

Your choice from the WGSS course offerings in this area.

 

Methods (3 credits or 4 credits depending on course)

WGSS 3174 Community Engaged Learning: Feminist and Queer Community Praxis - 4 credits

WGSS 417W Feminist Research Methodologies

WGSS 444  Sex and Gender in Public (Please note:  this is a 1.5 credit course that meets once a week both semesters in their senior year and will result in a capstone project exploring gender and/ or sexuality and politics broadly conceived.)

 

Electives (6 credits; choose from any WGSS class, but one of the classes listed below is encouraged).

WGSS 3012 Gender and Politics

WGSS 3203 Bodies out of Bounds: Feminist and Queer Disability Studies

WGSS 3221 American Religion and the Politics of Gender and Sexuality

WGSS 3410 Gender and Society

WGSS 348 Revolutionize It! Second Wave Feminism and the Struggle for a Radical Movement

WGSS 3561 Law Gender, and Justice

WGSS 393 Gender Violence (if you want to take the Community Engaged Service Learning: Projects in Domestic Violence class is required)

WGSS 396 Gender and Social Class

 WGSS 4363 Sex, Gender and Power

**Please note that 6 credits must be taken at the 400 level

 

Health Concentration

 

Intro (3 credits, required by all majors)

WGSS 100B Introduction to WGSS

You must file a copy of a paper from this course with the WGSS office (McMillan Hall, Room 210).

 

Theory  (3 credits, required by all majors)

WGSS 3203 Bodies Out of Bounds: Feminist and Queer Disability Studies

WGSS 3563 Queering the History of Health

 

History   (3 credits; choose one)

WGSS 3041 Making Sex and Gender

WGSS 310 From Hysteria to Hysterectomy:  Women’s Health Care in America    

WGSS 414 Gender, Religion, Medicine and Science

WGSS 4990 History of the Body

 

Race or Non-US course (3 credits; choose one)

WGSS 3141 The Racial and Sexual Politics of Public Health

WGSS 3201 Gender, Culture and Madness

WGSS 389 The Global History of HIV/AIDS

WGSS 402 Transnational Reproductive Health Issues

WGSS 4134 The AIDS Epidemic

 

Required Health Electives (3 credits; choose one)

WGSS 316 Contemporary Women’s Health

WGSS 360 Trans Studies

WGSS 393 Gender Violence

 

Methods (3 credits;  choose one):

WGSS 3174 Community Engaged Learning: Feminist and Queer Community Praxis - 4 credits

WGSS 417W Feminist Research Methodologies

WGSS 444  Sex and Gender in Public (Please note:  this is a 1.5 credit course that meets once a week both semesters in their senior year and will result in a capstone project exploring gender and/ or sexuality and politics broadly conceived.)

 

Other Electives (9 credits;  choose from any WGSS classes)

 

**Please note that 6 credits must be taken at the 400 level

 

 

Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

A Bachelor's Degree with a Minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies requires 18 units in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, 12 of them in courses numbered 300 or above. All minor courses /must/ be home-based or cross-listed in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. All courses taken for the minor must be taken for a grade and earn at least a C- or above.

We strongly encourage and support students who wish to study abroad and will accept up to 6 credits from approved programs.  Please contact the WGSS Study Abroad Supervisor for approval.

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