Undergraduate Major in Gender and Women's Studies

The Gender and Women’s Studies major provides a unique background for students seeking to analyze gender and other vectors of inequality, both historically and in contemporary society, as reflected through texts, social practices, and social institutions in the United States and abroad.  Graduates have gone on to provide this kind of analysis in fields like health policy, immigration law, social work, reproductive justice, educational administration, employment policy, medicine, architectural design, and media production. 

The curriculum reflects the interdisciplinary nature of gender and women's studies, offering to all students an opportunity to study gender and women in such areas as literature, history, anthropology, sociology, education, law, biology, psychology, philosophy, political science, economics, and the arts. Department courses have been designed to fulfill breadth requirements in the appropriate divisions.

Effective September 2013, the requirements for the Gender and Women's Studies Major will be changing. To learn more about these requirements, please see our Revised 2013 GWS Major Requirements. If you declared before the end of the spring 2013 semester, you can choose if you would like to complete the requirements listed below OR the revised 2013 requirements. If you declare in or after September 2013, you will be responsible for completing the revised 2013 requirements.

Currently, to declare the major in Gender and Women's Studies, students must:

• Have junior standing;
• Have completed one of the introductory courses (GWS 101, 102 or 103) with a grade of "B" or better; and
• See the Gender and Women's Studies advisor to complete the declaration form.

Requirements for the Major

GWS Major Worksheet

Honors in the Major

Directed/Independent Study

Current Course Offerings