Women and Gender Studies

An Interdisciplinary B.A. Program

WGS Major/Minor

Programs and Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in Women & Gender Studies

The minimum number of credits (exclusive of the university Core curriculum) required for the Women and Gender Studies major is 42.

The Women and Gender Studies major consists of 24 hours of required courses and 18 hours of Women and Gender Studies related courses as follows:

Required Courses (all of the following 18 hours)
WST 130I Introduction to Women and Gender Studies
WST 280 Women, Knowledge & Power
WST 380 Politics of Difference
WST 390 Contemporary Feminist Theories
WST 490 Capstone Experience in Women and Gender Studies

Either of the following: (3 hours)
WST 485 Internship
WST 486 Thesis

One Topics Course from TWO of the Following Technology Areas: (6 hours)
WST 235/335/435 Topics in Gender & Science, Tech & Health I/II/III
WST 245/345/445 Topics in Women, Culture & the Arts I/II/III
WST 255/355/455 Topics in Women, History & Resistance I/III/III
WST 265/365/465 Topics in Women, Gender & Institutions I/II/III

Women and Gender Studies Electives and Related Courses:
Students must take one course focusing on periods before 1800, and one course dealing with other cultures not in the Western mainstream. Students may take no more than three electives from one department or program. Any WST course may be used for elective credit; courses eligible for elective credit are listed at the end.

Minor in Women and Gender Studies

The minimum number of credits (exclusive of the university Core curriculum) required for the minor is 18.

The Women and Gender Studies minor consists of a minimum of 9 hours of required courses and 9 hours of Women and Gender Studies related courses as follows:

Both of the following: (6 hours)
WST 130I Introduction to Women and Gender Studies
WST 280 Women, Knowledge & Power

Either of the following: (3 hours)
WST 380 Politics of Difference
WST 390 Contemporary Feminist Theories

Women and Gender Studies Related Courses: (at least 9 hours)
Two of the courses must be at the 300-level or above

Pre-Requisites and Grade Policy

There are prerequisites for many of the Women and Gender Studies courses. See departmental course listing for more information.

A minimum grade requirement in all major courses (except WST BOI) is B- (2.67 GPA); a grade of B or better must be attained in six hours of major courses. Courses taken pass/fail are not acceptable.

Curriculum Summary and Guide

The Women & Gender Studies curriculum is built upon a shared commitment to the principles of educational excellence and educational opportunity. It is structured to ensure that students are exposed to the sophisticated body of knowledge that now defines Women and Gender Studies as a discipline, even while allowing students the opportunity to develop skills in research, writing, and analysis. Consequently, there are prerequisites for upper-division courses.

The first-year student is encouraged to complete Core curriculum requirements, including Introduction to Women & Gender Studies (WST 130I) and College Writing (ENG 100C). In the second year, students should take Women, Knowledge, and Power (WST 280), followed by Contemporary Feminist Theories (WST 390) and Politics of Difference (WST 380). Students who minor in another discipline should also begin the selected sequence in that year. Third-year schedules should include at least two Women's Studies-sponsored topics courses, drawn from two of our four subject areas. Thus a student might take WST 335 Topics in Gender & Science, Technology, & Health I, in the fall, and WST 465 Topics in Women, Gender, & Institutions III, in the spring. Fourth-year students should take the Capstone Experience in Women and Gender Studies (WST 490) and select either the internship or thesis course option. These courses offer advanced experience in feminist theories, research, and practice, while allowing students to pursue their own interests under careful guidance. Students should be aware that while any course offered under these "topics" categories will address the general goal outlined in the catalog, the specific content of the topic courses will change from semester to semester. Course descriptions will therefore be published and distributed during the pre-registration period.

To declare a major in Women & Gender Studies, the student must have:

  • completed a minimum of 30 approved university credit hours of which at least 15 credit hours must be completed at USM;
  • completed WST 130 or equivalent and ENG 100C or equivalent, with a grade of C or better;
  • achieved a GPA of 2.5 or better in USM courses; and
  • completed USM's minimum proficiency requirements.

To graduate from this program, the student:

  • must have completed 42 hours of required coursework, as described above;
  • must have attained a grade of B- (2.67 GPA) or higher in all major courses (except WST 130I) and a grade of B or better in six hours of major courses.

Students who wish to graduate with honors in this major must:

  • maintain a GPA of 3.33 or better in major courses;
  • have demonstrated superior work in the thesis or internship;
  • be recommended by a faculty member who teaches courses within the program; and
  • be approved by the Women and Gender Studies Council.

Women & Gender Studies Courses

WST 130I Introduction to Women and Gender Studies
WST 220 Topics in Women and Gender Studies
WST 230 Psycho-Social Development of Women
WST 235/335/435 Topics in Gender & Science, Tech & Health I/II/III
WST 245/345/445 Topics in Women, Culture & the Arts I/II/III
WST 255/355/455 Topics in Women, History & Resistance I/III/III
WST 265/365/465 Topics in Women, Gender & Institutions I/II/III
WST 280 Women, Knowledge & Power
WST 320 Advanced Topics in Women's Studies
WST 380 Politics of Difference
WST 390 Contemporary Feminist Theories
WST 470 Independent Study
WST 485 Internship
WST 486 Thesis
WST 490 Capstone Experience in Women and Gender Studies

Women & Gender Studies Related Courses*

ANT        232I       Anthropology of Sex and Gender Ö
ARH       311       Gender Identity and Modern Art
CMS        486           Women in Film
CRM        317           Gender and Crime
ECO          322           Economics of Women and Work
ENG          344           Sex/Gender and Sexuality
ENG          345           Racial Formations
ENG          353           Medieval Women Writers Ö
ENG          379           Earlier Women Writers Ö
ENG          387           Women Writers since 1900
GEO          302           Gender, Work, and Space
HRDX      545           Gender and Learning
HTY          341           Black Women in the Americas
HTY          364           History of Women in the United States
HTY          394           Modern China: Women, Culture, and Revolution »
HTY          394           Homosexuals and Heterosexuals in History
HTY          394           History of Women in 20th Century America
HTY          394           History of Women in Maine
HTY          394           History of Women in Latin America »
HTY          394           Pioneer Women in America West: Myth and Reality
HTY          394           Sexuality, Disease, Difference: 17th-20th Century Ö
HTY          394           American Women’s Lives: 20th Century
HTY          394           European Women’s History Ö
HTY          394           Russian Women’s History »
HTY          394           Caribbean Women: Barbados and Jamaica »
HUM        251H        Masculinities in U.S. Literature and Culture
HUM        342           Contemporary Women of Color in Fiction
HUM        358H       Motherhood: Political Institution, Cultural Icon, Defining Experience
HUM        389           Sexuality in Literature and Film
PHI           110E        Sex, Gender, and Society
PHI           112E        Introduction to Philosophy: Feminist Perspectives
PHI           221          Philosophy of Film                                                                                        
PHI           265           Philosophy and Gender
PHI           312I         Women Philosophers from Africa and the Diaspora  »
RUS          281H        Russian Literature in Translation: Women Writers »
SBS          341           The Family
SBS          361           Psychology and Sociology of Women
SOC          316           Sociology of Gender
SOC          330           Sociology of the Family
SOC          393           Women, Welfare, and the State
SOC          358           Sociology of Women’s Work
SOC          365           Sociology of the Body
SOC          380           Sociology of Sexuality
SWO         374           Sexual Harassment in Education and Work
SWO         375           Gender and Aging
THE          451           Women and Theater
THE          451           20th Century U.S. Women Playwrights
THE          451           Butches, Bitches, & Buggers: An Exploration of Twentieth-Century Queer Drama
ANES       650           Shopping: The Gender and Politics of Consumption
ANES       665           Sex in New England

*Students should review status of these courses on a regular basis as they change frequently.

KEY

Ö - Courses that fulfill the pre-1800 requirement for WST Majors.

» - Courses that fulfill the outside the western norm requirement for WST Majors.