UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR SPECIALIZATION REQUIREMENTS

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Specializations

1. Overview

This specialization provides additional preparation for careers in public health, such as midwifery, medicine, nursing, or counseling/education related to sexuality and reproduction.

2. Requirements

18 Credits 6 Courses

At least 3 of the 18 credits must be fulfilled through an approved internship or other related applied learning experience relevant to this specialization.

Approved Elective Coursework (select from the list below):

HIS 394 – AIDS and Social History

HIS 461 – Historical Perspectives on Women’s Health Care

PSY 349 – Women’s Health Issues

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 (department-approved topics)

WST 394 – Special Topics in Medicine, Reproduction, and Gender (department-approved topics)

WST 399 – Topics in Gender and Sexuality (all topics)

WST 401 – Seminar in Women’s and Gender Studies (department-approved topics)

WST/AFS 381 – AIDS, Race, and Gender in the Black Community

WST/HIS 374 – Historical Perspectives on Gender Orientation

WST/SOC 340 – Sociology of Reproduction
1. Overview

This specialization provides additional preparation for careers in social change–oriented fields, such as law, social work, public policy, or media. Depending on course choices, it can be especially useful for careers in civil rights advocacy, community organizing, work with survivors of abuse, politics, or the visual/media sector.

2. Requirements

18 Credits 6 Courses

At least 3 of the 18 credits must be fulfilled through an approved internship or other related applied learning experience relevant to this specialization.

Approved Elective Coursework (select from the list below):

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

LHD 301 – Human Sexual and Gender Development Issues

LHD 401 – Advanced Seminar in Human Sexual and Gender Development

HIS 300 – Race, Gender, and Rights in U.S. Legal History

PSY 240 – Social Psychology

SOC 390 – Special Topics (department-approved)

WST 111 or WST 112 – Introduction to Queer Studies

WST 310 – Contemporary Feminist Issues

WST 377/PSY 347 – Psychology of Women

WST 391 – Special Topics in the Humanities (department-approved)

WST 392 – Special Topics in Women and Science (department-approved)

WST 394 – Special Topics in Medicine, Reproduction, and Gender (department-approved)

WST 395 – Topics in Global Feminism (approved topics: “Nannies, Maids, & Sex Workers”, “Social Movements & Gender in Latin America”, etc.)

WST 396 – Special Topics in the History of American Women (department-approved)

WST 397 – Social Sciences Topics in Women’s and Gender Studies

WST 398 – Topics in Gender, Race, and Ethnicity

WST/HIS 396 – Women of Color in American History

WST/SOC 247 – Sociology of Gender

WST/POL 330 – Gender and Law

WST/SOC 347 – Gender and Politics

WST/AFS 350 – Black Women and Social Change

WST/SOC 371 – Gender and Work

General Information and Notes

Eligibility: You must be a declared WST Major to add a specialization.

Optional Status: Choosing a specialization is not mandatory. You may complete the major without adding a specialization.

Course Approvals: If a course you wish to count for a specialization is not listed here, you may ask the Undergraduate Advisor to review its syllabus to determine whether it fits the specialization’s topical requirements.

Lower-Division Limit: No more than 3 of the required 18 credits for either specialization may be lower-division (courses numbered 100–299).

Minimum Grade Requirement: All A–F graded courses applied to the specialization must be passed with a C or better.

Overlap with Major Requirements: Specialization courses may overlap with your WST Major courses, but cannot replace any of the major’s core requirements.

Have Questions?

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Nancy Hiemstra

Email: nancy.hiemstra@stonybrook.edu

Course approvals & substitutions, program specific transfer credit evaluation, upper division writing requirement, clarification on course and program content, and similar academically related questions.

Academic Program Coordinator

Charles Edwards

Email: charles.j.edwards@stonybrook.edu

Enrollment, graduation, general administrative questions, general academic requirement advising.

Undergraduate