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Undergraduate Major

The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies offers a feminist interdisciplinary course of study that expands the process of knowledge production to include considerations of gender, race, class, and sexuality in the United States and globally. Students are exposed to scholarship on feminist theory and the intellectual, economic, political, and artistic contributions of women and feminist movements in various historical and cultural contexts.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the women’s and gender studies program, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in women’s and gender studies
  • Conduct and present interdisciplinary research in the area of women’s and gender studies in an effective manner
  • Apply the principals and insights of women’s and gender studies to personal, social, and community issues
  • Think critically and analytically about current perspectives in women’s and gender studies

Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must:

  • earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
  • complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
  • take at least half of their major core requirements, courses and credit hours, at UNC–Chapel Hill
  • earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.

For more information, please consult the degree requirements section Opens in new tab of the UNC Catalog.

Core RequirementsCourse(s), 3 Credits Each
Four intellectual and theoretical foundations courses: #1WGST 101: Introduction to Women's Studies H
Four intellectual and theoretical foundations courses: #2WGST 202: Introduction to Feminist Thought
Four intellectual and theoretical foundations courses: #3WGST 695 or
WGST 691H: Senior Seminar: Principles of Feminist Inquiry H
Honors in Women's Studies
One course on minority/Third World/non-Western women or gender see list below
Three interdisciplinary perspectives courses chosen from at least two of the three categoriessee lists below
One course in the theory and practice of women’s and gender studies from the following options: #1WGST 393: Practicum in Women's and Gender Studies 1
A fourth course chosen from one of the three interdisciplinary perspectives categoriesWGST 692H: Honors in Women's Studies 2
Total Credit Hours24

H Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply.

1 This faculty-supervised internship must be arranged in the semester prior to the semester of the internship.

2 For qualified students. This yearlong honors thesis must be arranged in the semester prior to the year of the thesis. Requires approval of the department and the instructor.

Additional General Education Requirements

Course NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
AAAD/WGST 200Gender and Sexuality in Africa3
AAAD/WGST 386Comparative Studies in Culture, Gender, and Global Forces3
AAAD 232/WGST 266Black Women in America3
ANTH/WGST 277Gender and Culture3
ASIA/GEOG/WGST 447Gender, Space, and Place in the Middle East3
ASIA/HIST/WGST 537Women in the Middle East3
COMM/WGST 561Performance of Women of Color H3
ENGL/WGST 665Queer Latina/o Literature, Performance, and Visual Art3
ENGL/WGST 666Queer Latina/o Photography and Literature3
HIST/WGST 280Women and Gender in Latin American History3
HIST 385/WGST 382African American Women's History3
HIST/WGST 576The Ethnohistory of Native American Women3
PLAN/WGST 662Gender Issues in Planning and Development3
SPAN/WGST 620Women in Hispanic Literature3
WGST 64Plantation Lullabies: Literature by and about African American Women3
WGST 211Introduction to Latina Feminisms: Literature, Theory, and Activism3
WGST 233Introduction to Latina Literature3
WGST 281Gender and Global Change3
WGST 285African American Women in the Media3
WGST/HIST 313Women and the Law in Africa and the Middle East3
WGST 337African Gender History3
WGST 350Spitting in the Wind: "American" Women, Art, and Activism3
WGST 352Rahtid Rebel Women: An Introduction to Caribbean Women3
WGST 368Women of Color in Contemporary United States Social Movements3
WGST 388The International Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Health3
WGST 405Gender, Sexuality, Empire and Asian Pacific America3
WGST 410Comparative Queer Politics3
WGST 415Queer Theory and Religion3
WGST 465Gender, (Im)migration, and Labor in Latina Literature3
WGST 553Theorizing Black Feminisms3
WGST 583Gender and Imperialism3
WGST 610Feminism, Sexuality, and Human Rights3
Course NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
AAAD 201Introduction to African Literature3
AAAD/WGST 200Gender and Sexuality in Africa3
AMST/JWST/WGST 253A Social History of Jewish Women in America3
ASIA/HIST/WGST 537Women in the Middle East3
CLAS/WGST 240Women in Greek Art and Literature H3
CLAS/WGST 241Women in Ancient Rome H3
CLAS/WGST 242Sex and Gender in Antiquity3
COMM/FOLK/HIST/WGST 562Oral History and Performance H3
HIST/EURO/WGST 259Towards Emancipation? Women in Modern Europe3
HIST/PWAD 354/WGST 353War and Gender in Movies H3
HIST/PWAD/WGST 517Gender, Military, and War3
HIST 361/WGST 360Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Histories in the United States3
HIST/WGST 144Women in the United States from Settlement to Present3
HIST/WGST 264Gender in Russian History3
HIST/WGST 280Women and Gender in Latin American History3
HIST/WGST 375History of Gender in America3
HIST 385/WGST 382African American Women's History3
HIST/WGST 479History of Female Sexualities3
HIST/WGST 500Gender, Empire, and Nation3
HIST/WGST 568Women in the South3
HIST/WGST 576The Ethnohistory of Native American Women3
WGST/CMPL/KOR 237Rebel, Lover, Martyr: Gender and Sexuality in North and South Korean Screen Cultures3
WGST/HIST 313Women and the Law in Africa and the Middle East3
WGST 337African Gender History3
WGST 360Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Histories in the United States3
WGST 583Gender and Imperialism3
Course NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
AMST/WGST 325Encountering Art in the Unexpected: Borderlands and Story in Contemporary American Visual Art3
ANTH/LING/WGST 302Language and Power3
ANTH/FOLK 537/WGST 438Gender and Performance: Constituting Identity3
ANTH/WGST 222Prehistoric Art3
ARTH/WGST 254Women in the Visual Arts I3
ARTH/WGST 451Women in the Visual Arts II3
ASIA/CMPL/WGST 380Almost Despicable Heroines in Japanese and Western Literature3
CMPL 374/WGST 373Modern Women Writers3
COMM/WGST 224Introduction to Gender and Communication H3
COMM/WGST 345Gender and Film3
COMM/WGST 524Gender, Communication, and Culture3
COMM/WGST 561Performance of Women of Color H3
ENGL/WGST 140Introduction to Gay and Lesbian Culture and Literature3
ENGL/WGST 263Literature and Gender H3
ENGL/WGST 361Asian American Women's Writing3
ENGL/WGST 363Feminist Literary Theory H3
ENGL/WGST 374Southern Women Writers3
ENGL/WGST 446American Women Authors H3
ENGL/WGST 665Queer Latina/o Literature, Performance, and Visual Art3
ENGL/WGST 666Queer Latina/o Photography and Literature3
GERM/WGST 220Women in the Middle Ages3
GERM/CMPL/WGST 271Women in German Cinema3
MUSC/WGST 188Introduction to Women and Music3
MUSC/WGST 248Gender on the Musical Stage3
PHIL/WGST 275Moral and Philosophical Issues of Gender in Society H3
PHIL/WGST 475Philosophical Issues in Gender, Race, and Class3
RELI/WGST 362Mary in the Christian Tradition H3
RELI 665/WGST 664Body and Suffering in Christian Mysticism3
RUSS/WGST 486Exploration of Russian "Women's Prose" and Svetlana Alexievich, Nobel Laureate in Literature 20153
SPAN/WGST 620Women in Hispanic Literature3
WGST 64Plantation Lullabies: Literature by and about African American Women3
WGST 66First-Year Seminar: Growing Up Girl, Globally3
WGST 68First-Year Seminar: Assumed Identities: Performance in Photography3
WGST 202Introduction to Feminist Thought3
WGST 211Introduction to Latina Feminisms: Literature, Theory, and Activism3
WGST 215Gender and Spirituality3
WGST 230Women in Contemporary Art: A Field Study3
WGST 231Gender and Popular Culture3
WGST 232Identity in Transit: Performing the Self through Photography3
WGST 233Introduction to Latina Literature3
WGST 281Gender and Global Change3
WGST 285African American Women in the Media3
WGST 315Sexuality and Salvation3
WGST 336Digitizing the Body3
WGST 350Spitting in the Wind: "American" Women, Art, and Activism3
WGST 352Rahtid Rebel Women: An Introduction to Caribbean Women3
WGST 405Gender, Sexuality, Empire and Asian Pacific America3
WGST 415Queer Theory and Religion3
WGST 465Gender, (Im)migration, and Labor in Latina Literature3
WGST 555Women and Creativity3
Course NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
AAAD/WGST 386Comparative Studies in Culture, Gender, and Global Forces3
AAAD 232/WGST 266Black Women in America3
ANTH/WGST 277Gender and Culture3
ANTH/WGST 278Women in Science3
ANTH/WGST 441The Anthropology of Gender, Health, and Illness3
ANTH/WGST 443Cultures and Politics of Reproduction3
ANTH/WGST 445Migration and Health3
ANTH/WGST 458Archaeology of Sex and Gender3
ANTH 442/WGST 440Health and Gender after Socialism3
ASIA/GEOG/WGST 447Gender, Space, and Place in the Middle East3
EXSS/WGST 260Women and Sport3
GEOG/WGST 225Space, Place, and Difference3
JWST/RELI 444/WGST 448Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Judaism3
MEJO/WGST 442Gender, Class, Race, and Mass Media3
PLAN 52/WGST 51First-Year Seminar: Race, Sex, and Place in America3
PLAN/WGST 662Gender Issues in Planning and Development3
POLI/WGST 217Women and Politics3
POLI/WGST 265Feminism and Political Theory3
POLI/WGST 477Advanced Feminist Political Theory3
RELI/WGST 244Gender and Sexuality in Western Christianity H3
RELI/WGST 371Women Mystics3
RELI/WGST 424Gender Theory and the Study of Religion3
RELI/WGST 450Sexuality in Jewish Tradition and History3
SOCI/WGST 124Sex and Gender in Society3
SOCI/WGST 444Race, Class, and Gender3
WGST 111Introduction to Sexuality Studies H3
WGST 270Introduction to Transgender Studies3
WGST 340Leadership in Violence Prevention for Peer Educators3
WGST 355Youth, Sexuality, and the Law3
WGST 368Women of Color in Contemporary United States Social Movements3
WGST 388The International Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Health3
WGST 410Comparative Queer Politics3
WGST 460The Social Construction of Gendered Bodies3
WGST 553Theorizing Black Feminisms3
WGST 573Psychology of Women and Gender3
WGST 610Feminism, Sexuality, and Human Rights3

 

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