Women's and gender studies is an interdisciplinary area of scholarship and research that focuses on the significance of gender as a variable in experience, history, and culture. Women's and gender studies raises questions that often have been ignored or marginalized, and it makes the experience and history of women central to the study of any human concern. Scholarship in women's and gender studies demonstrates the need to recognize new models of knowledge, as well as the need to be critical of theories and approaches that do not take into account the difference of gender. In so doing, women's studies serves as a site for "reflective critique," and it has often challenged the traditional disciplines to reflect on their concepts and methods in ways that have enriched those disciplines.
At Stony Brook, the Women's and Gender Studies program introduces students to the history of feminism, as well as its contemporary theories and methods. Feminist theory in a global context provides the background for a critique of the social construction of gender and its relation to other systems of privilege.
The major and minor in Women's and Gender Studies are designed for students interested in the interdisciplinary study of gender and women. The programs emphasize the development of skills in critical thinking, argumentation, and writing. The program consists of a set of core courses offered in women's studies as well as related courses in other disciplines. Students wishing to complete the major or minor should consult the Department and establish an advising folder by the beginning of the junior year.
Because it emphasizes transposable skills of reading, writing, analysis, and expression, women's and gender studies provides an excellent preparation for graduate school, professional school, or employment. Graduates have gone on to careers in law, medicine, social work, psychology, teaching, and business, among other fields, and graduate work in women's studies. Double majors, combining Women's and Gender Studies with another field, are not uncommon.
Students may choose to pursue a combined Women's and Gender Studies B.A. and Master of Public Health.
Requirements for the Major in Women's and Gender Studies (WST)
The major in Women's and Gender Studies leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. No more than three credits offered for the major may be taken Pass/No Credit or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. All other courses for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. No transferred course with a grade lower than C may be applied toward major requirements. No more than two 100-level courses may be applied toward major requirements. At least 18 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or higher. Students may choose to pursue an accelerated Women's and Gender Studies B.A. and Master of Public Health. For further information on the accelerated degree, please see the program Director.
Completion of the major requires 36 credits.
A. Core Courses
1. WST 102 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies in the Social Sciences OR WST 103 Women, Culture, and Difference
2. WST 291 Introduction to Feminist Theory
3. WST 301 Histories of Feminism
4. WST 305 Feminist Theories in Context
5. WST 408 Senior Research Seminar for Women's and Gender Studies Majors and Minors
B. Focused Studies
One course in each of the following categories (See Note 1)
C. Electives
I) Twelve credits from WST courses. The following courses offered by other departments may also be used to satisfy this requirement (also see Note 2):
D. Upper-Division Writing Requirement
Students must present to the director of undergraduate studies a minimum of ten typewritten pages of formal writing, prepared for an upper-division course listed above as acceptable for the major requirements. This written work must have been judged by the course instructor to be satisfactory for the upper-division writing requirement in the field of Women's and Gender Studies. Normally this requirement is met through the work in WST 408.
Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.
Notes:
1. A list of approved courses which satisfy requirement B may be found on the WST community Brightspace Web site at http://Brightspace.stonybrook.edu.
The following courses are approved to replace WST 395, 398, or 399)
Approved Replacements for WST 399
2. Related special topics courses given in various departments are acceptable for the Women's Studies major and minor with the approval of the undergraduate director. A list will be available in the Women's and Gender Studies Office at preregistration each semester. The list will also be available on the WST community Brightspace Web site.
3. At least two WST topics courses must be used in satisfying Requirement B.
4. No more than six credits from WST 447 and WST 487 may be applied toward the major.
Specialization in Gender, Sexuality, and Public Health
Students choosing to pursue this specialization receive additional preparation for a career in public health. Depending on the student's choice of courses, this specialization can be useful for students planning careers in midwifery, medicine, nursing, or counseling and education related to sexuality and/or reproduction.
Requirements for the Specialization in Gender, Sexuality, and Public Health
1. 18 credits of coursework (See Notes)
See the list of elective courses below; a current list of courses approved for this specialization can be found on the WST community Brightspace Web site at http://Brightspace.stonybrook.edu.
2. Internship
Three of the 18 credits for the specialization must be in an approved internship or other related applied experience.
Notes:
1. No more than 3 of the 18 credits required for the specialization may be lower-division.
2. All A-F graded courses must be passed with a grade of C or better.
3. The specialization courses may overlap with major requirements, but not replace any.
Elective courses for the Specialization in Gender, Sexuality, and Public Health
Specialization in Gender and Social Change
Students choosing to pursue this specialization receive additional preparation for a career in social change creating professions, such as law, social work, public policy, or the media. Depending on the student's choice of courses, this specialization can be useful for students planning careers in civil rights work, community organizing, work with abused women and children, politics, or visual media, to give only a few examples.
Requirements for the Specialization in Gender and Social Change
1. 18 credits of coursework (See Notes)
See the list of elective courses below; a current list of courses approved for this specialization can be found on the WST community Brightspace Web site at http://Brightspace.stonybrook.edu
2. Internship
Three of the 18 credits for the specialization must be in an approved internship or other related applied experience.
Notes:
1. No more than 3 of the 18 credits required for the specialization may be lower-division. 2. All A-F graded courses must be passed with a grade of C or better. 3. The specialization courses may overlap with major requirements, but not replace any.
Elective courses for the Specialization in Gender and Social Change
Honors Program in Women’s and Gender Studies
Any Women’s and Gender Studies major who has maintained a grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 in the WaGS major and a 3.00 GPA overall are eligible to enroll in the Women’s and Gender Studies with honors program. The student must maintain these respective GPAs throughout the duration of the honors program. The student must enroll in the honors program before the end of the junior year. The student must identify a potential faculty member within the department to serve as a mentor, and, with the written approval of the mentor, submit the honors program application, which will describe the honors thesis project.
In the senior year, the student must enroll in WST 495 in the first semester and WST 496 in the second semester, for a total of six credits. This year long sequence of WST 495/496 is in lieu of the general Senior Seminar, WST 408. Since there are two semesters of required coursework, students in the program will complete 39 credits for the major, as opposed to 36 for students not enrolled in the program. The student’s honors thesis must be completed no later than four weeks prior to the end of the second semester, to allow for review by the honors committee and to allow for revisions. The honors thesis will be read by the student’s mentor and two other CAT faculty members or CAT affiliates.
If the honors program is completed with distinction and the student has achieved a 3.50 GPA in all WaGS courses taken in the senior year, honors are conferred.
Only one course (no more than three credits) offered for the minor may be taken for Pass/No Credit, and no more than 6 credits may be taken for S/U. At least 15 credits must be graded with a letter grade.
Completion of the minor requires 21 credits.
1. WST 102 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies in the Social Sciences OR WST 103 Women, Culture, and Difference
2. WST 291 Introduction to Feminist Theory OR WST 301 Histories of Feminism
3. WST 407 Senior Research Seminar for Women's and Gender Studies Minors
4. Twelve credits chosen from among WST courses (or their crosslisted equivalents) and the list in WST major requirement C above. At least six of these credits must be numbered 300 or above. It is strongly recommended that these courses be chosen from among the following options: WST 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, or 399.
| FRESHMAN |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 101 | 1 |
| WRT 101 | 3 |
|
WST 102
|
3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 102 | 1 |
| WRT 102 | 3 |
| WST 103 | 3 |
|
SBC
|
3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| SOPHOMORE |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| WST 291 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| Major elective | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| JUNIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| WST 301 | 3 |
| WST 395 | 3 |
| Upper-division elective | 3 |
| WST 408 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| WST 305 | 3 |
| WST 398 | 3 |
| Upper-division elective | 3 |
| Upper-division elective | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SENIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| Major elective | 3 |
| Major elective | 3 |
| WST 399 | 3 |
| Upper-division elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| WST 488 | 3 |
| Major elective | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
Major and Minor in Women's and Gender Studies
Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Chair: Liz Montegary
Undergraduate Program Director:
Nancy Hiemstra
Assistant to the Chair: Jackie Donnelly
Office: Humanities 2048
Phone: (631) 632-1967
Website: http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/wgss/
Majors and other minors of particular interest to students majoring or minoring in Women's and Gender Studies: English (EGL), Health and Wellness (LHW), History (HIS), Philosophy (PHI), Psychology (PSY), Sociology (SOC)