Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Requirements

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Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS), an interdisciplinary and transnational field of inquiry, explores the intersections of gender, sex, sexuality, race, class, nation, religion, and ability, and how these intersecting identities influence individuals’ experiences, achievements, and positions in society. The WGSS program offers a critical cultural approach in its examination of all genders and sexualities through lenses of contemporary feminist and queer theories. Scholarship in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is found in virtually every branch of academics, including the humanities, social sciences, sciences, education, and the arts. WGSS is a strong interdisciplinary program where students from every academic college on the SIUC campus can pursue their interests in issues regarding women, gender, sexuality, and/or feminisms, and also discover the relevance of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies to their own lives and their own fields of study.

A minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies offers an interdisciplinary complement to any undergraduate degree program. It is an appropriate minor for students planning graduate or professional studies. The minor also offers an emphasis in Sexual Diversity Studies. It is designed to enrich and extend a student’s major field by enhancing awareness of the issues and theories associated with the study of gender, race, sexuality and social class. Students who wish to minor in WGSS take 18 semester hours of credit. Students must officially declare their minor to both their advisor and the Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor

Enrollment must be approved by the Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in order to assist students in developing a coherent program that meets their individual interests. The minor requires 18 semester hours of credit, 15 of which must be in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies courses, while the remaining three hours may be selected from a special interest or related course - for example, from Africana Studies. Schedules of classes contain listings of relevant courses. The minor must include WGSS 201 and WGSS 495. Elective courses should be taken from at least two different cross-listing programs. Students must discuss and plan their minors with the Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies or with a faculty member who teaches Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies courses.

Minors in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies may elect an emphasis in Sexual Diversity Studies. This emphasis requires 18 semester hours of credit, which must include WGSS 201, WGSS 203, and WGSS 496. Students who choose this emphasis must plan their minor in consultation with the Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies or with a faculty member who teaches Sexual Diversity courses.

WGSS Minor Degree Requirements

First Year: WGSS 201 (3 CH)
Second Year: WGSS electives* (6 CH)
Third Year: WGSS electives* (6 CH)
Fourth Year: WGSS 495 (3 CH)
* Suggested WGSS electives include: WGSS 203, WGSS 303I, WGSS 396, WGSS 401, WGSS 403, WGSS 475, WGSS 492, and WGSS 496