UNIVERSITY NEWS RSS

More »

University of Richmond

Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Jane Geaney, Coordinator (Religion)

The women, gender and sexuality studies program is grounded in a) the analysis of gender and sexuality as historically emergent concepts and regions of human experience; b) the histories of political and social movements focused on the concerns, needs, and perspectives of women and sexualities minorities; and c) the theoretical and methodological frameworks of feminist analysis across the disciplines. Working in close consultation with an advisor, students may engage in a wide range of coursework emphasizing their specific areas of interest within the interdisciplinary field.

The Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Major

Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the major must be no less than 2.00 with no course grade below C (2.0).

10 units, including

WGSS 200 Introduction to Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies
WGSS 489 Research Methods and Capstone Preparation
WGSS 490 Senior Capstone Experience
Seven additional units in WGSS or cross-listed courses. At least four of the seven courses must be above the 200 level, and no more than .5 unit of internship credit may be counted toward the major.

Students must develop their major course of study plan in consultation with their advisor/WGSS coordinator. Plans must be submitted in writing and kept on file. The procedure for submitting a plan can be found on the WGSS Web site.

Students are expected to fulfill all prerequisites necessary for courses within the major. Prerequisites do not count toward the major unless otherwise noted.

Related Fields

Combined major in women, gender and sexuality studies and English literature

The Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Minor

Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the minor must be no less than 2.00 with no course grade below C (2.0).

5 units, including

WGSS 200 Introduction to Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Four additional units in WGSS core or cross-listed from at least two different departments, including no more than .5 units of internship credit.

Students are expected to fulfill all prerequisites necessary for courses within the minor. Prerequisites do not count toward the minor unless otherwise noted.

Courses for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Credit

See the departmental listings for descriptions of the following courses offered for women, gender, and sexuality studies credit. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) may or may not carry women, gender, and sexuality studies credit in any given semester. Check with the instructor and the women, gender, and sexuality studies coordinator before enrolling in any course on this list. A comprehensive listing of courses is published each semester on the WGSS Web site and should be taken as the final arbiter for women, gender and sexuality studies credit.

ANTH 300 Sexuality and Gender Across Cultures
ANTH 379 Women in the Middle East
ANTH 379 Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East
ART 324 Contemporary Art and Architecture: Gender, Ethnicity, and Beyond
BIOL 370 Women in Science
CLSC 210 History of Early Medicine
CLSC 304 The Feminine in Greco-Roman Literature
CLSC 308 Women in Greece and Rome
ECON 232 The Economics of Gender
ENGL 203 Children's Literature
ENGL 206 Selections in American Literature: Cult Reflections*
ENGL 206 Natural Reflections in Fiction and Nonfiction
ENGL 224 Great Novels: Deceit, Desire and the Novel*
ENGL 225 Selected Fiction by Women
ENGL 226 Love and War in Medieval Literature
ENGL 230 Women in Modern Literature
ENGL 335 Black Women Writers
ENGL 358 African-American Women Writers
ENGL 369 American Culture/American Film
ENGL 389 Women and Creativity
FREN 451 From Romanticism to Decadence
FREN 497 ST: French Women Writers*
GERM 471 Sexuality and German Society
GERM 472 Multiculturalism, Identity, and Authorship in German Context (WGSS 379 when taught in English)
HIST 100 Abigail Adams and Her Times *
HIST 224 European Women and Gender before Suffrage
HIST 280 Modern Africa
HIST 299 Women and Gender in Africa
HIST 300 Early American Women
HIST 304 African-American Women's History
HIST 321 History of Work in Europe
HIST 380 Women and Gender in African History
LAIS 475 Women and Writing in Latin America
LAWE 740 Sexual Orientation and the Law (same as WGSS 379)
LDST 305 Leadership in Community and Volunteer Organizations
LDST 307 Leadership in International Contexts*
LDST 386 Leadership in a Diverse Society
LDST 390 Women's Movement
LDST 390 Sex, Power, and Politics
PHIL 221 Feminist Political Theories (same as WGSS 221)
PHIL 358 Topics in Feminist Philosophy
PHIL 363 Power and Politics
PLSC 361 Politics of Social Welfare*
PLSC 379 Women and Politics*
PLSC 379 Power and Politics*
PSYC 299 Diversity
PSYC 449 Advanced Seminar: Psychology of Gender*
PSYC 449 Advanced Seminar: Gender and Relationships
RELG 244 Women in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
RELG 253 Body/Sex in World Religious Literature
RELG 255 Queers in Religion
RELG 262 Sacred Arts of Native America
RELG 360 Goddess Traditions Ancient and Modern
RELG 373 Witchcraft and its Interpretations
RELG 374 Religion and the American Environment
RELG 375 Cults, Communes, and Utopias of Early America
RELG 394 ST: Women, Gender, Sexuality and World Religions*
RHCS 295 Topics in Rhetoric: Doing History and Theory*
RHCS 340 Culture and Communication
RHCS 363 Rhetoric and Culture*
RHCS 412 Politics of Rhetoric and Diversity
RHCS 413 Rhetoric and Democracy
SOC 303 Sociology of Families
SOC 318 Social Stratification*
SOC 319 Social Constructions of Gender and Sexuality
SOC 379 Race, Class and Gender*
SOC 379 Gender and Work
THTR 370 Staging Gender

In addition, the courses listed below may be taken for WGSS credit if the student contracts with the professor to focus the independent work on gender or sexuality.

ART 324 Artists Looking at Artists: Anxiety, Influence, and Inspiration
ENGL 301 Literature of the Middle Ages
ENGL 303 Chaucer
ENGL 333 Literatures of South Asia
ENGL 338 English Literature - Victorian Period
ENGL 359 Contemporary American Literature
LDST 205 Justice and Civil Society
RELG 257 Native American Religions
RHCS 295 Topics in Research: Ethnology
THTR 119 Broadway Musical Theatre
THTR 309 Theatre History I
THTR 319 Theatre History II

Courses

WGSS 200 Introduction to Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies

WGSS 201 WILL Colloquium: Gender, Race and Activism

WGSS 221 Feminist Political Theories

WGSS 240 Sexual Violence and War

WGSS 250 Politics of the Body

WGSS 280 Women and Work

WGSS 301 WILL Senior Seminar

WGSS 302 Women and the Law

WGSS 303 Women in Television: Representations, Images and Stereotypes

WGSS 370 Sexual Orientation and the Law

WGSS 379 Selected Topics

WGSS 388 Individual Internship

WGSS 398 Independent Study

WGSS 399 Topics in Advanced Feminist Theory

WGSS 489 Research Methods and Capstone Preparation

WGSS 490 Senior Capstone Experience

Back to top