Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, B.A.

Program of Study

The field of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies has become an important part of university education in the last four decades. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies focuses on the social construction of gender and sexuality and explores the roles and contributions of women and men in societies around the world, past and present. Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies also seeks to understand how gender and sexuality are related to other aspects of social identity and stratification, including race, ethnicity, culture, social class, nationality, religion, ability, and other factors that have dramatically shaped women’s and men’s lives.

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies students receive a quality liberal arts education. They learn about a wide range of academic approaches that have emerged in such diverse areas as literature, psychology, economics, the sciences, sociology, history, anthropology, the arts, communication, and many others.

Women’s Studies, Gender, and Sexuality Studies students develop important skills in:

• Leadership
• Analytical thinking and problem solving
• Writing proficiency and expertise
• Applied learning
• Community involvement
• Public speaking
• Collaborative work with others
• A deeper understanding of diverse perspectives and cultural backgrounds

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors pursue careers or graduate education in many different fields, including the law, education, social services, business, counseling, the arts, public administration, and medicine.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students who graduate with a B.A. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies will be able to:

1. Critically analyze the historical and present-day construction of the body, gender, and sexuality, locally and transnationally, through interdisciplinary theories and methods.
2. Articulate the intersectional analyses of gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, class, religion, disabilities, nationality/immigration status, species and the environment, and other identities.
3. Critique intersecting issues of privilege and oppression through the lens of feminist social movements and activism in the United States and around the world.

Special Conditions for the Bachelor of Arts in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

All courses counted toward the Minor and the Major must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better.
No more than six (6) units of independent study (WGSS 398 ) and/or independent research (WGSS 499 ) and/or internship (WGSS 495A -F) may be applied toward the major.

General Education (48 Units)

General Education Requirements  

Language Proficiency (0-9 Units)

All Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors must meet a second-language proficiency requirement. This is satisfied with a 200-level class or demonstrating proficiency in a language other than English. For details on how to satisfy this requirement, please refer to Language Proficiency Requirement  .

Breadth Requirement (3 Units)

Additional course in Upper Division Social Sciences (DD designated) outside the major. This requirement can also count as the DD requirement in Upper Division General Education, but it must be taken in a Social Science or Interdisciplinary program other than Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.  Any course carrying the DD designation outside of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies can be used to fulfill this requirement. If students choose to satisfy their UDGE DD with a course outside the major, the breadth requirement will become 3 free elective units.

Interdisciplinary Social Science Requirement (3 Units)

All Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors must meet an Interdisciplinary Social Science (IDSS) requirement. This is satisfied with an approved lower-division interdisciplinary social science course from one of the following departments or programs: American Indian Studies, Anthropology, Border Studies, Environmental Studies, Ethnic Studies, Geography, Global Studies, Linguistics, and Social Sciences. The courses taken to satisfy IDSS cannot double count with other major requirements and must be outside the student’s major discipline. 

Major Requirements (42 Units)

Minimum Total (120 Units)

Students must take a sufficient number of elective units to bring the total number of units to a minimum of 120