Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies

• Information for Transfer Students

Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Academic Bulletin

Area of Study: Interdisciplinary Studies
Programs: Major and Minor

 When advising a student interested in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS), please note the following:                       

• WGSS is an interdisciplinary major and minor and a named department administered by a chair. Currently, the chair is Barbara Shaw.
• WGSS curricular revision: details are provided below on how to advise students interested in the major/minor who (1) matriculated before fall of 2025 and (2) matriculated fall 2025+. When in doubt, consult the Academic Bulletin or contact the chair.
• Sequencing: Ideally, students move through the major/minor as detailed below. Because some students declare their major/minor as late as their junior year, the curricular revision eased prerequisites and the elective structure so they can move through the program. WGSS 580 (Junior Seminar), 600 (Senior Project I), and 610 (Senior Project II) have prerequisites (See Self Service for details).
• Elective course offerings for each semester are available as an e-poster. The chair sends affiliated faculty, LS advisors, and department chairs this information before registration. Students can also contact the chair or any member of the department for more information.
• WGSS academic and senior project advisors: tenure-track and tenured faculty serve in these roles.
  • Students are welcome to ask a continuing faculty member to serve as their WGSS academic advisor. The chair is available as needed to assist students in selecting their academic major advisor.
  • The chair advises minors as appropriate.
  • Senior project directors are assigned by the department after WGSS majors complete a worksheet in the junior seminar.
• Double Senior Projects: some WGSS majors are double majors and it is important to make sure that the WGSS senior project director is involved in every step of the process from topic development to comp oral per departmental guidelines. For example, if a student takes DOUBL 600 in their other major department, the WGSS senior project director needs to play a central role in shaping the idea, literature, methods/theories, and proposal. If needed, the chair will step in to make sure that WGSS is represented in the DOUBL 600/610 process.

Majors in WGSS:

For students who matriculated before Fall 2025, a major in WGSS requires the completion of 40 semester credit hours. Here is the link to the major advising worksheet that details the following course requirements:

• WGSS 100, 210 or 211, 300 or BLKST 305, 400, 580, 600 and 610 + 16 credits selected from approved electives of three types: program, discipline-focused, and related.
  • Program electives carry the WGSS prefix and course number.
  • Discipline electives address WGSS within the context of a particular discipline.
  • Related electives provide substantive attention to the intersection of WGSS with race/ethnicity, sexuality, class formation or socioeconomic status, nationality, and/or religion.

For students who matriculated Fall 2025 and after, a major in WGSS requires the completion of 42 semester credit hours. Here is the link to the major advising worksheet that details the following course requirements. 

• WGSS 100, 210 or 211, 270, 300 or BLKST 305, 580, 600, 610 + 16 credits selected from a single list of approved electives, noting that one of the electives can be at the 100-level and one must be a 300-level course.

Required classes are typically offered:

• WGSS 100 (Intro): every semester.
• WGSS 210 (social Movements) or WGSS 211 (Queer & Trans Lives: every year.   
• WGSS 270 (Transnational Feminisms - was WGSS 400): every 3-4 semesters. Starting fall 2025, WGSS 270 will substitute for WGSS 400
• WGSS 300 (Feminist-Queer Theory) or BLKST 305 (Black Feminist Thought): every fall. 
• WGSS 580 (Junior Seminar): every spring. This course is required for the major/minor. It has two tracks: majors prepare for their senior project and minors complete a capstone project. WGSS majors should take it in the spring semester of their junior year; minors have more flexibility and are encouraged to take it in the spring of their junior or senior year.
• WGSS 600 (Senior Project I): 2-credit class offered in the fall and students register for it with their project director. The course asks students to further develop their proposal, defend it, and submit a substantive piece of the comp to show progress beyond the proposal.
• WGSS 610 (Senior Project II): 4-credit class offered in the spring and register for it with their project director to complete the comp.

Minors in WGSS:

For students who matriculated before Fall 2025: a minor requires the completion of 24 credit hours. Here is the link to the advising worksheet that details the following course requirements:

• WGSS 100, 210 or 211, 300 or BLKST 305, 580 + 8 credits selected from approved electives.

For students who matriculated Fall 2025 and after: a minor requires the completion of 20 credit hours. Here is the link to the advising worksheet that details the following course requirements:

• WGSS 100 or 211, 300 or BLKST 305, 580 + 8 credits selected from approved electives.

When required classes are typically offered

• WGSS 100 (Intro) or WGSS 211 (Queer & Trans Lives): every semester.
• WGSS 300 (Feminist-Queer Theory) or BLKST 305 (Black Feminist Thought): every fall.
• WGSS 580 (Junior Seminar): every spring. Minors complete a capstone project.

Students and academic advisors are encouraged to consult with the chair of WGSS at least once/year and as needed. 

Information for Transfer Students

Transfer of credits chart

• The chair will consider any course that emphasizes women, gender, sexuality, social justice, intersectionality, and transnationality.
• Introductory courses in women’s studies; gender studies; sexuality studies; women’s, gender & sexuality studies; and relevant sociology courses have been approved regularly as counting in WGSS.
• Here are some guidelines to see what classes might transfer toward a WGSS major or minor.