Program Requirements

• Total units required: 27

A Bachelor of Arts degree with a major or second major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) requires a total of 27 credits, 21 of which must be taken in courses numbered 300 or higher. At least 18 of the 21 upper-level credits required for the major may only count for the WGSS major and may not be double-counted toward another major. Courses that count for the major should be registered as WGSS courses (i.e., with the WGSS designation, L77). All courses taken for the major must be taken for a grade, and students must earn a grade of C- or higher.

Requirements for the WGSS Major

The following six requirements must be fulfilled through WGSS home-based or cross-listed courses taken at Washington University, unless otherwise indicated. The theory and methods/service learning requirements must be completed at Washington University. Students requesting an exception and who wish to transfer credits in the theory or methods/service learning category must petition the department chair or the director of undergraduate studies, who will consider the request.

Only one course may fulfill two requirements (i.e., one course may double count for two of the six required areas). Students on approved study abroad programs may petition for one course to count toward one of these six requirements.

1. A 100-Level Introductory Course: 3 credits

Students must complete the following course and file a copy of a paper from this course with the WGSS office (McMillan Hall, Room 210):

2. One Theory Course: 3 credits

Choose one of the following:

3. One Feminist Research Methods or Community-Engaged Learning Course: 3 credits

Choose one of the following:

Note: Students who write an honors thesis must take WGSS 417W Feminist Research Methodologies and enroll in WGSS 499 Honors Thesis: Research and Writing to fulfill this requirement. Students who take WGSS 417W Feminist Research Methodologies must submit a copy of their final paper from this course to the WGSS office (McMillan Hall, Room 210).

4. Two 400-level Courses or an Honors Thesis: 6 credits

Courses taken in any of the above categories will satisfy this requirement, or the student may choose to write an honors thesis. One of the 3-credit courses must be a home-based WGSS course; the second may be either home-based or cross-listed. Students should consult with their WGSS advisors for approval of their chosen courses and to ensure that one of the courses is home-based.

5. One Historical Context Course: 3 credits

Students must choose one course that explores gender, sex, or sexuality in historical context or that studies the history of these categories. A single course may not fulfill both the historical context category and the ethnic/global/racial context category. In other words, one may not double count a class even if it is listed in both categories. This course must be home-based or cross-listed in WGSS. Courses used to fulfill this requirement must be listed under WGSS. Note: A course that satisfies one of the previous four requirement areas in this list may also fulfill this requirement.

Choose one of the following:

6. One Ethnic/Global/Racial Context Course: 3 credits

Students must choose one course that considers gender and ethnicity, gender and race, or gender in a global context. This course must be home-based or cross-listed in WGSS. Courses used to fulfill this requirement must be listed under WGSS. Note: A course that satisfies one of the first four requirement areas in this list may also fulfill this requirement.

Choose one of the following:

General WGSS Education Credits: 6 credits

General WGSS education credits may be chosen from the following:

Additional Information

Pass/No Pass credits do not count toward the major, even if they are WGSS internships. For a course to count for major credit, the student must earn a C- or better; however, the College of Arts and Sciences will only grant credit for a writing intensive course if the student earns at least a C+.