Program Description

Women's Studies explores the experiences of women in cultures and societies around the world. Students in the program acquire the knowledge and skills to understand the history and structures of gender inequalities and how to advocate for women's rights and freedoms.

CSUDH Women's Studies Program examines the social construction of gender and sexual difference. Through feminist theory and interdisciplinary methods, Women's Studies explores the ways gender relates to and intersects with ethnicity, race, social class, religion, sexuality, nationality, globalization and other factors that have shaped women's and men's lives.

Students in the Women's Studies Program acquire the knowledge and skills to advocate for social justice and change, learning the importance of interconnecting local and global communities.

Preparation

No specific high school or community college courses are required as prerequisites. Students are expected to have adequate reading and writing skills and an interest in understanding the complex forces that determine gender roles.

WMS Major Requirements (39 units)

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this degree. WMS majors are required to complete all core requirements listed below (21 units total) and are required to choose any six courses from among the elective requirements listed below (18 units).

  • WMS 100: Gender, Sex, the Body & Politics: An Introduction (3 units; GE Area C2)
  • WMS 250: Foundations in Women’s Studies (3 units; GE Area D1)
  • WMS 318: Race, Class, and Gender (3 units; GE Area C3)
  • WMS 320: Feminist Principles (3 units)
  • WMS 350: Feminist Research Methods (3 units)
  • WMS 400: Feminist Theories (3 units)
  • WMS 490: Senior Capstone (3 units)
  • WMS 200: Foundations in Queer Studies (3 units; GE Area D1)
  • WMS 310: The Witch in Literature and Culture (3 units; GE Area C3)
  • WMS 311: Comedy, Sex & Pleasure (3 units; GE Area C3)
  • WMS 314: Feminism & Film (3 units; GE Area C3)
  • WMS 315: Literary Topics in Gender and Sexuality Studies (3 units; GE Area C3)
  • WMS 330: Queer Art and Visual Culture (3 units; GE Area D3)
  • WMS 340: The Politics of Women’s (Un)Paid Labor (3 units; GE Area D3)
  • WMS 380: Gender and Sexuality in Popular Culture (3 units; GE Area C3)
  • WMS 390: Transnational Feminisms (3 units; GE Area D3)
  • WMS 410: Queer of Color Critique (3 units; GE Area C2)
  • WMS 494: Independent Studies (1-3 units)
  • WMS 495: Special Topics in Women’s Studies (3 units)
  • WMS 496: Internship (3 units)
  • CHS 460: Las Chicanas (3 units)
  • HIS 379: The Family in History (3 units)
  • HIS 380: Women in History (3 units)
  • ENG 347: Literature of Ethnicity and Gender (3 units)
  • POL 325: Women and Politics (3 units)
  • PSY 376: Psychology of Gender (3 units)
  • SOC 334: Women in Society (3 units)

Students are required to take WMS 250 (3 credits) and twelve additional credits in Women’s Studies (which includes all courses with the WMS designator and pre-approved courses from other disciplines:

  • CHS 460
  • HIS 379
  • HIS 380
  • ENG 347
  • POL 325
  • PSY 376
  • SOC 334