Gender & Women's Studies

New Requirements

Major Requirements: Effective September 2015

Majors in Gender and Women’s Studies are required to take courses reflecting each of four approaches to knowledge (humanities, social science, theory, and biological or health sciences and one course from three of four issue areas (sexuality, disability and embodiment, race/ethnicity, and global).

The undergraduate major in Gender and Women’s Studies requires that students complete one of two options:

  1. Standard Option, 30 credits
  2. Research Option, 31-33 credits

All majors complete a minimum of 30 credits in Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS) including:

  1. Standard Option, 30 credits
  2. Research Option, 31-33 credits
    1. Requires that students complete the Gender and Women’s Studies standard curriculum in, with the exception of GWS 640, identify an area of concentration that supports their thesis research, AND they must write a senior thesis (GWS 691 and 692 for 2-3 credits each) over one academic year/two semesters. GWS 640 can be used an elective in this option, if desired.


    All majors complete a minimum of 30 credits in Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS) including:

    Standard Option, 30 credits

    All majors complete a minimum of 30 credits in Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS) including:

    1. GWS 101 or 102 (only one of these courses may count toward the major)
    2. GWS 103
    3. One intermediate or advanced course from each of four approaches:
      1. Biology and Health
        431, 524, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535
      2. Humanities (GWS courses with H, L or Z designations)
        200, 205, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 270, 310, 315, 317, 319, 324, 326, 330, 332, 340, 341, 342, 343, 346, 351, 353, 355, 366, 367, 370, 371, 372, 410, 412, 414, 415, 416, 419, 421, 437, 440, 441, 442, 445, 449, 450, 460, 463, 464, 467, 468, 519, 524, 532, 545. 547, 595, 624, 625, 677, 679
      3. Social Science (GWS courses with S or Z designations)
        200, 215, 320, 323, 329, 331, 333, 340, 353, 354, 392, 420, 421, 422, 424, 425, 426, 427, 431, 440, 441, 443, 449, 469, 472, 477, 522, 560, 601, 611, 643
      4. Feminist Theory
        333, 423, 440, 441, 445, 449, 477, 547

      A single course can count as both an approach AND an issue area.

    4. One intermediate or advanced course from three of the four issue areas:
      1. Race/Ethnicity:
        • Critically explore the role of race/ethnicity as a tool of creating, identifying, materializing, and solidifying human difference.  These courses may explore the construction and deployment of race/ethnicity anywhere in the world. 
        • 247, 248, 252, 315, 323, 324, 326, 330, 331, 332, 333, 353, 354, 355, 366, 367, 425, 437, 460, 463, 464, 547, 624, 625, 677, 679
      2. Global:
        • Explore aspects of gender in a comparative national frame. These classes may focus on the process of globalization or they may focus on gendered concerns in at least two national contexts. 
        • 315, 367, 414, 420, 424, 426, 427, 443, 467, 468, 535, 643, 644, 661
      3. Sexuality:
        • Explore “sexuality” under the assumption that sexuality is not a natural or self-evident attribute or category, these courses demonstrate how sexuality has come to assume a variety of culturally specific but often contested meanings.
        • 200, 252, 340, 342, 343, 346, 351, 414, 419, 442, 463, 468, 519, 524, 532, 534
      4. Disability & Embodiment:

        • Examine the creation and evolution of different categories of embodiment and the experience of living through and as bodies. These courses focus on gender and disability, exploring disability as a social category, a medical realm, a political identity, an analytical approach, and a lived experience.
        • 343, 370, 371, 372, 445

      A single course can count as both an approach AND an issue area.

      New and special topics courses are being added each semester. Please check the departmental website for what courses are being offered and how they meet coursework requirements.

    5. GWS 640: Capstone Seminar in Gender and Women’s Studies


    Research Option, 31-33 credits

    Students interested in the Research Option will complete the outlined curriculum above with the internal specialization and the exception that GWS 640 is not required, but could serve as an elective. Students will then also complete GWS 691 and GWS 692 for 2-3 credits each.

    Additional Information About the Major:

    • Directed Study courses do not count toward the minimum credits required in the major.
    • GWS 660, Internship in Gender and Women’s Studies, is a six-credit course. This course may count as one elective or one of the ten required courses.
    • 15 credits of upper-level work in the major completed in residence.

    Undergraduate Program

    Honors in the Major

    Current Course Offerings

    GWS Major Worksheet