Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies

Our required gateway course into both the GWSS major and minor is “Introduction to Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies.” Next, students usually advance to “Foundations of LGBTQ Studies,” which provides an interdisciplinary examination of sexual desires, sexual orientations, and the concept of sexuality, with a particular focus on the construction of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender identities. All GWSS majors and minors round out the program with a capstone course, such as “Race, Gender & Sexuality in Pop Culture” or “Transnational Feminist Activism,” that offers them the opportunity to study a topic in depth and produce a substantial research paper. Students who decide to major in GWSS take additional upper-level courses in methods and theory and complete a self-directed, advisor-guided senior project.

While there are required courses for the GWSS major and minor, the program also gives students space to customize their GWSS pathways to fit their academic interests. Students can earn GWSS elective credits through courses in a variety of departments on campus. A few examples include the Cinema and Media Studies department’s “Feminist and Queer Media,” the Religion department’s “The Sacred Body,” and the Biology department’s “Human Reproduction and Sexuality.” Students are also encouraged to earn elective credits from off-campus programs like Women’s and Gender Studies in Europe.