Women's and Gender Studies

Simmons was founded over a century ago for the purpose — radical at the time — of enabling women to earn their own livelihoods through access to education. Today, we continue that legacy in all that we do.

Face the world with confidence, competence and conviction

Women's & Gender Studies courses, whether taken as part of the major or to enrich another discipline, invite students to understand past and present experiences in order to prepare for challenges and opportunities in their future personal and professional lives.

Our students develop theoretical, empirical and methodological perspectives for studying the status and experiences of women. By considering gender in diverse national and international contexts, you'll study the multiple and contested meanings and roles of gender to develop an understanding of how gender is related to other social categories such as race, class, age, sexuality, religion and nationality.

Our students find fulfilling careers in management, law, academia, counseling, education, library, museum or archival work, as well as health care, social services, public administration, writing, publishing and the media.

40 semester hours (10 courses):

Four semester hours (1 course) in one of the three 100-level courses:

WGST 100	Introduction to Multicultural Women's Studies	4
WGST 111	Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Studies	4
WGST 125	Rosie the Riveter to #MeToo: Women & Work	4

Take the following

WGST 204	Roots of Feminism	4

Four semester hours (1 course) in a Globalization course selected from one of the following:

WGST 200	Women, Nation, Culture	4
WGST 210	Black Women, Gender, and Feminism(s)	4
WGST 214	Women in World Economy	4

Four semester hours (1 course) in a Methodology course selected from one of the following:

LTWR 390	Advanced Seminar in Literature and Writing	4
HIST 260	Interpreting the Past: The Craft of History	4
SOCI 239	Introduction to Social Research I	4
PSYC 203	Research Methods in Psychology	4

Four semester hours (1 course) in advanced coursework chosen from:

WGST 350	Independent Study	4
WGST 353	Special Topics Seminar	4
WGST 355	Thesis	4
WGST 365	Intimate Family Violence	4
WGST 370	Internship	0
WGST 380	Gender and Queer Theory	4
WGST 398	Feminist Media Studies	4
HIST 360	Seminar in the History of Women and Gender 1790-1920	4
POLS 356	Feminist International Relations	4

Capstone:

WGST 354	Feminist Theories	4

Twelve semester hours (3 courses) chosen from the list of Women’s and Gender Studies courses and electives.

A course taken to fulfill the race/ethnicity requirement may not also count as an elective.

ART 248	Gender and Art	4
BIOL 109	Sex, Gender, and Biology	4
ECON 125	Gender at Work: From Rosie the Riveter to #MeToo	4
ECON 214	Gender, Globalization, and Development	4
LTWR 254	The Victorian Novel	4
LTWR 320	American Women Poets	4
LTWR LTWR 354	Studies in Film: Melodrama	4
HIST 213	Race and Ethnicity in U.S. History	4
HIST 360	Seminar in the History of Women and Gender 1790-1920	4
PHIL 223	Philosophy of Diversity	4
PHIL 390	Seminar	4
POLS 223	Human Rights: The Basic Dilemmas	4
POLS 219	Gender and Politics	4
PSYC 220	The Psychology of Gender	4
SPAN 336	Latin American Women Writers	4
SOCI 210	Body Politics	4
SOCI 220	Working for Social Justice	4
SOCI 222	Organizing for Social Change	4
SOCI 249	Inequalities	4
SOCI 346	Gender and Islam	4
SOCI 348	Re-envisioning the Third World	4

Four semester hours (1 course) in a Race Ethnicity and Diversity course selected from one of the following

WGST 210	Black Women, Gender, and Feminism(s)	4
WGST 232	Race, Gender & Health	4
HIST 213	Race and Ethnicity in U.S. History	4
PHIL 223	Philosophy of Diversity	4
SOCI 249	Inequalities	4

A minor in Women’s and Gender studies includes 20 semester hours (5 courses).

One of the three 100 level courses

WGST 100	Introduction to Multicultural Women's Studies	4
WGST 111	Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Studies	4
WGST 125	Rosie the Riveter to #MeToo: Women & Work	4

Take the following

WGST 204	Roots of Feminism	4

3. Three elective courses selected from the list of WGST offerings

ART 248	Gender and Art	4
BIOL 109	Sex, Gender, and Biology	4
ECON 125	Gender at Work: From Rosie the Riveter to #MeToo	4
ECON 214	Gender, Globalization, and Development	4
LTWR 254	The Victorian Novel	4
LTWR 320	American Women Poets	4
LTWR 398	Feminist Media Studies	4
HIST 213	Race and Ethnicity in U.S. History	4
HIST 219	History of Sexuality and the Family	4
HIST 230	Women and Gender in Europe	4
HIST 360	Seminar in the History of Women and Gender 1790-1920	4
PHIL 223	Philosophy of Diversity	4
PHIL 390	Seminar	4
POLS 223	Human Rights: The Basic Dilemmas	4
POLS 219	Gender and Politics	4
PSYC 220	The Psychology of Gender	4
SPAN 336	Latin American Women Writers	4
SOCI 210	Body Politics	4
SOCI 220	Working for Social Justice	4
SOCI 222	Organizing for Social Change	4
SOCI 330	Transnational Studies	4
SOCI 249	Inequalities	4
SOCI 346	Gender and Islam	4
SOCI 347	Antiracism and Social Justice	4
SOCI 348	Re-envisioning the Third World	4
WGST 215	Women and Gender in U.S. History Before 1890	4
WGST 216	Women and Gender in U.S. History: Since 1890	4

So you know that Simmons is a great place to be, you've learned about our programs, maybe even come for a visit...now you're ready to apply! Let's get started.

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