Gender, Women, and Sexualities Studies Major, B.A.

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Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy

College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Available Program Format(s): In-Person

About the Program

The Bachelor of Arts in Gender, Women and Sexualities Studies identifies and critically examines systems of power utilizing intersectional and transnational frameworks that allow for self-reflection and active engagement in social change. It prepares students for professional and graduate education, we well as employment in many different fields, such as victim advocacy, health care, LGBTQI+ services, prevention education, public policy, family services, counseling and therapy, and media.

Student Outcomes

KNOWLEDGE

Students will be able to describe the main social, economic, political, technological, psychological, and cultural issues facing sexed and gendered individuals in a transnational context; and/or
Students will be able to describe and identify major actors and events within feminist and LGBTQ activism and movements in the United States; and/or
Students will be able to critique and apply feminist and LGBTQ thoughts and theories and research methods to the social realities of lived intersectional experiences.

WRITTEN AND ORAL SKILLS

Students will be able to demonstrate college level written and oral skills that show information literacy grammatical, organizational, and stylistic sophistication appropriate to their audience.
Students will be able to create and support a focused and coherent analytical essay that demonstrate effective use of library collections and other scholarly resources.

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Students will be able to utilize self-reflexivity to appraise one’s sociopolitical location in relation to scholarship and activism.
Students will be able to design and implement an applied feminist experience through an internship, service learning, research or teaching assistantship.

General Degree Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the four areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

Program Requirements

A total of 120 semester hours are required for graduation.
A grade of C- or better is required for each course in this program to count toward the bachelor’s degree. Students should note that programs differ in the minimum grade required.
A minor IS required for this program.
Students must take GWS 3510 and GWS 4750 in sequence.

General Studies Requirements: 33 credits

Students should consult the General Studies Requirements for a list of courses that fulfill the General Studies Requirements for degree completion.

Written Communication (6 credits)
Oral Communication (3 credits)
Quantitative Literacy (3 credits)
Arts and Humanities (6 credits)
Historical (3 credits)
Natural and Physical Sciences (6 credits)
Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)
Global Diversity (0 or 3 credits**)

** Students will fulfill the global diversity requirement by taking an approved course within one of the following categories: arts and humanities; historical; natural and physical sciences; or social and behavioral sciences.

Multicultural Requirement: 0 or 3 credits

Students should consult the Multicultural Graduation Requirements for a list of courses that fulfill the Multicultural Requirement for degree completion.
Many programs include courses that meet this requirement. Students should consult with their advisor to determine what program courses may fulfill this requirement.

Core Required Courses: 21 credits

GWS 1001 - Introduction to Gender, Women, and Sexualities Studies Credits: 3
GWS 1200 - Multicultural Study of Sexualities and Genders Credits: 3
GWS 2100 - Women of Color Credits: 3
GWS 2200 - Feminist and Queer Research Methods Credits: 3
GWS 3170 - Social Justice, Self, and Citizenship: A Service Learning Course Credits: 3
GWS 3510 - Feminist Theories and Practices Credits: 3
GWS 4920 - Gender, Women, and Sexualities Studies Internship Credits: 1-12
OR
GWS 4970 - Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Training Credits: 3

Area Requirements: 18 credits

Students must take one course from each of the four areas: Transnational and Cultural Diversity, Social Justice and Activism, Bodies and Sexualities, and Interdisciplinary. Additionally, students must take two courses within their selected focus area. These courses must be planned in consultation with a faculty member in GITA.

Interdisciplinary Electives

A minimum of 3 additional semester hours is required in Gender, Women and Sexualities courses.

Senior Experience: 3 credits

GWS 4750 - Feminist Research and Activism Credits: 3

Summary of Requirements

General Studies Requirements	33 credits
Multicultural Requirement	0-3 credits
Core Required Courses	21 credits
Area Requirements	18 credits
Senior Experience Requirement	3 credits
Minor and Unrestricted Electives	42-60 credits
Total for the Gender, Women, and Sexualities Studies Major, B.A.	120 credits

Required courses for the major may also count for General Studies and Multicultural requirements, so the total credits listed may be greater than the number required to complete the degree. Therefore, it is important that you work with your advisor to make sure you are meeting requirements for your degree.