Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
60 credits
Introduction
Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at Western Washington University pursues praxis and critical inquiry through feminist and queer scholarship by teaching and activism that makes sense of how gender impacts our world and shapes social, political, and cultural formations. We are dedicated to teaching undergraduate majors and minors to use critical thinking to bridge feminist theories and social justice practice. Our program foregrounds interdisciplinary analyses of feminism, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and queer studies in transnational and multicultural contexts. 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. The program prepares students to pursue graduate school, law, social service, counseling, public policy, health care, teaching, social activism, and the arts.
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, queer, race and ethnic studies; to assess and denaturalize identities and experiences as embedded in and produced by interlocking and intersectional systems of power and inequalities; to integrate libratory 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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Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre
Communications Facility 283
360-650-4212
schwarr5@wwu.edu
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Program Coordinator
Dylan Gibson
Miller Hall 223
360-650-7779
gibsond6@wwu.edu or wgss@wwu.edu
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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 Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre, Communications Facility 283, 360-650-4212, schwarr5@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.
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