Program Requirements
WGSS majors may choose an optional specialization within the major called Politics if the students' interests lie primarily within this area of WGSS. Students enrolled in the Politics specialization must complete the WGSS major using the approved courses in each required category below. Only 6 units may be taken at the 100 or 200 level. In addition, 6 units must be taken at the 400 level. One of the 400-level courses can be double-counted for one other category. For example, one class may count toward the 400-level class and it may fulfill the theory requirement.
Required Courses
- Introduction (3 credits); this course is required for all majors:
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| WGSS 100B | Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | 3 |
- Race/Ethnicity/Politics (3 credits); students select one of the following (these courses can also be electives):
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| WGSS 3002 | Feminist Fire!: Radical Black Women in the 20th Century | 3 |
| WGSS 383A | Topics in Women,Gender, and Sexuality Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 39SC | Imperialism and Sexuality: India, South Asia, and the World: Writing-Intensive Seminar | 3 |
| WGSS 421 | From Mammy to the Welfare Queen: African American Women Theorize Identity | 3 |
- Sexuality and Politics (3 credits); students select one of the following (these courses can also be electives):
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| WGSS 206 | Sexuality and the State: Introduction to Sexuality Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 3014 | Queering Citizenship: Gender/Abolition | 3 |
| WGSS 3103 | Sex and Money: Economies of Desire | 3 |
| WGSS 3141 | The Racial and Sexual Politics of Public Health | 3 |
| WGSS 3172 | Queer Histories | 3 |
| WGSS 323A | Sex Trafficking | 3 |
- Non-U.S. Course (3 credits); students select one of the following:
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| WGSS 3416 | War, Genocide and Gender in Modern Europe | 3 |
| WGSS 3548 | Gender, Sexuality & Communism in 20th-Century Europe | 3 |
| WGSS 362A | Islam, Gender, Sexuality | 3 |
| WGSS 39SC | Imperialism and Sexuality: India, South Asia, and the World: Writing-Intensive Seminar | 3 |
| WGSS 437 | Transnational Feminisms | 3 |
- Theory (3 credits); students select one of the following:
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| WGSS 3203 | Bodies Out of Bounds: Feminist and Queer Disability Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 371 | Confronting Capitalism: Feminism, Work and Solidarity | 3 |
| WGSS 4102 | Everyday Unruliness: Feminist and Queer Resistance | 3 |
| WGSS 421 | From Mammy to the Welfare Queen: African American Women Theorize Identity | 3 |
| WGSS 429 | Feminist Political Theory | 3 |
| WGSS 437 | Transnational Feminisms | 3 |
| WGSS 4350 | Queer and Feminist Geographies | 3 |
- History (3 credits): students select from the WGSS course offerings in this area.
- Methods (3 credits); students select one of the following:
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| WGSS 417W | Feminist Research Methodologies | 3 |
WGSS 444
& 444B | Sex and Gender in Public
and Sex and Gender in Public (These are 1.5-credit courses that meet once a week during both semesters of the senior year and that will result in a capstone project exploring gender and/or sexuality and politics broadly conceived.) | 3 |
Elective Courses
- Students select 6 units of any WGSS courses as electives, but one of the courses listed below is encouraged:
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| WGSS 3012 | Gender and Politics | 3 |
| WGSS 3203 | Bodies Out of Bounds: Feminist and Queer Disability Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 3410 | Gender in Society | 3 |
| WGSS 348 | "Revolutionize It!" The Radical History of Second-Wave Feminisms | 3 |
| WGSS 3561 | Law, Gender, and Justice | 3 |
| WGSS 393 | Gender Violence (If a student wants to take WGSS 3942 Community-Engaged Learning: Projects in Domestic Violence, this course must be taken first.) | 3 |
| WGSS 396 | Gender and Social Class | 3 |
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+.
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.
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 course work taken elsewhere.