Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies, Bachelor of Arts College of Letters & Science
The Major Program
Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary major founded on the understanding that the social production of gender is inseparable from that of race, sexuality, class, nationality, ability and other categories of difference. Our curriculum places feminist concerns within a transnational context, while respecting the need for geographic and historical specificity. These frameworks inform our teaching, our research, our institutional & community practices, and the principles we bring to our classrooms. Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies offers a wide range of classes that use the lenses of gender & sexuality studies to examine colonialism and post colonialism, globalization, history, queer & trans experiences, science & technology, literature, popular culture, feminist video production, cinema & digital media, fashion, and food. The Department offers both an undergraduate major and minor. We also work collaboratively with other units on campus to sponsor two undergraduate minors, Sexuality Studies and Social, Ethnic & Gender Relations.
The Department
One of the most exciting and challenging aspects of the Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies Department is that students, in consultation with peer and faculty advisors, can pursue their particular academic interests and design their course of study accordingly. In devising their major plan, students will draw on courses offered in African American & African Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Asian American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Comparative Literature, English, French, German & Italian Studies, History, Linguistics, Native American Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Science & Technology Studies, Sociology, Spanish, and other related disciplines.
In addition to offering a broad array of courses that deal with gender, class, race, ethnicity, and sexuality, the Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies Department affords interested students the opportunity to earn internship credit and conduct independent research as well as take advantage of the Honors Thesis option.
Students design a program of study in consultation with an advisor that is in accordance with their individual career goals. Many Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies majors find it advantageous to pursue a double major, or to minor in another field of study. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements, students majoring in the program will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies.
Career Alternatives
A degree in Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies opens many possibilities for future employment. The major introduces students to relevant social issues, fosters critical thinking, develops strong verbal, writing and research skills and encourages social advocacy.
Pre-professional students will discover that a major in Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies offers useful preparatory training for medical or law school. It is particularly suitable for those interested in specializing in social policy, international development, social justice or gender-related work in a wide range of institutions and contexts. Students who plan to do practical work in counseling, clinical psychology, social services, education, media or politics will also find a major in Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies provides a strong foundation. Those who wish to pursue graduate level research in such fields as anthropology, comparative literature, cultural studies, economics, education, ethnic studies, English, cinema & digital media studies, history, languages & literatures, performance studies, philosophy, political science, and sociology will also benefit from a strong Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies background in feminist theory, social analysis, history and a sound understanding of cultural representation and narratives of difference.
Increasingly, media & cultural institutions, corporations, and personnel firms seek to hire specialists in Gender, Sexuality, & Women Studies who are trained in institutional practices that support inclusive practices in recruitment & hiring and that foster diverse workplace environments. State & federal agencies need people who have special understanding of the workplace challenges faced by women, and by all groups who are under-represented in specific industries and professions. Educational institutions and non-profit organizations across the spectrum need specialists to develop and administer gender, sexuality & women’s studies programs, multi-cultural community centers, LGBTQ organizations and other organizations designed specifically to deal with gender, social diversity and inequality, and a growing range of old and new social challenges arising in the context of globalization.
Some of our alumni have developed careers other than those described above. Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies faculty and peer advisors can provide even more ideas about possible future careers. Doing internships related to coursework enables students to integrate theory with hands-on practice and service in the community.
Major Advisor
Advising is located in 1200 Hart Hall; gsw-advising@ucdavis.edu; 530-752-6429.
Graduate Study
The Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies Department offers a designated emphasis in Feminist Theory & Research for students enrolled in the Ph.D. programs of fifteen other affiliated departments. For more information, see Designated Emphasis in Feminist Theory & Research.
The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Degree Requirements & College Degree Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies Bachelor of Arts is 64.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory Subject Matter | ||
| Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies | ||
| GSW 050 | Introduction to Critical Gender Studies | 4 |
| GSW 070 | Theory & History of Sexualities | 4 |
| WMS 060 | Feminist Critiques of Western Thought | 4 |
| One additional lower division GSW/WMS course: | 4 | |
Lower-division GSW/WMS courses used to meet this requirement may not duplicate those used to meet other GSW requirements. | ||
| First Year Seminar | ||
| Directed Group Study | ||
| Special Study for Undergraduates | ||
| Gender & Global Cinema | ||
| Choose one: | 4 | |
| African-American Culture & Society | ||
| Women in African Societies | ||
| Objects & Everyday Life | ||
| Images of America & Americans in Popular Culture | ||
| Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Comparative Cultures | ||
| Sexualities | ||
| Historical Experience of Asian Americans | ||
| Contemporary Issues of Asian Americans | ||
| Introduction to Chicana/o Studies | ||
| Chicana/o & Latina/o Health Care Issues | ||
| Chicana & Chicano Culture | ||
| Introduction to Women Writers | ||
| Theatre, Performance & Culture | ||
| Introduction to Literature | ||
or ENL 003V | Introduction to Literature | |
| Special Topics in Critical Gender Studies | ||
| Women & Gender in America, to 1865 | ||
| Women & Gender in America, 1865-Present | ||
| Nature, Man, & the Machine in America | ||
| Native American Experience | ||
| Native American Music & Dance | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Law & Politics | ||
or POL 007V | Introduction to Law & Politics | |
| General Psychology | ||
or PSC 001V | General Psychology | |
or PSC 001Y | General Psychology | |
| Introduction to Science, Technology & Medicine Studies | ||
| Introduction to the History of Science & Technology | ||
or STS/HIS 002Y | Introduction to the History of Science & Technology | |
| Drugs, Science & Culture | ||
| Self & Society | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| Sociology of Labor & Employment | ||
| Cultural Representations of Gender | ||
| Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal | 20 | |
| Depth Subject Matter | ||
| Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies | ||
| GSW 103 | Introduction to Feminist Theory | 4 |
| WMS 104 | Feminist Research | 4 |
| WMS 137 | Contemporary Debates in Western Feminist Theory | 4 |
| WMS 170 | Queer Studies | 4 |
| GSW 190 | Senior Seminar | 4 |
| Thematic Track | ||
| In consultation with the Faculty Advisor & Major Advisor, choose four upper division Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies courses (WMS) and two elective courses that can be taken outside of the department (see options below) addressing a specific theme or topic; courses used to meet this requirement may not duplicate those used to meet other GSW Requirements. | 24 | |
Choose two: | ||
| African Descent Communities & Culture in the Caribbean & Latin America | ||
| African Descent Communities & Culture in Asia | ||
| Black Female Experience in Contemporary Society | ||
| The Black Family In America | ||
| Hip Hop in Urban America | ||
| Women & Development | ||
| Self, Identity, & Family (Discontinued) | ||
| Cultural Dimensions of Globalization | ||
| Race, Class, Gender Systems | ||
| Gender & Sexuality | ||
| Asian American Women | ||
| Filipino American Experience | ||
| Chicana/o Theoretical Perspective | ||
| Chicanas/Mexicanas in Contemporary Society | ||
| Globalization, Transnational Migration, & Chicana/o & Latina/o Communities | ||
| Chicana/o Psychology | ||
| Psychology Perspectives Chicana/o & Latina/o Family | ||
| United States-Mexican Border Relations | ||
| Chicanas in Politics & Public Policy | ||
| Chicanas in Politics & Public Policy | ||
| The Chicana & Chicano Movement | ||
| The Chicana/o Novel | ||
| Mexican Film & Greater Mexican Identity | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Chicano Art | ||
| Mexican & Chicano Mural Workshop | ||
| Race & Juvenile Justice | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| Gender & Interpretation in the Renaissance | ||
| Women in Literature | ||
| History of Fashion | ||
| 19th-Century British Novel | ||
| Love & Desire in Contemporary American Poetry | ||
| Literature by Women Before 1800 | ||
| Literature by Women from 1800-1900 | ||
| Literature, Sexuality, & Gender | ||
| Italian-American Cinema | ||
| Russian Film | ||
| Post-Colonial & Francophone Literature | ||
| From Marlene Dietrich to Run, Lola Run: German Women & Film | ||
| Multiculturalism in German Literature | ||
| Classic Weimar Cinema | ||
| Undergraduate Proseminar in History: United States Since 1896 | ||
| Women & Society in Europe: 1500-1789 | ||
| Women & Society in Europe: 1789-1920 | ||
| Women & Gender in Latin American History | ||
| Spain & America in the 16th Century | ||
| History of Sexuality in America | ||
| History of the Modern Middle East, 1750-1914 | ||
| History of the Modern Middle East, From 1914 | ||
| The Middle East Environment: Historical Change & Current Challenges | ||
| Language, Gender, & Society | ||
| Race, Culture, & Nation | ||
| Gender Construction in Native Societies | ||
| Native American Women | ||
| Women in Politics | ||
| Sexual Orientation & Prejudice | ||
| Gender & Human Reproduction | ||
| Hindu Women & Goddesses | ||
| Modern Islam | ||
| The Family | ||
| Sexual Stratification & Politics | ||
| Gender & Rural Development in the Third World | ||
| Health & Medicine in a Global Context | ||
| Gender & Science | ||
| Depth Subject Matter Subtotal | 44 | |
| Total Units | 64 | |