Major and Minor

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of gender as a social and cultural construction.

Women's and Gender Studies students go beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries, in order to analyze the role of gender in shaping human societies of the past and the present, as well as to understand the crucial issues in society and in their own lives.

Courses are offered by 18 departments and three colleges
and enable students to:

• discover and communicate new knowledge about women and gender,
• reinterpret existing knowledge, and
• synthesize and integrate this information into their general learning experience

Women's Studies Major

To earn a Women's Studies Major, students must take a minimum of 30 credits in Women's and Gender Studies including: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (WST 151), and Advanced Seminar (WST 495). Courses are to be distributed over three departments with at least 6 credits in the humanities and 6 credits in the social sciences.

Courses are to be distributed over 3 departments with at least six hours in the humanities, and six hours in the social sciences. Up to 3 hours of independent study (WST 496) may be included as part of the major, and only courses in which the grade of a "C" or better is earned are counted toward the fulfillment of the major. Students are encouraged to use this framework to develop a more specialized Women's and Gender Studies curriculum based upon their career interests.

Major Required Courses

WST 151 Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies
WST 495 Advanced Seminar

WGS Humanities (6 credits)
WGS Social Sciences (6 credits)
WGS Elective (12 credits)
Note: 9 credit hours must be at the 300- to 400-level

Women's Studies Minor

Students wishing to minor in Women's Studies must take a minimum of 15 semester hours in Women's and Gender Studies designated courses. There are two required courses: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (WST 151), and Advanced Seminar (WST 495). The remaining credits are required to taken from at least three departments with at least one course (3 credits) from the humanities and at least one course (3 credits) from the social sciences.

Minor Required Courses

WST 151 Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies
WST 495 Advanced Seminar

WGS Humanities (3 credits)
WGS Social Sciences (3 credits)
WGS Elective (3 credits)

NOTE: Most of the Women's and Gender Studies courses are applicable to, or augment, many major fields. Many of the courses fulfill a university General Education (Gen Ed) requirement as indicated in course listings. Descriptions are listed in the Course Description section of this catalog. Requirements for the major and minor in Women's and Gender Studies are listed under College of Arts and Sciences.