Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Departmental Honors

For majors who are highly academically motivated and considering graduate work, the department offers the opportunity to design and complete an extensive research paper (undergraduate thesis) under the supervision of one of the women’s studies faculty. Admission to honors work (generally in the senior year) requires an overall grade point average of 3.0 or at least 3.3 in the major. In addition, eligible students must have completed at least 18 hours of women’s studies coursework. Successful completion of two semesters of honors work is recognized at the university’s honors convocation, and on the transcript.

Applicants for honors apply to the department chair. Admission is dependent on the student’s finding an appropriate faculty advisor willing to supervise the work. Students admitted to do honors work plan to take a two-semester sequence of honors tutorials (WGS 498  and 499 ).

WGS 498 consists of intensive directed literature review and research on the student’s chosen topic, under the close supervision of a faculty advisor who evaluates the work. In WGS 499, the student completes a substantial honors paper based on the first semester’s research, and presents the research results before an honors committee to be appointed by the department chair. The committee together with the student’s faculty advisor evaluates the honors project. The student receives three credits for each semester of honors work, and each semester’s work is graded separately. To qualify for departmental honors, the student must 1) successfully complete both semesters of honors work, 2) complete and present the paper to the committee, and 3) receive an evaluation of high distinction for the project.

Programs

• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Major (BA)

• Human Rights Minor
• Queer and Trans Studies Minor
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor

Courses

• WGS 100 - Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexualities in the United States
• WGS 110 - Gender in Global Context
• WGS 120G - Women and Men in Families
• WGS 150 - Women, Culture and Identity
• WGS 179GL - Sexuality in Nature and Culture
• WGS 200 - Feminist Literature in the US: An Intersectional Approach
• WGS 201 - Introduction to Sexuality Studies
• WGS 207L - Queer Visual Culture: Sexuality, Gender, and Visual Representation
• WGS 210G - Gendered Bodies
• WGS 215L - Gender & Communication
• WGS 220 - Women and the Media
• WGS 225L - Latinas in the United States
• WGS 227GL - Gender & Sexuality in South Asia
• WGS 229L - Latinx Sexualities
• WGS 230G - Reproductive Rights and Wrongs
• WGS 240 - Educating Women
• WGS 243L - Rethinking the Family: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
• WGS 260 - Gender, Sexuality, and Health: Feminist Perspectives
• WGS 263G - Transgender Studies: Scholarly and Community Perspectives
• WGS 268 - Global Bodies: Sex, Families, and Reproductive Rights in Transnational Perspective
• WGS 270 - Native American Women in North America
• WGS 280 - Special Topics in Women’s Studies (Intermediate)
• WGS 290 - The Legal Rights of Women
• WGS 291 - Family Law
• WGS 292 - Family Law Practice
• WGS 293L - Literature and Human Rights
• WGS 295L - Introduction to Human Rights
• WGS 300L - Women in African Cultures
• WGS 302L - Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities
• WGS 308L - Feminist Histories: Renaissance France, Italy and Beyond
• WGS 310L - Love, Sex, and Media Effects
• WGS 311L - American Oral History
• WGS 320 - Sexuality Education in the United States
• WGS 325L - Sexual Identities in American Culture
• WGS 333L - Sociology of Migration
• WGS 341L - Gender and Film: Multidisciplinary Perspectives
• WGS 343L - The Cultural Politics of HIV/AIDS
• WGS 345L - Gender, Religion, and Politics in South Asia
• WGS 347 - Feminisms, Intersectionality and Social Justice: Histories, Debates, Futures
• WGS 350 - Introduction to Queer and Transgender Studies
• WGS 355L - Gender, Development, & Globalization
• WGS 356L - Faiths & Feminisms: Women, Gender, Sexuality & Religion in the U.S.
• WGS 357L - Women in South Asian Religions: Gender Ideology and Practice in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam
• WGS 359L - Women in Modern China
• WGS 360 - Gender, Culture, and Power
• WGS 370 - Feminist Research Seminar
• WGS 373 - Sex and the City: The Politics of Race, Sexuality, and Mobility
• WGS 376L - Women of Color
• WGS 392 - Feminist Activism
• WGS 394L - Radical Voices of Resistance: Gender, Race and US Social Movements
• WGS 401 - Advanced Topics in Human Rights
• WGS 411 - Transnational Feminisms: Contexts, Conflicts, and Solidarity
• WGS 412L - Gender, Human Rights, and Global Cinema
• WGS 420 - Queer of Color Critique
• WGS 478 - Independent Study
• WGS 479 - Independent Study
• WGS 490 - Internship in Women’s Studies
• WGS 491 - Internship Placement
• WGS 498 - Honors Research Tutorial
• WGS 499 - Honors Paper Tutorial