Why study women, gender and sexuality?
- Confront social problems around gender and sexuality
- Collaborate with students and faculty from across the social sciences and humanities
- Build expertise on issues that matter most to you
If you are interested in how gender, race, class, and sexuality structure our world and interactions with one another, and if you are passionate about issues of social justice and inequality, then a WGSS program may be a great fit for you.
Students in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies develop a broad set of skills to critically analyze social issues from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, history, law, literature, political science, psychology, and sociology. They learn to employ different methods and modes of analysis to better identify, critique, and productively understand the status of women in society and how structures of inequality interact with gender and sexuality.
Requirements for the Minor
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor Course Requirements
The minor requires 18 hours. At least 12 hours must be at the junior/senior (300+) level or higher.
Students selecting this minor must complete the following:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | |
| Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Honors |
| |
| Black Feminist and Womanist Ethics | |
| Introduction to Queer Theory: Tools for Deconstructing Gender | |
| Black Feminist Theory | |
| Introduction to Feminist Theory | |
| Feminism and Philosophy | |
| Philosophy of Sex and Love | |
| History of Feminist Theory | |
| Feminist Contemporary Political Theory | |
| Doing Feminist Research | |
| |
| |
| Introduction to Human Sexuality Studies | |
| Study Abroad Topics in: _____ | |
| Sociology of Families | |
| Human Sexuality | |
| Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the North American West | |
| Global Environmental Literature | |
| Sex in History | |
| History, Women, and Diversity in the U.S. | |
| From Goddesses to Witches: Women in Premodern Europe | |
| From Mystics to Feminists: Women's History in Europe 1600 to the Present | |
| LGBTQ U.S. History, 1600-1900 | |
| LGBTQ U.S. History, 1900-Present | |
| History of Women and the Body | |
| Language, Gender, and Sexuality | |
| Health, Gender, and Society | |
| Perspectives in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | |
| Sex and Gender in New Media | |
| The Politics of Physical Appearance | |
| History of Jewish Women | |
| Feminism and Social Change | |
| Black Love and Romance | |
| When We Lead: Minorities and the Legislative Process | |
| International Women's Rights | |
| Pregnancy in Modern Literature | |
| Angry White Male Studies | |
| Fat, Food and the Body in Global Perspective | |
| Judaism and Sexuality | |
| Religion, Power, and Sexuality in Arab Societies | |
| Religious Perspectives on Selfhood and Sexuality | |
| Love, Sexuality and Gender in Japanese Literature | |
| African Art and Gender | |
| Trans: A Global History | |
| The Black Woman | |
| The Anthropology of Gender: Female, Male, and Beyond | |
| Studies in: _____ | |
| Study Abroad Topic in: _____ | |
| Intimate Relationships | |
| Women and Islam | |
| International Women Filmmakers | |
| Communication and Gender | |
| Gender and Society | |
| Psychology of Women | |
| Gender and Religion | |
| Health and Human Sexuality | |
| Independent Study | |
| Human Sexuality | |
| Philosophy of Sex and Love | |
| History of American Women--Colonial Times to 1870 | |
| History of American Women--1870 to Present | |
| Politics of Human Trafficking | |
| Gender and Sexuality in Greek Culture | |
| Gender and Sexuality in Roman Culture | |
| Policing the Womb | |
| Women and Violence | |
| Rococo to Realism: Painting in Europe c. 1750-1848 | |
| Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: 1848-1900 | |
| Skin, Sex, and Disease | |
| The Rhetoric of Women's Rights | |
| Making a Pandemic: The History and Politics of HIV/AIDS | |
| Gender and Politics | |
| Gender, Sexuality and the Law | |
| Gender, Culture, and Migration | |
| Native Feminisms | |
| Women and Literature: _____ | |
| The Body, Self and Society | |
| Love, Sex, and Globalization | |
| Sexuality and Gender in African History | |
| Feminist Contemporary Political Theory (if not already used) | |
| Politics of Identity | |
| Service Learning in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies | |
| Jazz and American Culture | |
| Gender, Peace, and Conflict | |
| Gender and Politics in Africa | |
| Studies in: _____ | |
| Total Hours | 18 |
Courses with a blank (___) vary by semester and may be repeated for credit. These courses all always count as general electives. If they include significant theoretical material, they may count toward specific requirements within the program as well. Confirm with the major advisor.
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor Hours & Minor GPA
While completing all required courses, minors must also meet each of the following hour and GPA minimum standards:
Minor Hours
Satisfied by 18 hours of minor courses.
Minor Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the minor.
Minor Junior/Senior (300+) Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 12 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the minor.
Minor Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in all departmental courses in the minor. GPA calculations include all departmental courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.
Overlap Policies
Students who wish to pursue more than one program offered by the department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies may do so with the following restrictions: No more than four courses may be used to fulfill requirements for both the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major and the Human Sexuality major – two of which would be WGSS 501 and WGSS 601. No more than two courses may overlap between any of our majors and minors, or between our two minors – one of which would be WGSS 501. Students earning an undergraduate certificate in addition to another WGSS program can overlap one course – the introductory-level requirement.
