Women's Studies Major

"What can you do with a Women's Studies degree?" Many of our majors have found success and contentment after graduation, pursuing careers in law, social work, journalism, education, non-profit organizations, public policy, arts, and graduate studies. The better question is, "What can't you do with a Women's Studies degree?" Nothing short of changing the world and the way we think about it - an underlying philosophy that graduates from our program carry with them both in their professional and personal pursuits. The curriculum of the Women's Studies major is designed to not only enhance students' interests in certain social, political, and cultural issues but to also fully support those students who wish to pursue double majors. Our interdisciplinary program enables students to combine our major with other studies, including English, Film Studies, Globalization Studies, Psychology, Sociology, History, Pre-Law, Political Science, and natural sciences, to name a few.

Requirements for the Major

Required Core Courses | Concentration | Electives

A minimum of 36 credits distributed as follows. A course may not be used to fulfill more than one requirement:

I. Required Core Courses (12 credits)

a. Theory: WSS 220 (Introduction to Feminist Theory)
b. Intersections: WSS 240 (Classism, Racism, Sexism: Issues)
c. Research Methods: WSS 490Z (Research Seminar in Women's Studies)
d. Internship: WSS 492 (Internship in Women's Studies)

Substitutions must be approved by the Undergraduate Studies Committee.

II. Coherent Concentration (choose one) (12 credits)

Society, Politics, and Policy:
Required: WSS 260 (History of Women and Social Change)

Three courses from the following, at least two of them at the 300-level or above:

WSS 202 (Introduction to Lesbian and Gay Studies)
WSS 262 (Sociology of Gender)
WSS 326 (Sociology of Race, Gender, and Class)
WSS 333 (Women and the Law)
WSS 344 (Sociology of Women in the Political Economy)
WSS 346 (Law, Civil Rights, and Sexual Orientation)
WSS 360 (Feminist Social and Political Thought)
WSS 365 (Anthopology of New Reproductive Technologies)
WSS 401 (Sex/uality, Race, and Class in Science and Health)
WSS 412 (Race, Gender and Cultural Politics in Asian Ameria)
WSS 430 (Environmental Justice: Racism, Classism, Sexism)

OR

Information, Technology, and Science:
Required: WSS 241 (Science, Technology, and Social Justice)

Three courses from the following, at least two of them at the 300-level or above:

WSS 109X (Women, Biology and Health)
WSS 242X (e-Journal Editing and Publishing)
WSS 281 (Women and the Media)
WSS 303 (Popular Technology: Advocacy and Activism in an Age of IT)
WSS 309 (Activism and Health)
WSS 328 (Gender, Space and Place)
WSS 360 (Feminist Social and Political Thought)
WSS 365 (Anthropology of New Reproductive Technologies)
WSS 401 (Sex/uality, Race, and Class in Science and Health)
WSS 430 (Environmental Justice: Racism, Classism, Sexism)

OR

Globalization and Cultural Studies:
Required: WSS 308 (Global Perspectives on Women)

Three courses from the following, at least two of them must be at the 300-level or above:

WSS 281 (Women and the Media)
WSS 328 (Gender, Space and Place)
WSS 357 (Chinese Women and Modernity)
WSS 360 (Feminist Social and Political Thought)
WSS 361 (Gender and Nation in World Cinema)
WSS 362 (Critical Approaches to Gender and Sexuality in Literature)
WSS 381 (Anthropology of Gender)
WSS 412 (Race, Gender and Cultural Politics in Asian America)
WSS 451 (Gender and Class in Latin American Development)

OR

Art, Writing and Activism:
Required: WSS 282Z (Narratives and Counter-Narratives)

Three courses from the following, at least two of them must be at the 300-level or above:

WSS 280 (Film and Popular Culture)
WSS 281 (Women and the Media)
WSS 342X (Electronic Publishing in Women's Studies)
WSS 361 (Gender and Nation in World Cinema)
WSS 362 (Critical Approaches to Gender and Sexuality in Literature)
WSS 366 (Critical Approaches to Ethnicity in Literature)
WSS 412 (Race, Gender and Cultural Politics in Asian America)
WSS 430 (Environmental Justice: Racism, Classism, Sexism)
WSS 450 (Literature of Feminism: An Interdisciplinary Seminar)
WSS 475 (Women in Art)

OR

Independent Student Design:
Required: WSS 260 (History of Women and Social Change)

Three courses, as advised (at least two of them at the the 300-level or above). Must be approved by the Undergraduate Studies Committee.

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III. Electives (12 credits)

At least one course must be at the 300-level or above. Electives are to be selected from Women's Studies courses or other courses as approved by the Women's Studies Department, and approved by the Undergraduate Studies Committee.

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