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WGST - Women’s and Gender Studies Major

Women's and Gender Studies UG BA

Program Title

Women's and Gender Studies

Program Type

Major

Degree Designation

BA

Department(s)

Women's and Gender Studies

Program Description

Major effective prior to 2011

Modifications Made to Curriculum: Fall 2014, Fall 2020, Fall 2023

Women’s and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program that examines, through an intersectional approach, the diversity of experiences of women, men, gender non-conforming, trans and non-binary individuals as they are shaped by class, race, ethnicity, sexuality, age, ability, social location, nationality and cultural identity.

The program is informed by the theoretical and methodological insights of feminist thought and scholarship on gender, race, class, and sexuality from a variety of disciplines and fields of study. It teaches students how to ask analytical and critical questions about gender and to understand its connections to other social categories of identity. The program also seeks to foster conversations between feminist academic knowledges and activist praxis to promote social justice both in the United States and in the Global South through a global/transnational feminist lens. These analytical and methodological skills can be applied in a second major, a minor, and in almost any professional field. The program offers a major and a minor drawn from a range of selected courses across departments.

In order to develop connections between theory and practice, the major requires an internship in an area of the student’s choice. WGST students interested in work in the non-profit world might also consider the Semester on Social Entrepreneurship.

After Drew, WGST majors enter a myriad of careers from law, education, and medicine to work in the non-profit sector in activist and social service organizations. Majors also go on to graduate or professional study in many fields.

Requisites

Requirements for the Major (44 credits)

Click on the course subject and number to view more information including description, attributes, and equivalent course(s).

I. Core (20 credits)

Complete all of the following:

  • course - Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies

  • course - Transnational Feminisms

  • course - Contemporary Feminist Theory

  • course - Women's and Gender Studies Capstone

    Plus one of the following two courses focused on the History of Feminist Thought:

  • course - Filming American Feminisms OR course - Sexuality and Gender in 19th Century Literature and Culture

II. Intermediate and Upper-Level (20 credits)

Five elective courses (20 credits), chosen in consultation with the adviser, of which at least three courses (12 credits) must be at the upper-level. No more than 2 courses (8 credits) from any single department with the exception of Women's and Gender Studies; no more than two courses (8 credits) may be completed in a study abroad program. Students may choose from the following but should also consult the list published each semester by the program for additional courses.

  • course - Gender and Literature

  • course - Sexuality and Literature

  • course - Ecofeminism

  • course - Interdisciplinary Topics in Women’s Studies

  • course - Anthropology of Gender

  • course - Sociology of Gender

  • course - Policing and the Rule of Law: Gender, Race, and Citizenship

  • course - Gender, Sexuality, and the Power of Language in French Texts (in English)

  • course - Women in Music

  • course - Gender, Sexuality and Performance in Spanish Theater

  • course - Women in Theatre

  • course - Spirituality, Gender and the Media

  • course - Filming American Feminisms

  • course - Gender and Contemporary Anglophone Literature

  • course - Sexuality and Gender in 19th Century Literature and Culture

  • course - Indigeneity and Gender in a Global Context

  • course - Advanced Topics in Women’s and Gender Studies

  • course - Gender and US Politics

  • course - Political Economy of Race, Class, and Gender

  • course - Gender and Globalization

  • course - Asian American Women: Nation, Self and Identity

  • course - American Women’s History

  • course - Sociology of Reproduction

  • course - Advanced Topics in Gender and Culture

  • course - Reading Nation, Gender, and Ethnicity in Latin American Culture

  • course - Global Discourse on Human Rights

  • course - Seminar in Gender Violence and Women’s Resistance

  • course - Women in Asian Traditions

  • course - History of Sexuality

  • course - Global Women’s History

  • course - Applied Performance: Addressing Sexual Harassment, Violence, and Discrimination through Interactive Performance

  • course - Advanced Seminar in Women’s and Gender Studies

  • course - Gender and Sexuality in Hispanic Cultural Production

  • course - Enter Laughing: On Women, Men and Comedy

Or any class that carries the "Major-Women's/Gender Elective" attribute.

III. Internship (4 credits)

Complete 4 credits, selected in consultation with the advisor, and to be planned as experience/praxis linked to an aspect of the student’s major. Some other immersive experiences may be approved by the advisor to fill this requirement where appropriate to the student’s program and future plans.  Consult the program director.

Notes

Other courses may be applied to the Major if they are proposed to and approved by the Women’s and Gender Studies Committee. Students registering for course/course should consult with their advisor regarding course.