Major and Minor

A degree in Women's and Gender Studies enables students to pursue a variety of fields and occupations, including but not limited to business, education, health care, media, politics, law, and social services. Our alumni have gone on to integrate their WGS education into several careers.

Examples of occupations held by our WGS alumni:

• Health and Social Services: Doula, Registered Nurse, Medical Technologist, Care Professional, Public Health Program Coordinator, and Care Manager.  
• Education and Advocacy: Career Specialist, Educator, and School Adjustment Counselor. 
• Legal and Advocacy Roles: Attorney, HR Specialist, and Benefits Analyst. 
• Communication and Media: Writer/Editor and Marketing and Content Editor. 
• Non-Profit and Community Services: Grant manager, Outreach Worker, and Client Representative. 
• Library and Information Science: Librarian and Archivist.
• Therapeutic and Counseling Services: Therapist, Clinical Therapist, Crisis Worker, Outreach Worker
• Technology and Engineering: Graphic Artist, iOS Engineer, and Cybersecurity Engineer. 
• Management and Administration VP, Site Specialist, Division Administrator, Coordinator, Manager, Executive Director, Assistant Director. 

What can you do with a major in Women's and Gender Studies?

A degree in Women's and Gender Studies enables students to pursue a variety of fields and occupations, including but not limited to business, education, health care, media, politics, law, social services, and psychology.

The major in Women's and Gender Studies comprises 12 courses (36 credits):

• Five (5) core courses for fifteen (15) credits
  • WGS 101: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies. Offered every semester.
  • WGS 201: Introduction to Feminist Theory. Offered in the fall semester.
  • WGS 312: Feminist Research Methods. Offered in the fall semester.
• One (1) upper-level Feminist Theory course. Offered in the spring semester. Prerequisite: WGS 201.
  • WGS 499: WGS Capstone Seminar. Offered in the spring semester.
• One (1) course in each of the following Focus Areas for a total of twelve (12) credits:
  • Intersectional Gender Studies (GS)
  • Politics, Justice and Policy (PJP)
  • Cross-Cultural and Transnational Inquiry (CCI)
  • Politics of Cultural Representation [formerly Arts and Letters] (PCR)
• Two (2) additional courses in 1 of the 4 Focus Areas (6 credits)
• An internship / or / 1 elective WGS course (3 credits)

Note: 7 of the 12 courses must be 300-/400-level courses. This includes WGS 312, WGS 499, and your upper-level feminist theory course.

Why should I pursue a Women's and Gender Studies Minor?

With its emphasis on critical thinking and communication, the Women's and Gender Studies minor is an asset for any college graduate. Students develop self-confidence, critical thought processes, and communication skills that contribute to academic achievement and successful post-university careers. Women's and Gender Studies students have pursued careers in law, human services, business, the health sciences, visual arts, publishing, and education. 

Requirements for the Minor in Women's and Gender Studies

6 classes (18 credits) as follows:

• 3 core courses, totaling 9 credits
  • WGS 101, Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
  • WGS 201, Introduction to Feminist Theory
  • One (1) upper-level feminist theory course (WGS 302, 305, 306, or 307)
  • Notes: WGS 101 is offered every semester. WGS 201 runs in the fall and an upper-level feminist theory course is offered in the spring.
    
• 3 electives, totaling 9 credits
  
  • Note: Two of the electives must be at the 300/400 level.

Non-Western/Comparative Cultures requirement. Of the 4 courses other than 101 and 201, 1 course must be from a non-Western or Comparative Cultures perspective. Consult with the department chairperson for more information and to ensure that you take a course that meets this requirement.

Minor tracking sheet

• WGS Minor Tracking Sheet (For students who declared minor Fall 2024 & after)
• 2018 Minor Tracking Sheet 

Learning outcomes

Core learning outcomes

1. Explain the historical, social, and political contexts of women's movements and feminist thought
2. Explain feminist theories and apply them in critiquing and transforming one's world

Focus area learning outcomes

1. Intersectional Gender Studies: Identify and evaluate the social construction of gender and the ways gender intersects with other forms of identity, such as sexuality, race, class, ability and age, in creating and maintaining structures of inequality.
2. Politics, Justice and Policy: Explain the gendering of our socioeconomic and political worlds and the individual and collective components of social change.
3. Cross-Cultural and Transnational Inquiry: Identify, compare, and evaluate culturally and historically specific ideas of gender, sex, and sexuality; identify and examine ideas concerning gender, sex and sexuality that cross cultural and national borders.
4. Politics of Cultural Representation: Apply a feminist perspective to the study of literature, history, and/or the arts, with the aim of examining critically the multiple, situated kinds of knowledge that emerge from cultural artifacts and narratives.