Undergraduate Studies

Gender and Women's Studies Program

Welcome to Gender and Women's Studies!

The Gender & Women’s Studies Program offers an undergraduate major, minor, and graduate minor in Gender & Women’s Studies as well as undergraduate and graduate minors in Queer Studies. Our major and minors provide students with foundational knowledge in historical and contemporary issues related to sex, gender, and sexuality, as well as with critical skills and tools to apply intersectional feminist and gender theories to interdisciplinary research and practice.

Undergraduate Major:

Requirements

The Gender & Women’s Studies major requires 30 credit hours of GWST courses, including 9 credits of core courses and 21 credits of elective courses.

The following curricular requirements reflect updates effective Fall 2022, so any courses completed under previous requirements will still be accepted. Details are listed below.

Introductory Core: 3 Credits

Complete ONE course from the following:

• GWST 1080 - Intro Gender & Women’s Studies

• GWST 2000 - Introduction to LGBTQ/NS Studies

Note: If taken prior to Fall 2022, GWST 1900, Women & Leadership may also satisfy this requirement.

Interdisciplinary Theory Core: 6 Credits

Complete TWO courses from the following:

1. Core course required for all majors:

• GWST 3600 - Gender, Race, Sex & Social Systems (Will be offered Spring 2023)

Note: If taken prior to Fall 2022, the following courses may satisfy this requirement: GWST 3710, Gender & Humanities; GWST 2500, Gender & Society

2. Choose ONE of the following:

• GWST 4700 - Feminist Theories

• GWST 4430 - Queer Theory

Free Electives: 21 credit hours.

Students must compete 7 courses / 21 credit hours from our full complement of elective courses to fulfill their major requirements. We encourage students to take a variety of courses, including those focused cultural representation, ethnic and racial diversity, history, transnational issues, sexuality, identity, media, the arts, and economics.

 

More Degree Information

 

Gender and Women’s Studies with Honors:

Honors in Gender and Women’s Studies recognizes academically ambitious students who have excelled in their undergraduate careers, and who are ready for graduate school and/or employment in the public or private spheres. Requirements include an overall minimum GPA of 3.500 and the completion of GWST 4965, Senior Honors Project. Honors in GWST also requires the completion of 3 semesters of foreign language or sign language, or a concentration in quantitative analysis and research methods, including statistics. Students in UW Honors Program, McNair Scholars Program, or other departments that require completion of an independent research project may dovetail their honors work in GWST with those programs.

Undergraduate Minor in Gender and Women’s Studies

The minor in Gender & Women’s Studies provides students pursuing any major at UW with unique critical skills and theoretical background in the field. Students are encouraged to work with faculty mentors to tailor their course plan to best enhance their academic and professional goals.

Requirements

Students may earn a minor in Gender in Women’s Studies by completing 18 credit hours of course work, Nine of the required hours must be 3000 level or above, and at least 15 credits must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.

Core Course: 3 Credits

Complete at least ONE of the following core courses.

Note: Because GWST 3600 and 4700 have prerequisites, taking a lower level and upper level course from this list is recommended, but not required.

GWST 1080 - Intro Gender & Women’s Studies

GWST 2000 - Introduction to LGBTQ/NS Studies

GWST 3600 - Gender, Race, Sex & Social Systems

GWST 4700 - Feminist Theories

Note: If taken prior to Fall 2022, the following courses may also satisfy this requirement: GWST 1900, Women & Leadership; GWST 2500, Gender & Society; or GWST 3710, Gender &Humanities.

Elective: 15 Credits

The additional 15 credit hours can be selected from the complete slate of GWST electives, including those listed above. A minimum of 12 credit hours in the GWST minor must be exclusive of hours earned in the student’s major.

Additional Information

Students in GWST are encouraged to work with a faculty advisor to develop an individualized plan of study. Contact the program director, Dr. Michelle Jarman (mjarman@uwyo.edu), for more information.