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Undergraduate: Women's and Gender Studies

  • Program Overview

    Women's and Gender Studies (WST)

    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.

  • Degrees and Requirements

    Requirements for the Major and Minor in Women's and Gender Studies (WST)

    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.

    1. Core Courses
    2. 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
    3. Focused Studies

    One course in each of the following categories (See Note 1)

    • Women's and Gender Studies in a Global Context:  WST 395  Topics in Global Feminism (or approved other course)
    • Gender, Race, and Ethnicity:  WST 398  Topics in Gender, Race, and Ethnicity (or approved other course)
    • Gender and Sexuality:  WST 399  Topics in Gender and Sexuality (or approved other course)
    1. Electives
    2. 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):
    • AAS 331  Japanese Literature in the Feminine Domain
    • AAS 372  Family, Marriage, & Kinship in China
    • AAS 392  Soc Sci Topics in Asian & Asian American Studies (approved topic: "Caste & Gender in Hindu Law") 
    • AFH 382  Black Women's Literature of Diaspora
    • AFS 345  Culture & Gender
    • AFS 350  Black Women & Social Change
    • AFS 370  African-American Family
    • AFS 381  AIDS, Race, & Gender in the Black Community
    • ANT 367  Male & Female
    • ARH 391  Topics in Global Art (approved topic: "Images of Women in Visual Culture")
    • BIO 358  Biology of Human Social & Sexual Behavior
    • CCL 315 Gender & Sexuality in Ancient Greek Literature
    • CCS 311  Gender & Genre in Film
    • CCS 327 Topics in Histories of Culture (approved topics: "Queer Fictions of History; “Hormones & Behavior;” other topics when appropriate)
    • CLT 122  Images of Women in Literature
    • CLT 123  Sin & Sexuality in Literature
    • CLT 301  Theory of Literature (approved topic: "Queer Modernities")
    • EGL 276  Feminism: Literature and Cultural Contexts
    • EGL 310 Neoclassical Literature in English (approved topic: "Gender in the 18th Century")
    • EGL 350 Major Writers of American Literature, Colonial Period to 1900 (approved topic: "James, Stein, & Woolf")
    • EGL 352 Major Writers of 20th Century Literature in English (approved topic: "Virginia Woolf") 
    • EGL 362  Drama in English (approved topic: "Women in Modern US Drama")
    • EGL 367  Contemporary Afro-American Literature (when topic appropriate)
    • EGL 371  Topics in Gender Studies in Literature
    • EGL 372  Topics in Women & Literature (approved topics: "Ecofeminism," "Mothering, Race, & Gender," "Women Writers")
    • EUR 390  Special Topics in European Studies (approved topic: "European Women Writers")
    • HIS 336  Women, Work, & Family in Modern European History
    • HIS 360  Women in Premodern Europe
    • HIS 340  Topics in Asian History (approved topic: "Women in 20th Century China;" other topics when appropriate)
    • HIS 392  Topics in European History (approved topic: "The Age of Jane Austen")
    • HIS 393  Topics in Modern European History (approved topic: "Sexual Politics in Modern Europe;” “The World of Jane Austen;” other topics when appropriate)
    • HIS 394 Topics in History of Human Reproduction
    • HIS 396   Topics in US History (approved topic: "Women & Work in 20th Century US")
    • HIS 401   Colloquium in European History (approved topic: "Heresy & Witchcraft in Middle Ages")
    • HIS 402  Colloquium in European History (approved topic: "Women, Militants, & the Vote")
    • HIS 414  Colloquium in American History (approved topic: "Sex & Death in American Murders")
    • HUI 231   Sex & Politics in Italian Cinema
    • HUI 235   Sex, Love, Tragedy: Early Italian Cinema
    • HUI 237   Images of Italian-American Women
    • LHD 301  Human Sexual & Gender Development Issues (approved topics: "Dirty Sex," "Gender & Technology," "Love & Power in Hollywood," "Men & Women in Society," "Men in America")
    • LHD 302 Colloquium in Human & Gender Development (approved topics: "Gender [& Sex] & Contemporary Media," "Pornography, Media, & AIDS")
    • LHD 401  Advanced Seminar in Human Sexual & Gender Development (approved topic: "Fetishes, Freaks, & Addictions")
    • MUS 314   Women Making Music
    • PHI 284   Intro to Feminist Theory (III)
    • PHI 384   Advanced Topics in Feminist Philosophy (III)
    • POL 330   Gender Issues & the Law
    • POL 347   Women & Politics
    • PSY 347   Psychology of Women
    • PSY 349   Special Topics in Social Psychology (approved topic: "Women's Health Issues")
    • RLS 366   Feminine Spirituality
    • SOC 247   Sociology of Gender
    • SOC 304  Sociology of the Family
    • SOC 340   Sociology of Human Reproduction
    • SOC 371   Gender & Work
    • SOC 390   Special Topics (approved topic: "Gender in Africa")
    • SOC 391   Special Topics (approved topics: "Bodies: A Social Primer," "Sociology of Masculinity;” “Gender in Africa;” other topics when appropriate)
    • SOC 394   Special Topics (approved topic: "Globalization, Gender, Migration;” “Gender & International Development;” other topics when appropriate)
    • SOC 395  Topics in Sci, Tech, & Society (approved topic: “Perverts, Pimps, & Pills;” other topics when appropriate)
    • SPN 410   Theory in Contexts (approved topic: "Money, Sex, & Power")
    • WSE 187 Women in the Laboratory
    • WSE 242 Society & Gender in Science & Engineering
    1. 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. The following courses are approved to replace  WST 395 , 398, or 399)

    Approved Replacements for WST 395

    • AAS 307 Women in US-Asian Relations
    • HIS 431 Women in Modern Japan
    • JPN 332 Japanese Literature in the Feminine Domain
    • SOC 391 Gender in Africa
    • SOC 394 Gender & International Development
    • WST 334 Women, Work & Family in Modern Europe
    • WST 360 Women in Premodern Europe
    • WST/AFS 350 Black Women & Social Change
    • WST/AFH/EGL 382 Black Women’s Literature of the Diaspora
    • WST/HIS 345 Women & Gender in Chinese History

     

    Approved Replacements for WST 398

    • HIS 300 Race, Gender, Rights in U.S. Legal
    • HIS 396 Women of Color in American History
    • WST/EGL 372 Black Women Writers
    • WST/HUI 237 Images of Italian-American Women
    • WST 391/HUI 390/EGL369 Italian-Amer & Afri-Amer Women’s Literature

    Approved Replacements for  WST 399

    • ANT 295 Sex & Human Nature
    • CCS 325  Making Bodies Fit
    • EGL 390  Queer Studies: Race, Gender, & Sexuality in Literature
    • HIS 394 AIDS & Social History
    • POL 391  Sexualities & Politics
    • SOC 391  Sociology of Sexuality
    • WST 111  Intro to Queer Studies in the Humanities
    • WST 112  Intro to Queer Studies in the Social Sciences
    • WST 394  Special Topic: “Psychology of Reproduction”
    • WST 394  Special Topic: “Women, Science, Fiction, & Reproduction”
    • WST/ AFS 381  AIDS, Race, Gender in the Black Community
    • WST/ EGL 390  Queer Studies: Theorizing Race, Gender, & Sexuality
    • WST/ HIS 374  Historical Perspectives on Gender Orientation
    • WST/ SOC 340  Sociology of Human Reproduction
    1. 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 on the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department Website at the start of pre-registration each semester. 
    2. At least two WST topics courses (taught by WGSS faculty or affiliated instructors) must be used in satisfying Requirement B.

    3. No more than six credits from  WST 447 (Directed Readings) and  WST 487 (Independent Project) may be applied toward the major.
    4.  No more than 3 credits of WST 475 (Undergraduate Teaching Practicum I) may be counted towards a WST Major.
    1. No more than 6 credits of WST 488 (Internship) may be counted towards a WST Major.
    1. Any course listed as -or cross-listed with- WST may count as an Elective (Requirement C).  Other courses may count as qualifying electives if at least half the course content addresses issues concerning women, gender, and/or sexuality .  Students may seek advance approval from tThe Undergraduate Program Director, who can review a course syllabus to determine if the course qualifies as an acceptable Elective.  Availability of Elective courses depends on individual departments.

    Students majoring in WST may choose an additional WST specialization (this is not required for the Major): in Gender, Sexuality, and Public Health, OR Gender and Social Change.

    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 WGSS Department website. Upon request, t he Undergraduate Program Director can review a course syllabus to determine if the course qualifies as an acceptable course for this specialization.
    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.
    • WST 111  Introduction to Queer Studies in the Humanities
    • WST 112  Introduction to Queer Studies in the Social Sciences
    • WST 391  Music and Sexuality
    • WST 392  Special Topics in Women and Science (see department for approved topics) 
    • WST 394  Special Topics in Medicine, Reproduction, and Gender (see department for approved topics)
    • WST 399  Topics in Gender and Sexuality (see department for approved topics)
    • WST 401  Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies (see department for approved topics) 
    • WST/ SOC 340  Sociology of Reproduction
    • WST/ AFS 381  AIDS, Race and Gender in the Black Community
    • HIS/ WST 374  Historical Perspectives on Gender Orientation
    • HIS 394  AIDS and Social History
    • PSY 349  Women's Health Issues

    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 WGSS Department website. Upon request, t he Undergraduate Program Director can review a course syllabus to determine if the course qualifies as an acceptable course for this specialization.  

    1. 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

    • WST 310  Contemporary Feminist Issues
    • WST 377 / PSY 347  Psychology of Women
    • WST 391  Special Topics in Women's and Gender Studies in the Humanities (see department for approved topics)
    • WST 392  Special Topics in Women and Science (see department for approved topics)
    • WST 394  Special Topics in Medicine, Reproduction, and Gender (see department for approved topics)
    • WST 395  Topics in Global Feminism (see department for approved topics)
    • WST 396  Special Topics in the History of American Women (see department for approved topics)
    • WST 397  Social Sciences Topics in Women's and Gender Studies
    • WST 398  Topics in Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
    • WST/ SOC 247  Sociology of Gender
    • LHD 301  Human Sexual and Gender Development Issues
    • LHD 401  Advanced Seminar in Human Sexual and Gender Development
    • WST/ SOC 247  Sociology of Gender
    • WST/ POL 330  Gender and Law
    • WST/ POL 347  Gender and Politics
    • WST/ SOC 340  Sociology of Reproduction
    • WST/ AFS 350  Black Women and Social Change
    • WST/ SOC 371  Gender and Work
    • AAS 392  Gender and Caste in Hindu Law
    • AFS 345  Women in Africa and the Caribbean
    • CCS 401  Masculinity and Popular Culture
    • CFS 308   Violence in the Family
    • HIS 300  Race, Gender and Rights/US Legal
    • SOC 390  Special Topics (see department for approved topics)

    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 WST courses taken in the senior year, honors are conferred.

    Requirements for the Minor in Women's and Gender Studies (WST)

    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.
    2. No more than 3 credits of WST 488 (Internship) may be counted towards a WST Minor
    3.  No more than 3 credits of WST 475 (Undergraduate Teaching Practicum I) may be counted towards a WST or Minor
  • Sequence

    Sample Course Sequence for the Major in  Women’s and Gender Studies

    For more information about SBC courses that fulfill major requirements, click here.

    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

     

     

     

     

     

  • Contact

    Women's and Gender Studies (WST)

    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)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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