academic catalogue

2023-2024 Catalogue

Women, Gender, & Sexuality

The Women, Gender, & Sexuality program provides students with the opportunity to recognize the many ways in which our lives are shaped and limited by a variety of cultural constructions and circumstances. Grounded in diverse perspectives of intersectional feminism and queer scholarship, the program works to empower students to challenge such limitations through critical examination, theoretical analysis, and engaged activism. The program focuses on how social norms and the related assumptions and expectations have developed and changed over time, how they vary with different cultures, and how they position individuals and groups with specific social standpoints, locations, and power dynamics. Many courses examine and interrogate how such norms function in society thereby shaping feminine, masculine, transgender, and non-binary gendering, and the many sexualities across the spectrum in their myriad identities, expressions, and lived experiences.

The Women, Gender, and Sexuality program is interdisciplinary with a broad range of offerings, allowing students to choose from its courses to examine both current and historical experiences of individuals and communities through a variety of lenses, to analyze institutional sources of power and representational texts, to study the work of important figures, and to learn the philosophical and methodological approaches in different academic disciplines. The program offers a comprehensive and inclusive variety of coursework so that students learn about the different social constructions, privileges, oppressions, and intersections of sex, gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, nationality/citizehship, religion, social economic status, ability/disability, etc. The goal is to see the distinct identity standpoint of each individual/group within the specific and particular socio-cultural-historical era, and how that affects the power, equity, and access for individuals and communities on personal, relational, and institutional levels. The Women, Gender, and Sexuality program has three areas of focus for our students in their coursework and success: academic excellence, intersectional dynamics, and empowerment.

Student Learning Outcomes

The student learning outcomes for the Women, Gender, and Sexuality major are as follows:
  1. The student shall demonstrate an awareness of the value and impact of intersectionality dynamics.
  2. The student shall demonstrate an understanding of the past and present status of women in a variety cultural contexts.
  3. The student shall examine the impact of gender on individual and institutional levels of social position.
  4. The student shall examine different identities and lived experiences in the spectrum of sexuality and their related cultural power.
  5. The student shall produce a theoretically grounded scholarly, activist, or creative work.
 

Major Requirements: Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

A major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality consists of a minimum of 37 hours and is distributed as follows:

Required WGS courses (10 hours):
  • WGS 200 Women’s Movements of the United States 3 hours
  • WGS 250 Global Feminisms 3 hours
  • WGS 338 Identity, Power, & Culture 3 hours
  • WGS 401 Senior Seminar 1 hour
Chosen Interdisciplinary Courses (27 hours):
Students must take nine additional courses, at least three of which must be at the 300 level.
  • LED 207 Effective Leadership in Community 3 hours
  • WST/PSY 201 Psychology of Human Sexuality 3 hours
  • WST/BUS/ECO 210 Women and Economic Development 3 hours
  • PHI 210 Readings in Philosophy (when topic is WGS-centered) 3 hours
  • WST/REL 213 Religion and Gender 3 hours
  • WST/MUS 215 Women, Music, and Culture 3 hours
  • ENG 221 Race, Class, and Gender 3 hours
  • WST/POL 225 Gender and Politics 3 hours
  • WST/HIS 267 Women in World History 3 hours
  • REL 290 Readings in Religious Studies (when topic is WGS-centered) 3 hours
  • ENG 300 Literature and Film 3 hours
  • WGS/COM 305 Mediating Genders 3 hours
  • LED 307 Power and Service Leadership 3 hours
  • WST/PSY 301 Psychology of Gender 3 hours
  • WST/THE 328 Women, Culture, and Theatre 3 hours
  • WST/ARH 354 Art History III: 20th Century to Contemporary 3 hours
  • WST/PHI 355 Seminar in Gender and Philosophy 3 hours
  • WST/HIS 377 Seminar in Women's History 3 hours
  • WST 396 Special Topics/Cross-Listed 3 hours
  • WST 451 Directed Independent Study 1–3 hours
  • WST 452 Field Study/Internship 1–3 hours
 

Professional Development: Throughout their Wesleyan education each student is given opportunities to explore professional and career choices, and to develop and demonstrate the knowledge and skills essential for professional success. Each student will complete PDE 400 Professional Development Experience and PDE 401 Professional Practice Seminar.

In addition, a Women, Gender, and Sexuality major may choose to fulfill the professional development requirement through an internship or field study taken as WST 452. It may take the form of volunteer or advocacy work, production of a creative project, or other comparable work experience approved by the Women, Gender, and Sexuality program chair. The student will be monitored by their advisor during their workplace experience and will submit a reflective summary at its conclusion.

Integrative Experience. Women, Gender, and Sexuality majors will be encouraged to begin broadly, taking courses in a variety of fields as well as introductory classes in Women, Gender, and Sexuality. As they move through the program, they will be encouraged to tailor their course of study to meet their own research interests. Through this coursework, they will learn to position themselves as a critical specialist on women, gender, and/or sexuality and the representations and intersections in their particular area of interest. In WGS 401 offered during the spring of the major's senior year, they will work with their fellow classmates and instructor to complete a scholarly, creative, or activist project. As the student is completing their interdisciplinary course of study conducted through the lens of focused feminist methodology, this seminar provides them with individual guidance to shape their senior research project.

Minor Requirements: Women, Gender, and Sexuality. The Women, Gender, and Sexuality minor provides students with a basic foundation of the issues, theories, and methods dealt within the discipline. Students will be encouraged to connect with Women, Gender, and Sexuality majors, faculty, and the community through participation in the various courses, program activities, and community events.

A minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality consists of a minimum of 18 hours and is distributed as follows:

WGS 200 Women’s Movements of the United States 3 hours
WGS 250 Global Feminisms 3 hours
WGS 338 Identity, Power, & Culture 3 hours
 
Choose three additional elective courses (9 hours)
At least one of the chosen courses must be WST cross-listed.
At least one of the chosen courses must be at the 300 level.
  • LED 207 Effective Leadership in Community 3 hours
  • WST/PSY 201 Psychology of Human Sexuality 3 hours
  • WST/BUS/ECO 210 Women and Economic Development 3 hours
  • PHI 210 Readings in Philosophy (when topic is WGS-centered) 3 hours
  • WST/REL 213 Religion and Gender 3 hours
  • WST/MUS 215 Women, Music, and Culture 3 hours
  • ENG 221 Race, Class, and Gender 3 hours
  • WST/POL 225 Women and Politics 3 hours
  • WST/HIS 267 Women in World History 3 hours
  • REL 290 Readings in Religious Studies (when topic is WGS-centered) 3 hours
  • ENG 300 Literature and Film 3 hours
  • WGS/COM 305 Mediating Genders 3 hours
  • LED 307 Power and Service Leadership 3 hours
  • WST/PSY 301 Psychology of Gender 3 hours
  • WST/THE 328 Women, Culture, and Theatre 3 hours
  • WST/ARH 354 Art History III: 20th Century to Contemporary 3 hours
  • WST/PHI 355 Seminar in Gender and Philosophy 3 hours
  • WST/HIS 377 Seminar in Women's History 3 hours
  • WST 396 Special Topics/Cross-Listed 3 hours
  • WST 451 Directed Independent Study 1–3 hours
  • WST 452 Field Study/Internship 1–3 hours
 

Resources for Non-Majors. We welcome all students to join our classes; Women, Gender, and Sexuality courses offer a theoretical and experiential understanding of how individuals live in and are understood by our societies. This would be an excellent opportunity to make interdisciplinary connections through critical engagement and practical application. As most of our majors double with another, Women, Gender, and Sexuality courses complement most, if not all, majors on campus. Consider courses in the program (or perhaps a minor or double major) to enhance your own disciplinary work as well as gain an understanding of your own gendered and sexuality identities and position in society.

Postgraduate Opportunities. This major will prepare students for a wide variety of professional opportunities, including advocacy, art, business, communication, counseling, education, government, health care, the humanities, law, media, not-for-profit work, social justice, and social service. The Women, Gender, and Sexuality degree is also excellent preparation for graduate education in humanities, law, and social science fields.

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