About the Program
Director: Wendy Kolmar, Professor of English
Associate Professor: Debra Liebowitz (Political Science)
Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary program that examines the diversity of women's experiences as they are informed by gender, class, race/ethnicity, sexuality, age, ability, social location, and cultural and national identity. The program is shaped by the theoretical and methodological insights of feminist thought and gender scholarship in many fields. The program curriculum explores women's involvement in and contributions to such areas as history, society, art, science, culture, and politics. The program offers a major and a minor.
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Requirements for the Major (44-48 Credits)
I. Required Courses (16 credits)
WMST 12/Introduction to Women's Studies (4)
WMST 52/Global Feminisms (4)
WMST 111/History of Feminist Thought (4)
WMST 112/Contemporary Feminist Theory and Methodology (4)
II. Five additional intermediate- and upper-level courses (20 credits),
at least three of which are upper level, chosen from the following list of departmental and interdisciplinary courses focused on women and gender. At least two of the courses must be in the humanities or arts and at least two in the social sciences. A maximum of two of these five classes can be completed in a study abroad program.
A. Women's Studies Courses
WMST 22/Topics in Women's Studies (2-4)
WMST 122/Advanced Topics in Women's Studies (2-4)
WMST 172/Advanced Seminar in Women's Studies (4)
B. Social Sciences
ANTH 10/Culture, Gender, and Family (4)
WMST 131/ANTH 131/Gender and Culture (4)
ECON 136/Political Economy of Race, Class, and Gender (4)
PSCI 155/Gender and U.S. Politics (4)
PSCI 156/Seminar on Gender and International Politics (4)
PSYC 140/Psychology Seminar: Gender, Violence and Women's Resistance (4)
PSYC 142/Seminar in the Psychology of Women (2-4)
SOC 25/Sociology of Gender (4)
C. Humanities & Arts
HIST 126/American Women's History (4)
HIST 135/Women in Modern European History (4)
HIST 190/Selected Topics in History [when appropriate] (4)
REL 125/Women and Religion (4)
REL 149/Women in Asian Religions (4)
THEPH 337S/Feminist Theology (Graduate)
D. Languages and Literatures
ENGL 32/Gender and Literature (4)
ENGL 33/Sexuality and Literature (4)
ENGL 132/Women's Literary Tradition (4)
ENGL 133/Advanced Studies in Sexuality and Literature (4)
ENGLG 826S/Feminist Criticism (Graduate) (4)
FREN 50/Francophone Literature in Translation: Women Novelists (4)
MUS 112/Women in Music (4)
THEA 65/Women in the Theatre (4)
III. Academic Internship(s) (4 credits)
The internship requirement may be fulfilled by one 4-credit internship or two 2-credit internships. Internships should be selected in consultation with the adviser. They should be planned as experience/praxis linked to an aspect of the student's major.
IV. Independent Senior Project (4-8 credits)
WMST 150/Independent Study in Women's Studies OR Honors thesis in Women's Studies
Recommended: Women's Studies majors, particularly those intending to pursue graduate studies, are strongly encouraged to have a minor in a traditional discipline rather than in an interdisciplinary field. Majors should consult the list published each semester by the Women's Studies program for additional courses that may be applied to the major. Other courses may be applied to the major if they are proposed to and approved by the Women's Studies Committee.
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Requirements for the Minor (28 Credits)
Students minoring in Women's Studies must complete at least 24 credits of intermediate- and upper-level work. The courses selected for the minor must be distributed among at least two of the college's four curricular divisions.
I. Required Course (4 credits)
WMST 12/Introduction to Women's Studies (4)
II. Two additional core courses chosen from the following list (8 credits).
At least one of these courses must be upper level:
WMST 52/Global Feminisms (4)
WMST 111/History of Feminist Thought (4)
WMST 112/Contemporary Feminist Theory and Methodology (4)
III. Electives (12 credits)
At least eight (8) credits chosen from the Women's Studies courses or the departmental courses listed above, which focus primarily on women and gender issues. Four elective credits may be earned in a course that integrates a gender/feminist perspective. A list of these courses is published by the Women's Studies Program each semester. These courses are offered regularly by departments such as Anthropology, Classics, Economics, English, French, Linguistics, Pan-African Studies, Psychology, Religion, Sociology, and Spanish. A maximum of two courses (8 credits) counted toward the minor may be completed in a study abroad program.
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