Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 120

Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0

Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: None.

Other GPA requirements to graduate:  2.0 for the 33 credits of required and elective courses.

Required Course(s) for fulfilling Capstone Experience: WGS 480

Contact Information: Mazie Hough, Director of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, (207) 581-1228.

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The Bachelor of Arts in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is an interdisciplinary program offered by the  Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program with two joint-appointment faculty members* on loan from a variety of academic units or hired part time for their particular expertise. Students who major in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies are employed in social service work, health services occupations, business, law, education, and government at all levels. They find employment in public policy fields, working with women specifically or with people in general.  In the private sector graduates are successful in management positions, especially in those involving work with diverse groups of people. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is also an excellent second major or minor for students majoring in a wide variety of disciplines, such as anthropology, nursing, political science, sociology, English, social work, and history.**

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors will gain a more complete understanding of how the social construction of gender has influenced the roles, contributions, and experiences of both women and men in many different cultures, now and in the past. Such awareness can help them better understand our contemporary world with its changing roles for all. They will bring to the gender analysis of any situation knowledge of the complexity of its interaction with race, social class, sexual orientation, and other forms of diversity. They will be able to recognize the connection between Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies scholarship and the scholarship of other disciplines. Students will develop an appreciation for the connections between Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies scholarship, activism, and social change, historically and in the present. They will develop the critical intellectual capacity and necessary communication skills to work to value and improve the lives of everyone  in whatever public or private spheres they choose. The major consists of at least 33 credits structured this way.

*English and History among others.

**Students can also major in International Affairs with a concentration in Global Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Issues.

The requirements listed on this page are specific to this particular major. Students are also responsible for meeting any graduation requirements set out by their college. Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) should make sure to review those requirements as stated on the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences  page of the catalog.

The core curriculum consists of 15 student credit hours, plus a 3-credit Practicum/Internship with any designator.  Electives will consist of 15 credit hours chosen from a broad list of possible course options, of which at least 6 credit hours need to be at the 300 or 400 level.  Honor’s Theses will not count toward the capstone requirement; however, if a student completes an Honor’s Thesis on a WGS topic, then 3 credit hours of that will count toward the elective total.