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 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 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 Race/Ethnicity/Politics Course: 3 credits
Students select one of the following. These courses can also be electives.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AFAS 3644 | Look Here, Karen: The Politics of Black Digital Resistance to White Femininity | 3 |
| POLSCI 3080 | Race and Ethnicity in American Politics | 3 |
| SOC 4721 | Race, Reproduction, and Justice | 3 |
| WGSS 3006 | Strangers at the Gate: Race, Sex, and Immigration in America | 3 |
| WGSS 3020 | Justice as Failure: Abolitionist Theory and Praxis | 3 |
| WGSS 3740 | Imperialism and Sexuality: India, South Asia, and the World: Writing-Intensive Seminar | 3 |
| WGSS 4165 | From Mammy to the Welfare Queen: African American Women Theorize Identity | 3 |
3. One Sexuality and Politics Course: 3 credits
Students select one of the following. These courses can also be electives.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| WGSS 2070 | Sexuality and the State: Introduction to Sexuality Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 3030 | Queering Citizenship: Gender/Abolition | 3 |
| WGSS 3090 | Sex and Money: Economies of Desire | 3 |
| WGSS 3135 | The Racial and Sexual Politics of Public Health | 3 |
| WGSS 3165 | Queer Histories | 3 |
| WGSS 3256 | Sex Trafficking | 3 |
4. One Non-U.S. Course: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AFAS 1345 | Re-imagining Northern Africa: From Unveiled Women to Veiled Men | 3 |
| HISTORY 3104 | War, Genocide and Gender in Modern Europe | 3 |
| HISTORY 3131 | Gender, Sexuality and Communism in 20th-Century Europe | 3 |
| RELPOL 3070 | Islam, Gender, Sexuality | 3 |
| WGSS 3740 | Imperialism and Sexuality: India, South Asia, and the World: Writing-Intensive Seminar | 3 |
| WGSS 4245 | Transnational Feminisms | 3 |
5. One Theory Course: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| WGSS 3215 | Bodies Out of Bounds: Feminist and Queer Disability Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 3575 | Confronting Capitalism: Feminism, Work and Solidarity | 3 |
| WGSS 4085 | Everyday Unruliness: Feminist and Queer Resistance | 3 |
| WGSS 4165 | From Mammy to the Welfare Queen: African American Women Theorize Identity | 3 |
| WGSS 4200 | Feminist Political Theory | 3 |
| WGSS 4245 | Transnational Feminisms | 3 |
| WGSS 4350 | Queer and Feminist Geographies | 3 |
6. One History Course: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AFAS 3006 | Feminist Fire!: Radical Black Women in the 20th Century | 3 |
| CLASSICS 3160 | The Women of Greek Tragedy | 3 |
| CLASSICS 4701 | Ancient Greek and Roman Gynecology | 3 |
| COMPLITTHT 3101 | An Intellectual History of Sex and Gender: Text & Traditions | 3 |
| ELIT 3502 | Topics in American Literature: Girls' Fiction | 3 |
| ELIT 4102 | Medieval English Literature II | 3 |
| FILM 3450 | Sexual Politics in Film Noir and Hard-Boiled Literature | 3 |
| FRENCH 4550 | Intersectional Identities in Medieval France | 3 |
| GLOBAL 3890 | Furies and Die-Hards: Women in Rebellion and War | 3 |
| HISTORY 2117 | First-Year Seminar: Angels, Prostitutes and Chicas Modernas: Women in Latin American History | 3 |
| HISTORY 3104 | War, Genocide and Gender in Modern Europe | 3 |
| HISTORY 3131 | Gender, Sexuality and Communism in 20th-Century Europe | 3 |
| HISTORY 3146 | Topics in European History: Modern European Women | 3 |
| HISTORY 3187 | Women, Gender and Sexuality in Postwar America | 3 |
| HISTORY 3226 | Gender and Sexuality in 1950s America: Writing-Intensive Seminar | 3 |
| HISTORY 3259 | I Know IT When I See It: A History of Obscenity & Pornography in the United States | 3 |
| HISTORY 4072 | Advanced Seminar: Sexuality in the United States | 3 |
| HISTORY 4124 | Advanced Seminar: Women and Religion in Medieval Europe | 3 |
| REST 4061 | Nuns | 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 3165 | Queer Histories | 3 |
| WGSS 3175 | Community-Engaged Learning: Documenting the Queer Past in St. Louis | 4 |
| WGSS 3405 | Revolutionize It! the Radical History of Second-Wave Feminisms | 3 |
| WGSS 3446 | No Boys Allowed: Girlhood and Programming for Girls in 19th and 20th Centuries, United States | 3 |
| WGSS 3475 | Queering the History of Health | 3 |
| WGSS 3510 | Women and Social Movements: Gender and Sexuality in U.S. Social Movements | 3 |
| WGSS 3555 | Caste: Sexuality, Race and Globalization. | 3 |
| WGSS 3650 | The Global History of HIV/AIDS | 3 |
| WGSS 3700 | Gender and Social Class | 3 |
| WGSS 3740 | Imperialism and Sexuality: India, South Asia, and the World: Writing-Intensive Seminar | 3 |
| WGSS 4115 | Gender, Religion, Medicine and Science | 3 |
| WGSS 4153 | Decolonization to Globalization: How to End an Empire | 3 |
7. One Methods Course: 3 credits
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| WGSS 2910 | Peer Counseling Training: Sexual Assault and Rape Anonymous Helpline | 3 |
| WGSS 3175 | Community-Engaged Learning: Documenting the Queer Past in St. Louis | 4 |
| 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 |
Note:
Students who plan to write an honors thesis must take WGSS 4141 Feminist and Queer Research Methodologies and 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.
8. Two 4000-Level Courses or an Honors Thesis: 6 credits
Courses taken in any of the above categories will satisfy this requirement, or students 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 |
|---|---|---|
| AFAS 4030 | Sexual Health and the City: A Studiolab Course Course On the Politics of Reproduction | 3 |
| WGSS 4016 | Queer of Color Critique | 3 |
| WGSS 4017 | Healing and Social Justice | 3 |
| WGSS 4085 | Everyday Unruliness: Feminist and Queer Resistance | 3 |
| WGSS 4115 | Gender, Religion, Medicine and Science | 3 |
| WGSS 4141 | Feminist and Queer Research Methodologies | 3 |
| WGSS 4142 | Thesis Proposal Workshop | 1 |
| WGSS 4165 | From Mammy to the Welfare Queen: African American Women Theorize Identity | 3 |
| WGSS 4200 | Feminist Political Theory | 3 |
| WGSS 4350 | Queer and Feminist Geographies | 3 |
| WGSS 4245 | Transnational Feminisms | 3 |
| WGSS 4370 | Reformers and Radicals: Feminist Thinking Through History | 3 |
| WGSS 4401 | Intersectionality - Intersectionality | 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). Students should consult with their WGSS major advisor to ensure their chosen course meets this requirement.
9. Elective Courses
- Students select 6 units of any WGSS or WGSS-approved courses as electives, but one of the courses listed below is encouraged:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 3190 | Gender in Society | 3 |
| POLSCI 4218 | Gender and the Future of Work | 3 |
| WGSS 3215 | Bodies Out of Bounds: Feminist and Queer Disability Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 3405 | Revolutionize It! the Radical History of Second-Wave Feminisms | 3 |
| WGSS 3470 | Law, Gender, and Justice | 3 |
| WGSS 3685 | Gender Violence | 3 |
| WGSS 3700 | Gender and Social Class | 3 |
| WGSS 4017 | Healing and Social Justice | 3 |
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 |