Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Overview
The Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) minor is an interdisciplinary program that encourages the study of gender construction and identities, the lives of women, and the range of sexualities, in local and global contexts.
There is no monolithic approach to the study of gender, women, and sexuality, as demonstrated by the wide range of departments across campus that offer related courses. The study of these concepts involves multiple layers of complexity and various disciplinary paradigms. The GWSS minor offers students the opportunity to engage in dialogue with learners across the curriculum as they study the power of critically analyzing gender, women, and sexuality from a multitude of disciplinary perspectives and philosophical positions.
Minor Requirements
The GWSS minor is a five-course program consisting of one required core class and four electives. No more than three courses from one department can be counted toward the minor.
All students minoring in GWSS must take at least one of the following courses:
All of the courses below examine gender, women, and sexuality, and approach these concepts from an intersectional perspective, emphasizing their interconnections with different bases of identity and multiple systems of oppression, including race and class.
| AMST 265/WRD 265 | Feminist Rhetorics and Social Change | 4 units |
| CTSJ 140 | Critical Theories of Sexuality | 4 units |
| CTSJ 220 | Intersectionality: Mapping Social Injustice in the United States | 4 units |
| DWA 230 | Gender and International Human Rights | 4 units |
| HIST 237 | Changing Views of Gender, Women, and Sexualities | 4 units |
| POLS 321 | Gender and Politics in the Global South | 4 units |
| SOC 265 | Gender and Society | 4 units |
Electives
In addition to completing one core course, students will take four additional courses from the list below to fulfill the minor.
| AMST 233 | American Queer Novel | 4 units |
| AMST 256/BLST 256 | Race Women: African American Women's Protest Culture | 4 units |
| AMST 268/BLST 268 | Style Politics: Beauty and Fashion in Black Women's History | 4 units |
| ARTH 360 | Women in Art in East Asia | 4 units |
| ARTH 365 | Gender and Art in Japan | 4 units |
| CSLC 270 | Tales of Sexuality from the Couch, the Court, and the Confessional | 4 units |
| CTSJ 160 | Introduction to Feminist Studies | 4 units |
| CTSJ 204 | Torture, Sex, and Metaphysics: Dehumanization Before Abu Ghraib and After | 4 units |
| CTSJ 210 | Mother Goose to Mother F*!@#$: Children's Lit/Popular Texts | 4 units |
| CTSJ 213 | Women's Work | 4 units |
| CTSJ 219 | Triumphs and Tribulations of Title IX | 4 units |
| CTSJ 220 | Intersectionality: Mapping Social Injustice in the United States | 4 units |
| CTSJ 222 | Body Politics | 4 units |
| CTSJ 255 | Women of Color Feminisms | 4 units |
| CTSJ 311 | Children, Poverty, and Public Policies | 4 units |
| CTSJ 360 | Feminist Methodologies | 4 units |
| CTSJ 361 | Gender, Race, and Nationality in Latin American and Latinx Film | 4 units |
| CTSJ 375 | Indigenous Feminisms | 4 units |
| DWA 230 | Gender and International Human Rights | 4 units |
| DWA 231 | Gender and International Relations | 4 units |
| DWA 258 | The Global Politics of LGBT Rights | 4 units |
| DWA 329 | Junior Seminar: Human Rights and Trafficking in Persons | 4 units |
| ECON 327 | Economics of Gender -- Marriage, Motherhood, and Money | 4 units |
| ECON 328 | Economics of Race and Gender | 4 units |
| ENGL 248 | Money, Gender, and the Nineteenth Century Novel | 4 units |
| ENGL 274 | Women Writers | 4 units |
| FREN 365 | Seminar in a Literary Theme. French Feminism | 4 units |
| HIST 150/LLAS 150 | Colonial Latin America | 4 units |
| HIST 182 | The Modern Middle East | 4 units |
| HIST 192 | Gender | 4 units |
| HIST 206 | History of American Women | 4 units |
| HIST 220 | Ancient Athens and Renaissance Florence | 4 units |
| HIST 226 | Renaissance to Revolution! | 4 units |
| HIST 237 | Changing Views of Gender, Women, and Sexualities | 4 units |
| HIST 243 | Modern China: Colonialism, Nationalism, and Revolution | 4 units |
| HIST 258/LLAS 258 | Twentieth Century Mexico | 4 units |
| HIST 277/BLST 277 | Women and Community Health | 4 units |
| HIST 282 | The Muslim World in Modern Times | 4 units |
| HIST 385 | Identity Formation in the Middle East: Sectarianism, Identity and Civil War in Lebanon 1975-1990 | 4 units |
| KINE 201 | Sport in American Society | 4 units |
| KINE 299 | Women's Sports and Empowerment | 4 units |
| MAC 244 | Topics in Media Representation | 4 units |
| PHIL 221 | Feminist Theories | 4 units |
| PHIL 360 | Beauty | 4 units |
| POLS 321 | Gender and Politics in the Global South | 4 units |
| PSYC 350 | Psychology of Gender | 4 units |
| PUBH 301 | Women's Health | 4 units |
| RELS 254 | Muslim Bodies: Islam, Gender, and Health | 4 units |
| RELS 266 | Sexuality and Gender in Buddhism | 4 units |
| RELS 351 | "Good" Sex: History of Christian Sexual Ethics | 4 units |
| SOC 105 | Immigrant Youth and Youth Cultures | 4 units |
| SOC 225 | Masculinities | 4 units |
| SOC 230 | Marriage and Family | 4 units |
| SOC 255 | Youth Culture in United States Society | 4 units |
| SOC 265 | Gender and Society | 4 units |
| SOC 320 | Health and Illness | 4 units |
| SOC 355 | Power and Sexuality | 4 units |
Students may also apply CTSJ 395 as an elective for the GWSS minor if they have enrolled in the "White Queer Theory" section of the course.
Students may also apply MAC 260 as an elective for the GWSS minor if they have enrolled in the "Women Making Moves – Women’s Migration and Media" section of the course.
Transfer Credit Policies
Courses approved for transfer by the appropriate department or program will be considered to apply toward the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies minor. Students should reference the
Transfer Credit section for details.
Faculty
Affiliated Faculty
Caroline Heldman, chair
Professor, Critical Theory and Social Justice
B.A., Washington State University; M.A., Ph.D., Rutgers University