Major

The WGSS major is interdisciplinary and flexible, allowing students to explore a variety of perspectives, pursue their unique interests, and chart their own path.  

As an interdisciplinary field, WGSS brings together expertise from diverse disciplines, such as literature, philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, and biology. This means that WGSS students are trained to analyze and solve problems from a variety of perspectives. 

The WGSS major also provides students with flexibility. Within the major, students can tailor their coursework to their areas of interest, such as leadership, law, and public policy; health and reproductive justice; and tech, science, and environmental feminisms, to name a few.  

Additionally, many WGSS students are double majors. The WGSS major, just 33 credit hours, allows students to pursue a second major in another discipline, such as psychology, political science, or communication. 

Major in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies (Autumn 2020 and beyond)

Overview

  • 33 total credit hours, including prerequisite
  • 1 prerequisite
  • 3 core courses
  • 7 electives
    • 1 of these electives must be a Women of Color course
    • 1 of these electives must be a Global and Transnational Feminisms course

Prerequisite (1 course, 3 credit hours)

  • WGSST 1110: Gender, Sex & Power | Offered every semester; GE

Core Courses (3 courses, 9 credit hours)

  • WGSST 2550: History of Feminist Thought | Offered every SP
  • WGSST 3575: Feminist Methods & Inquiry | Offered every AU; WGSST 1110 is prerequisite
  • WGSST 4575: Senior Research Capstone | Offered SP; WGSST 3575 is a prerequisite
    • Note: Students may purse 4999: Thesis option to earn a research distinction. Research distinction projects must be longer and more in depth than a 4575 research project. See Senior Thesis for more information.

WGSS Electives (7 courses, 21 credit hours)

  • Take any 7 courses in WGSS with some checkboxes along the way:
    • 1 elective course must come from the list of approved Women of Color courses
    • 1 elective course must come from the list of approved Global & Transnational Feminisms courses
      • WoC & GTF courses must be distinct
    • 3 electives must be upper division (at the 3000-level or above)
    • 1 elective must be a 4000-level WGSST course (or above)

Additional Information

  • A maximum of 2 approved-related courses may count towards the major.
  • All cross-listed courses, regardless of department of offering, are automatically approved to count towards the major.
  • Single majors and duel degree students may not overlap any GEs, with the exception of 1110.
  • Double majors may overlap up to 12 credit hours of GEs and/or double major coursework provided each major has 18 unique credit hours. Advisor approval required.
  • No more than 6 credit hours of WGSS internship credit (3191 and 3385) may be used toward to fulfill major requirements.
  • No more than 6 credit hours of research credit (5998) may be used to fulfill major requirements.
  • No more than one half (15 credits) of the credit hours in the major can be transfer credit.
  • Minimum C- required in all major classes. Minimum 2.0 major GPA required. No more than 3 credit hours of courses graded S/U.
  • Unique circumstances may warrant a petition to the WGSS Undergraduate Studies Committee to alter requirements.
  • Students may petition the WGSS Undergraduate Studies Committee to seek approved-related status for courses in other departments they feel are closely related to the curriculum goals of WGSS.
     

Tailor your degree to your interests.  

A WGSS major provides students with the flexibility to build a unique curricular plan that aligns with their interests and career aspirations. The following categories are not tracks or concentrations; rather, they are guides to help students in selecting coursework.  

  • WGSST 3385 S: Women in Political Leadership Internship 

  • WGSST 4465: Feminist Political Theory  

  • WGSST 4513: Women, Government and Public Policy  

  • WGSST 3200: Breaking the Law: An Introduction to Gender Justice  

  • WGSST 4403: Gender, Race and Leadership 

  • WGSST 4597: Gender and Democracy in the Contemporary World  

  • WGSST 2325: Health and Inequality   

  • WGSST 2326 S: Feminist Perspective on Addiction  

  • WGSST 4189.01 S: Reproductive Rights and Justice  

  • WGSST 4404: Regulating Bodies: Global Sexual Economies 

  • WGSST 2215: Reading Women Writers  

  • WGSST 2230: Gender, Sexuality and Race in Popular Culture  

  • WGSST 2317: Gender at the Movie: Hollywood and Beyond  

  • WGSST 2381: Race, Ethnicity and Gender in Spanish Speaking Film and TV  

  • WGSST 4527.01: Studies in Gender and Cinema (Comedy, Horror, or the Musical!) 

  • WGSST 2900: Data Feminism  

  • WGSST 3306: Gender, Media and New Technologies   

  • WGSST 4845: Gender, Sexuality and Science 

  • WGSST 2260: Queer Ecologies: Gender, Sexuality and the Environment  

  • WGSST 3101: Food and Gender 

  • WGSST 2305: A World of Gender and Sexualities 

  • WGSST 2340: ¡Sí Se Puede! Latinx Gender Studies  

  • WGSST 2750: Natives and Newcomers: Immigration and Migration in U.S. History  

  • WGSST 3370: Sexualities and Citizenship 

  • WGSST 3505: Transnational Feminisms 

  • WGSST 4401: Asian American Women: Race, Sex and Representations 

  • WGSST 4405: Race and Sexuality 

  • WGSST 4540: Women of Color: Art, Literature and Culture  

  • WGSST 2282: Introduction to Queer Studies 

  • WGSST 2367.03: U.S. Lesbian Writers: Text and Context 

  • WGSST 3280: Trans Studies 

General Requirements

Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies majors complete a 3-hour prerequisite and 30 credit hours of required coursework.

  • Majors must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours in approved courses, at least 9 of which must be at the 4000 level or above.
  • A minimum course grade of C- and an average grade of C (2.0) in all courses used to fulfill the major requirements must be maintained.
  • No more than 6 credit hours of combined Special Topics (WGSST 2194, WGSST 3320, WGSST 4194), internship credit (WGSST 3191, WGSST 3385), and/or Individual Studies (WGSST 5193) may be used to fulfill major requirements. Of those 6, no more than 3 may be in WGSST 5193.
  • No more than 6 credit hours of approved-related courses outside of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies may apply to the major.
  • Major courses may not be used to meet other curricular requirements, except as specified in the General Education Curriculum (GE) and ASC Degree Planning Manual.

Please consult the WGSS Undergraduate Academic Advisor for additional guidelines if you're interested in double majors and dual degrees. 

If you're interested in WGSS Honors, please consult the WGSS Honors Advisor at wgssadvising@osu.edu. 

What can you do with a WGSS degree? A lot.  

WGSS students become innovative thinkers and engaged citizens who understand the increasingly diverse world in which they live. They are prepared to make an impact in their communities and pursue a variety of career paths.  

Students develop critical thinking, communication, collaboration, research, and leadership skills that can be applied in the nonprofit sector, education, public policy, law, and health care, among other fields and industries.  

This development of transferrable skills is increasingly important for today's students, who need flexibility to adapt to a rapidly changing job market.

Additionally, the interdisciplinary training and analytical skills students acquire through coursework prepares them for graduate and professional school in a number of fields. 

Learn more about what you can do with a WGSS degree.

Major in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies (before Autumn 2020)

Pre-requisite (1 course, 3 credit hours)

  • WGSST 1110: Gender, Sex and Power

Core Courses (4 courses, 12 credit hours)

  1. WGSST 2300: Introduction to Feminist Analysis (3 cr. hr.)
  2. WGSST 2550: History of Feminist Thought (3 cr. hr.)
  3. At least ONE Women of Color course from the following list; this course may not be applied to the concentration area requirement (3 cr. hr.)
  • WGSST 2340: Latina Experience in the U.S.
  • WGSST 2367.02: U.S. Latina Writers: Text and Context
  • WGSST 2367.04: Black Women Writers: Text and Context
  • WGSST 2702(H): Modern Arabic Literature in Translation
  • WGSST 2750(H): Natives and Newcomers: U.S. (Im)migration and Migration
  • WGSST 3505: Feminist Perspectives on Globalization
  • WGSST 4401: Asian American Women: Race, Sex and Representations
  • WGSST 4402: Black Women: Representation, Politics and Power
  • WGSST 4404: Regulating Bodies: Global Sexual Economies
  • WGSST 4405: Race and Sexuality
  • WGSST 4520: Women of Color and Social Activism
  • WGSST 4540: Women of Color: Art, Literature and Culture
  • WGSST 4560: Chicana Feminism
  • WGSST 4576: Women and Visual Cultures in Latin America
  • WGSST 4921: Intersections: Approaches to Race, Class and Sexuality
  • WGSST 5623: African Women: History & Socioeconomic Change
  • WGSST 5624: Women and Social Change in Latin America
  1.    Senior Experience (3 cr. hr.)

Majors must select ONE of the following:

  • WGSST 4575: Issues in Contemporary Feminist Theory (Senior Seminar)
  • WGSST 4999(H): Distinction Thesis or Distinction Honors Thesis 

Concentration Area (3 courses, 9 credit hours)

Majors are required to choose one Concentration Area from the four areas of study listed below. Students must take 3 courses (9 credit hours) within their chosen concentration. A comprehensive list of WGSST and Approved-Related courses that fulfill each concentration courses can be helpful.

  1. Race, Sexualities and Social Justice (formerly Difference & Diversity)
  2. Narrative, Culture and Representation (formerly Culture & Representation)
  3. Power, Institutions and Economies (formerly Political Contexts & Social Change)
  4. Global and Transnational Feminisms

Open Electives (3 courses, 9 credit hours)

The remaining elective hours may be chosen from courses in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies and/or Approved-Related courses. No more than 6 credit hours of electives can be chosen outside of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Note: "Topics in" and "Studies in" courses vary by semester and are not listed as approved-related courses. Students may petition the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies undergraduate advisor for permission to apply an unlisted course to their major program. Students must obtain written approval from the department before enrolling in the course.