Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (BA)

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Offered by the Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies Collaborative , College of Arts and Sciences .

Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major requires a grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) and the approval of the program director.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better
Completion of college writing requirement
Completion of university mathematics requirement

Note: Women’s, gender, and sexuality studies majors are advised to take STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) to fulfill the University Mathematics Requirement.

General Education Requirements

A total of ten courses, consisting of two courses from each of the five foundational areas
At least one course from Area Five: The Natural and Mathematical Sciences must include a laboratory science component
No more than two courses may be taken in the same discipline

Major Requirements

39 credit hours with grades of C or better, including at least 18 credit hours at the 300-level or above

Course Requirements

Required (15 credit hours)

Multicultural Perspective (3 credit hours)

Complete one course on women and/or gender in multicultural perspective from the following:

ANTH-215 Sex, Gender, and Culture FA3 (3)
JWST-320 Topics in Jewish Culture (3) (approved topic)
SOCY-235 Gender in Transnational Perspectives FA3 (3)
WGSS-350 Interpreting Gender in Culture (3) (approved topic)
or another course approved by the program director

Area of Focus (12 credit hours)

12 credit hours (9 of which must be at the 300-level or above) from one of three options: Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, or an individually defined theme or issue.

Note: The same course may not be used to satisfy both the women and/or gender in multicultural perspective requirement (see above) and the area of focus requirement.

Arts and Humanities

AMST-330 Contemporary American Culture (3) (approved topic)
AMST-340 Community Activism and Regional Studies (3) (approved topic)
ARTH-335 Twentieth Century Women Artists of the Americas (3)
ARTH-520 Seminar in Art History (3) (approved topic)
COMM-416 Topics in Film and Media Arts (3) (approved topic)
EDU-419 Children’s Literature: A Critical Literacy Perspective (3)
EDU-464 Gender and Cultural Diversity in School (3)
HIST-219 Women in America to 1850 (3)
HIST-220 Women in America since 1850 FA4 (3)
HIST-344 Topics in Jewish History (3) (approved topic)
HIST-449 Topics in U.S. History (3) (approved topic)
HIST-459 Topics in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality History (3) (approved topic)
HIST-479 Topics in African American History (3) (approved topic)
HIST-500 Studies in History (3) (approved topic)
JWST-320 Topics in Jewish Culture (3) (approved topic)
LIT-310 Major Authors (3) (approved topic)
LIT-332 Shakespeare Studies (3) (approved topic)
LIT-370 Topics in Women’s and Gender Studies (3)
PHIL-416 Feminist Philosophy (3)
SPAN-559 Colloquium on Latin America (3) (taught in Spanish) (approved topic)
WGSS-350 Interpreting Gender in Culture (3) (approved topic)
Other courses approved by the program director

Social Sciences

Individually Defined Area of Focus

An individually defined group of four courses (12 credit hours) centered on a particular theme or issue in women’s and gender studies, with approval of the program director.

Electives (9 credit hours)

Complete 9 credit hours in elective courses focused on women and/or gender studies, to make a total of 39 credit hours, from a list of courses approved each semester by the program director.

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.