Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
60 credits
Introduction
The WGSS program at WWU pursues critical inquiry through queer and feminist scholarship, teaching, and activism. We draw on intersectional and interdisciplinary approaches to study how sex, gender, and sexuality are shaped by race, indigeneity, ethnicity, class, age, ability, nationality, and religion. We interrogate the conditions that render specific populations vulnerable to violence in a range of local and transnational contexts. We also seek to study and cultivate strategies of resistance. In doing so, we address issues such as war and militarism, political and social policy, the environment, education, healthcare, economics, the media, art, literature, and popular culture. To achieve these goals, we foster multiple modes of intellectual inquiry and creative pedagogies to promote transformative thinking, collaboration, and activism that ends oppression and demands liberation and justice.
Why Consider a Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Major?
The WGSS major provides students with the skills to critically and actively engage with the world around them. Our plan of study equips students in various ways: to understand, apply, analyze, and critique key concepts and theoretical positions in feminist, gender, sexuality, and queer studies; to assess and denaturalize identities and experiences as embedded in and produced by interlocking and intersectional systems of power and inequalities; to integrate feminist, gender and queer analysis into a variety of scholarly, social, political, creative, and activist practices.
Students enjoy small class sizes and close faculty interaction. Our community is intellectually challenging, supportive, and creative. Our diverse faculty encourages scholarship that is interdisciplinary and intersectional.
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The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program prepares students with a solid foundation to pursue careers in fields such as law, social service, counseling, public policy, health care, teaching, and the arts. We also give students a strong foundation for pursuing graduate work in women and gender studies, as well as in such disciplines as political science, communication studies, literature, journalism, history, cultural studies, law, education, policy, and social welfare.
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How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):
Students who wish to declare a major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies are required to register with the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies office. For program advisement, contact Professor Cerretti, Bond Hall 350, 360-650-6416, cerretj@wwu.edu.
Grade Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors.
