Undergraduate Minor
Value of Undergraduate Minor
The minor in Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) enhances any undergraduate major by offering students an interdisciplinary curriculum that focuses on the diverse experiences of women in national and transnational contexts. The program provides a wide range of electives that offer students the conceptual tools to critically examine the meanings of gender and it intersections with race, sex, sexuality, class/caste, coloniality, religion and (dis)ability as they shape our ways of knowing, practices, and political identities. Curricular areas of emphasis include feminist theories and methodologies; social justice and activism; LGBT/queer studies; and women's histories, literatures, visual cultures, and politics.
Core Courses
A WGS complements any major by preparing students to think critically about issues of gender and its intersections with race, sexuality, class/caste, coloniality, ability, age and nationality. A minor in WGS requires 21 hours of coursework. Required courses include:
- WGS 120 - Gender, Sex, and Power
- ENG 160 - Introduction to Women's Writing
- OR ENG 260: History of Literature by Women
- OR ENG 261: Women's Literature in a Global Context
- OR ENG 360: Studies in Women and Literature
- HIS 261 - History of Women in the United States to 1865
- OR HIS 262 - History of Women in the United States since 1865
- PHI 246 - Feminist Philosophies
- OR POL 338 - Gender and Political Theory
- 9 hours of electives
For more information about our curriculum, please review the WGS Minor Plan of Study Worksheet.
For students who want to see how they can complete the Minor with a specific major, please review the following major-specific plan of study: