Academic Bulletin 2024-2025 
    
    Nov 23, 2024  
Academic Bulletin 2024-2025

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Major


Faculty: Shaw (Chair), Bailey, Burleigh, Caballero, Delgado, Giardini, Oliver, Riess

The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major is a program in the Interdisciplinary Studies Area of Study. WGSS majors may complete any minor to satisfy the college requirement that the major and minor be in different areas of study.

Women’s Gender, and Sexuality Studies Major Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete a major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies are expected to be able to:

  • Define key concepts and perspectives on gender and sexuality that shape the study of identities, social institutions, and/or scientific inquiry
  • Recognize and communicate how formations of gender, race, socioeconomic status, sexuality, dis/ability, and/or nationality intersect with one another and shape women’s and LGBTQ+ peoples experiences.
  • Explore a range of theories, practices, contributions, and/or social movements that address social justice in national and/or global contexts.
  • Examine multiple ways of knowing and methods to articulate historical and contemporary issues that intersect with women’s, gender & sexuality studies.

The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Major

The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major, consisting of 40 credits, leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. At graduation, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors must have a GPA of at least 2.0 in the major. The calculation is based on the grades of all major courses. Only the most recent grade is considered for courses that have been repeated. All Allegheny courses required for the WGSS major must be taken on a letter-grade basis. A maximum of 12 transfer credits may be counted toward the major; exceptions must be approved by the department chair.

All courses marked with an asterisk (*) below have prerequisites. 

Requirements:


Electives:


In addition to the Core Requirements listed above, WGSS majors must take 16 credits of electives selected from the lists below. At least eight out of the 16 elective credits must come from program based and/or discipline-focused courses, and at least four of the elective credits must be at the 300 or 400 level. At most four credits from the internship courses WGSS 501 , WGSS 502 , WGSS 503 , and PSYCH 540  may count toward the elective requirement.

Program Courses: