Program Requirements
- Total Units Required: 27
- Grade Requirement: C– or better; Pass/No Pass grades do not count for the major.
Required Courses
Requirements for the Major
WGSS majors may choose an optional specialization within the major called Health if the students' interests lie primarily within this area of WGSS. Students enrolled in the Health specialization must complete the WGSS major using the approved courses in each required category below. Only 6 units may be taken at the 1000 or 2000 level. In addition, 6 units must be taken at the 4000 level. One of the 4000-level courses can be double-counted for one other category. For example, one class may count toward the 4000-level class and it may fulfill the theory requirement.
1. One 1000-Level Introductory Course: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| WGSS 1500 | Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | 3 |
2. One Theory Course: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| WGSS 3020 | Justice as Failure: Abolitionist Theory and Praxis | 3 |
| WGSS 3215 | Bodies Out of Bounds: Feminist and Queer Disability Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 3475 | Queering the History of Health | 3 |
| WGSS 4006 | Advanced Topics in Trans Theories: Femme | 3 |
3. One History Course: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CLASSICS 3150 | Gender and Sexuality in Greco-Roman Antiquity | 3 |
| WGSS 3055 | Making Sex and Gender: Understanding the History of the Body | 3 |
| WGSS 3081 | From Hysteria to Hysterectomy: Women's Health Care in America | 3 |
| WGSS 3135 | The Racial and Sexual Politics of Public Health | 3 |
| WGSS 4115 | Gender, Religion, Medicine and Science | 3 |
4. One Race or Non-U.S. Course: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 3134 | The AIDS Epidemic: Inequalities, Ethnography, and Ethics | 3 |
| ANTHRO 3201 | Gender, Culture, and Madness | 3 |
| ANTHRO 4022 | Transnational Reproductive Health Issues: Meanings, Technologies, Practices | 3 |
| SOC 4721 | Race, Reproduction, and Justice | 3 |
| WGSS 3020 | Justice as Failure: Abolitionist Theory and Praxis | 3 |
| WGSS 3135 | The Racial and Sexual Politics of Public Health | 3 |
| WGSS 3650 | The Global History of HIV/AIDS | 3 |
5. One Required Health Elective: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| WGSS 3155 | Gender, Health, and Society | 3 |
| WGSS 3500 | Trans Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 3685 | Gender Violence | 3 |
| WGSS 4017 | Healing and Social Justice | 3 |
6. One Methods Course: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| WGSS 2910 | Peer Counseling Training: Sexual Assault and Rape Anonymous Helpline | 3 |
| WGSS 3176 | Community Engaged Learning: Feminist and Queer Community Praxis | 4 |
| WGSS 3690 | Community-Engaged Learning: Projects in Domestic Violence | 3 |
| WGSS 4141 | Feminist and Queer Research Methodologies | 3 |
| WGSS 4142 | Thesis Proposal Workshop | 1 |
| WGSS 4280 | Sex and Gender in Public | 1.5 |
| WGSS 4440 | Sex and Gender in Public | 1.5 |
Notes:
Students who plan to write an honors thesis must take WGSS 4141 Feminist and Queer Research Methodologies, and they must also enroll in the 1-credit WGSS 4142 Thesis Proposal Workshop offered concurrently with WGSS 4141 Feminist and Queer Research Methodologies. WGSS 4142 Thesis Proposal Workshop is restricted to students who plan to submit an honors thesis proposal. Both WGSS 4141 Feminist and Queer Research Methodologies and WGSS 4142 Thesis Proposal Workshop should be taken during the fall semester of the student's junior year unless special departmental approval has been given.
Students who take WGSS 4141 Feminist and Queer Research Methodologies must submit a copy of their final paper from this course to the WGSS office at WGSS@wustl.edu. After the successful completion of WGSS 4141 Feminist and Queer Research Methodologies and WGSS 4142 Thesis Proposal Workshop and the approval of the honors thesis proposal, students enroll in WGSS 4991 Honors Thesis: Research and Writing during the time they are writing the honors thesis, which is usually two semesters.
7. Two 4000-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 4000-level course in WGSS course selected from the following list:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 4022 | Transnational Reproductive Health Issues: Meanings, Technologies, Practices | 3 |
| ANTHRO 4610 | Queer Medicine: Theories, Methods, Provocations | 3 |
| WGSS 4017 | Healing and Social Justice | 3 |
| WGSS 4115 | Gender, Religion, Medicine and Science | 3 |
| WGSS 4141 | Feminist and Queer Research Methodologies | 3 |
| WGSS 4991 | Honors Thesis: Research and Writing | 1-3 |
The second may be either a 4000-level course in WGSS or a 4000-level course approved for this degree offered by another program (e.g., has a different course subject code than WGSS). Consult with your WGSS major advisor to to ensure your chosen course meets this requirement.
8. Elective Courses: 9 credits
- Students select 9 units of any WGSS or WGSS-approved courses as electives.
Additional Information
Study Abroad
We strongly encourage and support students who wish to study abroad. Therefore, we accept up to 9 credits from study abroad (3 of those credits could fulfill the historical context or ethnic/global/racial requirement). Please contact Amy Cislo, WGSS Study Abroad Faculty Advisor, about this option.
Transfer Credit
Current students who wish to take courses at other universities during the summer may transfer up to 6 credit units. However, these credits cannot be used to fulfill the introductory course or the theory or methods/service-learning requirements. Students transferring to Washington University who wish to complete the major in WGSS may transfer no more than 9 credits of coursework taken elsewhere.
Contact Info
| Phone: | 314-935-5102 |
| Email: | wgss@wustl.edu |
| Website: | https://wgss.wustl.edu |