Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Undergraduate Major (BA, BS, HBA, HBS)
This program is available at the following locations:
- Corvallis
- Ecampus
The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major represents multidisciplinary approaches to the study of gender and sexuality, particularly as they intersect with race, ethnicity, class, culture, nation, and ability. The curriculum incorporates feminist social justice theory and research to better understand differences in power and privilege and to contribute to practices that help transform our world. Many classes incorporate a social activism component, and students are encouraged to consider the ways knowledge and activist engagements help promote social justice in local and global communities.
Major Code: 808
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Identify and explain the ways in which our lived experiences and social institutions are structured through the intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality, ability, age, religion, culture, and nation.
- Analyze current social and political situations from multiracial, transnational, and queer feminist perspectives.
- Articulate the ways in which systems of power, privilege, and oppression shape our experiences as individuals and members of communities.
- Develop skills in critical analysis.
- Develop skills and effective strategies for advancing social justice.
A total of 48 credits is required for the major: 31 credits of required Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies core courses, and 17 credits of elective courses. Electives may include WGSS courses as well as courses that are taught in other academic units that have a focus on gender, sexuality, and/or women's issues, and have been approved as fulfilling the requirements of a Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies course. No more than 9 credits of these Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program courses may be used toward the major.
All required course work for the on-campus major must be taken on campus and no more than 6 credits of online elective course work can be used toward the on-campus major.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| WGSS 223 | *INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES | 3 |
| WGSS 262/QS 262 | *INTRODUCTION TO QUEER STUDIES | 3 |
| WGSS 319 | *FEMINIST DECOLONIZING METHODOLOGIES: SOCIAL JUSTICE RESEARCH | 3 |
| WGSS 410 | INTERNSHIP | 3 |
| WGSS 414 | *SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION IN WOMEN'S LIVES | 4 |
| WGSS 416 | THEORIES OF FEMINISM | 4 |
| WGSS 460 | ^SEXUALITIES, FEMINISMS, WOMEN | 4 |
| or WGSS 472/QS 472 | ^INDIGENOUS TWO-SPIRIT AND QUEER STUDIES | |
| WGSS 480 | *GENDER AND TRANSNATIONAL ACTIVISMS | 3 |
| WGSS 498 | FEMINIST PRACTICE | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Select 17 credits from the following courses: | 17 | |
| WGSS Electives | ||
| *GENDER, RACE, AND POP CULTURE | ||
| *FEMINIST PERSPECTIVES ON CURRENT EVENTS | ||
| SPECIAL STUDIES | ||
| *WOMEN: PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE | ||
| *WOMEN IN THE MOVIES | ||
| *WOMEN IN WORLD CINEMA | ||
| *GENDER, RACE, AND SPORT | ||
| *RESISTING GENDER VIOLENCE | ||
| *WOMEN WORLDWIDE | ||
| *FEMINISM AND THE BIBLE | ||
| TOPICS IN WOMEN, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES | ||
| *GLOBAL EXPERIENCE: WESTERN CULTURE | ||
| *GENDER AND TECHNOLOGY | ||
| *QUEER POP CULTURE | ||
| *DISNEY: GENDER, RACE, EMPIRE | ||
| *GENDER AND SCIENCE | ||
| *POLITICS OF MOTHERHOOD IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT | ||
| *MEN AND MASCULINITIES IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT | ||
| *SERVING LGBTQ+ COMMUNITIES | ||
| *TRANSGENDER POLITICS | ||
WGSS 373/ANTH 373/ES 373/WLC 373 | ||
| *ARTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE | ||
| *RELIGION AND GENDER: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE | ||
| *MUSLIM WOMEN | ||
| TOPICS IN WOMEN, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES | ||
| INDEPENDENT STUDY | ||
| PROJECTS | ||
| WOMEN OF COLOR FEMINISMS | ||
| *QUEER OF COLOR CRITIQUES | ||
| *GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE | ||
| *WOMEN AND NATURAL RESOURCES | ||
| ^SEXUALITIES, FEMINISMS, WOMEN (if not used above) | ||
| *QUEER THEORIES | ||
| ^INDIGENOUS TWO-SPIRIT AND QUEER STUDIES (if not used above) | ||
| TRANSGENDER LIVES | ||
| QUEER/TRANS PEOPLE OF COLOR ARTS AND ACTIVISM | ||
| GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON WOMEN'S HEALTH | ||
| RACE, GENDER, AND HEALTH JUSTICE | ||
| CAPSTONE IN SOCIAL JUSTICE | ||
| TOPICS | ||
| Other Approved Electives | ||
| *GENDER, ETHNICITY, AND CULTURE | ||
| GENDER AND COMMUNICATION | ||
| *AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS | ||
| POWER AND REPRESENTATION | ||
| *INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S VOICES | ||
| FAMILY VIOLENCE AND NEGLECT | ||
| *FAMILIES AND POVERTY | ||
| WOMEN IN UNITED STATES HISTORY | ||
| *LESBIAN AND GAY MOVEMENTS IN MODERN AMERICA | ||
| THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY | ||
| FEMINIST PHILOSOPHIES | ||
| GENDER AND POLITICS | ||
| *GENDER AND RACE IN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT | ||
| *PSYCHOLOGY OF GENDER | ||
| SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | ||
| *SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY | ||
| GENDER AND SOCIETY | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY | ||
| Additional Requirements | ||
| Remaining Bacc Core, CLA Core, BA/BS and Electives | 132 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)
- ^
Writing Intensive Course (WIC)
Major Code: 808
BA in WGSS
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| WGSS 223 | *INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES | 3 |
| WR 121Z | *COMPOSITION I | 4 |
| Language 111 | 4 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| HHS 231 | *LIFETIME FITNESS FOR HEALTH | 2 |
| WGSS 262 | *INTRODUCTION TO QUEER STUDIES | 3 |
| Bacc Core: Speech | 3 | |
| Language 112 | 4 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| HHS 241 | *LIFETIME FITNESS (or any PAC course) | 1 |
| WGSS Elective | 3 | |
| Language 113 | 4 | |
| Bacc Core: Mathematics | 3-4 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Language 211 | 4 | |
| WGSS Elective | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| WGSS 319 | *FEMINIST DECOLONIZING METHODOLOGIES: SOCIAL JUSTICE RESEARCH | 3 |
| Language 212 | 4 | |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| WGSS Elective | 4 | |
| Language 213 | 4 | |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| WGSS 414 | *SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION IN WOMEN'S LIVES | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Winter | ||
| WGSS 480 | *GENDER AND TRANSNATIONAL ACTIVISMS | 3 |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| WGSS 460 | ^SEXUALITIES, FEMINISMS, WOMEN | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| WGSS 416 | THEORIES OF FEMINISM | 4 |
| WGSS Elective | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| WGSS 410 | INTERNSHIP | 3 |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| WGSS 498 | FEMINIST PRACTICE | 4 |
| WGSS Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
BS in WGSS
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Winter | Credits | |
| HHS 231 | *LIFETIME FITNESS FOR HEALTH | 2 |
| WGSS 262 | *INTRODUCTION TO QUEER STUDIES | 3 |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| Bacc Core: Speech | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| WGSS Elective | 3 | |
| Bacc Core: Mathematics | 3-4 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Fall | ||
| CS 101 | COMPUTERS: APPLICATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS | 4 |
| WGSS 223 | *INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES | 3 |
| WR 121Z | *COMPOSITION I | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Winter | ||
| MTH 245 | *MATHEMATICS FOR MANAGEMENT, LIFE, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES | 4 |
| WGSS 319 | *FEMINIST DECOLONIZING METHODOLOGIES: SOCIAL JUSTICE RESEARCH | 3 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| WGSS Elective | 4 | |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fall | ||
| MTH 111Z | +*PRECALCULUS I: FUNCTIONS | 4 |
| WGSS Elective | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Winter | ||
| WGSS 480 | *GENDER AND TRANSNATIONAL ACTIVISMS | 3 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| WGSS 460 | ^SEXUALITIES, FEMINISMS, WOMEN | 4 |
| BS Science | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Fall | ||
| HHS 241 | *LIFETIME FITNESS (or any PAC course) | 1 |
| WGSS 414 | *SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION IN WOMEN'S LIVES | 4 |
| Bacc Core | 4 | |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| CLA Core | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Winter | ||
| WGSS 410 | INTERNSHIP | 3 |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| WGSS 498 | FEMINIST PRACTICE | 4 |
| WGSS Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fall | ||
| WGSS 416 | THEORIES OF FEMINISM | 4 |
| WGSS Elective | 3 | |
| Bacc Core | 3 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |