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Gender and Women's Studies

Courses in this program are listed under GWST.

Gender and women's studies is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that investigates how gender and sexuality operate as organizing axes of social, cultural, economic and political institutions, as well as in the everyday lives and cultural products of people who must live within them. Emphasizing the importance of historical and cross-cultural perspectives, the Gender and Women's Studies Program at UMBC critically examines the intersections of gender and sexuality with other differences, including, class, race, ethnicity,  nationality, age, and ability to make visible structures of power that otherwise remain hidden.

The Gender and Women’s Studies Program offers a major, undergraduate certificate, and two minors, Gender and Women’s Studies and Critical Sexuality Studies.

Career and Academic Paths

Each of the Gender and Women’s Studies Program options – the undergraduate major, the certificate, and the minor – reflects a deep commitment to the interdependence of theory and practice. In this way, the program equips students with the substantive knowledge and critical skills required to respond to rapidly changing environments in areas such as government, business, education, public service, the health professions, social services and the law, at local, national and global levels.

Academic Advising

Each student is assigned an academic advisor from the program’s faculty upon declaring gender and women’s studies as a major, certificate or minor. Students may also request to be assigned to a particular faculty member. Advisees are urged to consult regularly with faculty advisors, utilize information on the Gender and Women’s Studies Program Web site (www.umbc.edu/gwstudies), and to take part in program activities.

Special Opportunities

Women Involved in Learning and Leadership (WILL). All students academically connected to the Gender and Women’s Studies Program through a declared major, certificate or minor are encouraged to participate in the WILL program, a learning community that promotes academic excellence, leadership development and civic engagement. Through WILL, students have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills by planning and executing projects on campus and in the community, meeting with powerful activists and leaders from around the region, and attending co-curricular cultural events, all with other students similarly committed to diverse gender and social justice issues. In conjunction with WILL, the Gender and Women’s Studies Program sponsors a single-sex, living-learning floor in the residence halls. In addition, students have the opportunity to apply their gender and women’s studies course work in a wide variety of internship options available in the Baltimore Washington region, including such organizations as the Feminist Majority Foundation, the National Organization for Women, Choice USA, Planned Parenthood and WMST-L, (the international electronic discussion forum for women’s studies based at UMBC). More information about gender and women's studies at UMBC and elsewhere can be found at: http://www.umbc.edu/gwstudies

Major Program

The major in gender and women’s studies consists of 36 credits, divided as follows:

CORE COURSES (15 credits)

• GWST 100 Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies
• GWST 200 Studies in Feminist Activism
• GWST 300 Methodologies of Gender and Women’s Studies
• GWST 480 Theories of Feminism
• GWST 495 Colloquium: Research and Activism

ELECTIVE COURSES (21 credits)

12 credits must be spread across the three content areas – history and public policy; representations as/in culture; and material, social and technological contexts. The remaining nine (9) credits may be from any non-core approved GWST courses, including topics courses (GWST 290, 390, 490). Six (6) of the 21 credits must be designated “range of experience” (RoE) courses.

History and Public Policy (6 credits)

• GWST/AMST 210 Introduction to Critical Sexuality Studies (RoE)
• GWST/HIST 325 History of Women in America to 1870
• GWST/HIST 326 History of Women in America Since 1870
• GWST 327/AFST 354/HIST 323 African-American Women’s History (RoE)
• GWST/POLI 328 Women and Politics
• GWST 330/ANCS 320 Women and Gender in the Classical World
• GWST/POLI 338 Women, Gender, and Law
• GWST 340 Women, Gender and Globalization (RoE)
• GWST/HIST 366 Doin’ It: Case Studies in the History of Western Sexuality (RoE)
• GWST/HIST 374 European Women’s History 1200-1750
• GWST/HIST 375 European Women’s History 1750-Present
• GWST/ SOWK 377 Women and Social Policy
• GWST/HIST 380 History of Women and Gender in Asia (RoE)
• GWST/AMST 382 Perspectives on the Family
• GWST 383 History and Politics of Sexuality (RoE)
• GWST/AFST 439 Women in Africa and The Diaspora (RoE)

Representations as/in Culture (3 credits)

• GWST/PHIL 258 Introduction to Feminist Philosophy
• GWST/MLL320 International Feminist Filmmakers (RoE)
• GWST 321 Queer Representations in Film and TV (RoE)
• GWST/MLL 322/AFST 347 Gender, Race, and Media (RoE)
• GWST 323 Gender and Sitcoms
• GWST 342 Gender in Modern South Asia (RoE)
• GWST/THTR 349 Gender, Sexuality, and Theatrical Performance (RoE)
• GWST/ENGL 364 Perspectives on Women in Literature
• GWST 365 Black Women Novelists (RoE)
• GWST/PHIL 391 The Philosophy of Sex
• GWST/MLL 413 Language, Gender, and Culture
• GWST/PHIL 458 Advanced Topics in Feminist Philosophy
• GWST/ENGL 464 Studies in Women and Literature

Material, Social and Technological Contexts (3 credits)

• GWST/ECON 250 Gender Roles in Economic Life
• GWST/MLL 255 Intercultural Paris (RoE)
• GWST/AMST 310 Gender and Inequality in America
• GWST/SOCY 332 Human Sexuality in Sociological Perspective
• GWST/SOCY 333 Human Sexuality in Cross-Cultural Perspective
• GWST 345 Unruly Bodies (RoE)
• GWST/CMSC/IS 352 Women, Gender and Information Technology
• GWST/SOCY 353 Marriage and the Family
• GWST/SOCY 355 The Sociology of Women
• GWST/PSYC 356 Psychology of Sex and Gender
• GWST/PSYC 357 Psychology of Women
• GWST/AFST 370 Black Women: Cross-Cultural Perspectives (RoE)
• GWST/AFST 371 The Female Offender
• GWST 378 Women, Gender and Science
• GWST 381 Cultural Politics of Population in the U.S.
• GWST/SOCY 433 Gender, Work and Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective (RoE)
• GWST/SOCY 434 Gender and the Life Course
• GWST 485 Sexuality and Queer Theory (RoE)

Note: A maximum of 6 credits of GWST electives may be taken at the 200 level.

A maximum of three credits of GWST independent studies may be counted toward the major, and a maximum of three GWST internship credits may be counted toward the major.

A grade of “C” or better is required in all courses applied toward the major.

Certificate Program

To earn the certificate, students must complete 24 credits of gender and women’s studies coursework, including the following four required courses:

• GWST 100 Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies
• GWST 200 Studies in Feminist Activism
• GWST 300 Methodologies of Gender and Women’s Studies
• GWST 480 Theories of Feminism

AND One of the following women’s history courses:

• GWST/HIST 325 History of Women in America to 1870
• GWST/HIST 326 History of Women in America Since 1870
• GWST 327/AFST 354 African-American Women’s History
• GWST 330/ANCS 320 Women and Gender in the Classical World
• GWST/HIST 366 Doin’ It: Case Studies in the History of Western Sexuality
• GWST/HIST 374 European Woman’s History: 1200-1750
• GWST/HIST 375 European Women’s History: 1750-Present
• GWST/HIST 380 Women and Gender in Asia

As well as nine credits of elective gender and women’s studies courses, including at least two courses that specifically address the range of women’s experiences (RoE), for example through a focus on international women, ethnicity, sexual orientation and/or class.

A grade of "C" or better is required in all courses applied toward the certificate.

Minor Programs

Minor in Gender and Women's Studies

To complete the gender and women's studies minor, students must complete 18 credits of gender and women’s studies coursework, including the following three required courses:

• GWST 100 Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies
• GWST 200 Studies in Feminist Activism
• GWST 480 Theories of Feminism

AND nine credits of upper level elective gender and women’s studies courses, including at least one course that specifically addresses the range of women’s experiences (RoE), for example through a focus on international women, ethnicity, sexual orientation and/or class.

Minor in Critical Sexuality Studies

To complete the Critical Sexuality Studies, students must complete 18 credits of gender and women’s studies coursework as follows:

• GWST 210 Introduction to Critical Sexuality Studies (GEP/GFR meets SS) (RoE)
• GWST 300 Methodologies of Gender and Women's Studies
• GWST 485 Sexuality and Queer Theory (RoE)

Selected topics courses, GWST 390 and 490 topics may be counted toward the 9 credits in electives with permission of adviser.

When students pursue the critical sexuality studies minor along with the gender and women's studies major, certificate, or minor, only two courses may overlap for completion of the program requirements.

A grade of “C” or better is required in all courses applied toward either minor.