Women’s and Gender Studies, B.A.

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Description

Employers are looking for critical thinking, writing, presentation and problem-solving skills. A major or minor in Women and Gender studies gives skills transferable skills to your future job(s). Women’s and Gender Studies students may find employment in a variety of areas depending on their skills and experience. Some students find work in the area of advocacy or social services-related positions, community development, business, and government. Others find work in education, health care, and/or law.

What careers can this major prepare you for?

Students find work in advocacy or social services-related positions, community development, business, and government. Others find work in education, health care, and/or law.

What skills are developed within this major?

Students completing the Women’s and Gender Studies program have the ability to: critically examine evidence and information, plan projects and conduct needs assessment, communication clearly with diverse groups of people, find and use information on contemporary social issues, understand differences of gender, sexuality, race, culture, and social class in the workplace.

Admission to Major

Requires good academic standing in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

Hours Required for Degree

Minimum hours required for the degree: 120

Minimum hours required for the major: 30 distributed in three fields

Major-Field Requirements

To earn a Women’s and Gender Studies major, students must take a minimum of 30 semester hours in Women’s and Gender Studies courses. Courses must include at least 6 credits in the humanities and 6 credits in the social sciences. Independent study (WGS 496 ), Special Topics (WGS 393 ), Special Topics Writing (WGS 493 ), Practicum (WGS 351 ) or Internship (WGS 490 ), may be included as part of the major, if approved by the director. A grade of C or better must be earned in courses used to fulfill requirements for the major. Students are encouraged to use this framework to develop a more specialized Women’s and Gender Studies curriculum based upon their particular career interests.

Required Courses

WGS 151 - Introduction to Women’s & Gender Studies
WGS 495 - Advanced Seminar
6 credits in WGS Social Sciences Courses
6 credits in WGS Humanities Courses
12 credits in additional WGS Courses

Additional Women’s and Gender Studies Courses

In addition to courses listed below, certain special-topics courses may apply to the major if approved by the Women’s and Gender Studies Director. See individual departmental listing for course descriptions and prerequisites.

Women’s and Gender Studies Courses from the Social Sciences

ANT 224 - Sex, Gender & Culture
BST 350 - African American Family Life
COM 331 - Gender & Communication
HSC 346 - Women’s Health
NUR 493 - Special Topics In Nursing when offered as Women’s Health …
PSY 255 - Psychology of Women
PSY 352 - Human Sexuality
SOC 201 - Race, Class and Gender
SOC 317 - Sociology of Gender
CRM 349 - Women and Crime
UST 455 - Gender and Leadership (cross-listed as NAD 455 )

Women’s and Gender Studies Courses from the Humanities

ART 350 - Women in Art
ENG 207 - African-American Literature when offered by WGS faculty
ENG 208 - Womanism/Feminism
ENG 333 - Studies in 18th Century British Literature when offered as Feminist Approaches to 18^thCentury Fiction
ENG 334 - Studies in 19th-Century British Literature when offered as Feminist Approaches to 19th Century Fiction
ENG 335 - Studies in 20th Century English and Anglophone Literature when offered as Feminist Approaches to 20th Century Fiction
ENG 363 - Gender Issues in Literature
ENG 375 - Major Author when offered as Jane Austen, or the Bronte sisters, or Emily Dickinson, or Toni Morrison, or Virginia Woolf
HIS 327 - American Sexual Communities and Politics
HIS 354 - European Women’s History
HIS 381 - Class, Gender and Sexuality in China
HIS 393 - Special Topics in History when offered as History of Women in America, History of African-American Women
PHL 410 - Studies in the History of Philosophy when offered as Women Philosophers
PHL 446 - Ethics of Human Reproduction
REL 260 - Women and Religion
REL 363 - Women and the Goddess in Asian Religions
REL 376 - Women in Early Christianity
SPN 484 - Studies In Spanish American Literature when offered as Latin American Women Writers in the 20th Century
THE 230 - Women in Theatre

Honors Program/University Scholars Requirements

Student letter of intent to submit an Honors Thesis in WGS
Two Independent Study/Research courses on Women’s and Gender Studies – these may count towards the regular WGS major
Senior Thesis (25-50 pages) – a preliminary version of this will be presented during your final semester at a public meeting of WGS faculty; final revised version due later must reflect response to comments at the presentation.