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Women's and Gender Studies

This is an archived copy of the 2020-2021 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.iastate.edu.

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Women's and Gender Studies (B.A., B.S.)

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program is a cross-disciplinary program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The program offers students opportunities to analyze issues concerning women, gender, and sexuality in diverse cultural contexts and to investigate a variety of disciplines from feminist perspectives. The field of women's and gender studies creates an understanding that interrelated factors--e.g., race, ethnicity, class, age, disability, gender identity, religion, national origin, and sexual orientation--inform knowledge of women’s history, culture, and social roles.

Women’s and Gender Studies seeks to improve critical thinking and to provide students with the intellectual means to question prevailing assumptions. It encourages students to explore the contexts and ideological origins of knowledge and to examine the relationship between knowledge and power in society. By promoting social justice and inclusion, this area of study focuses on the connections between personal experience and political activity, and validates student contributions and voices.

Graduates from this program are skilled in critical thinking, research methods, and effective communication. Because they have developed a thorough understanding of gender, race, and class, graduates work effectively with employers, colleagues, and clients to analyze and solve complex social problems. Women's and Gender Studies students also acquire strong backgrounds for careers in areas such as counseling, education, human resources, international development, public policy, politics, business, and law. The program includes core and cross-listed courses in anthropology, history, economics, English, history, health and human performance, political science, psychology, religion, sociology, speech communication, and world languages and cultures. An undergraduate major requires a minimum 2.00 GPA in the 34 credits of core and cross-listed courses. Women’s and Gender Studies' majors must satisfy the following requirements:

1. 16 credits selected from Women’s and Gender Studies core courses (WGS).

A. Required core courses:

WGS 160Gender Justice1
WGS 201Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies3
WGS 301International Perspectives on Women and Gender3
WGS 401Feminist Theories3
WGS 402Feminist Research in Action3
WGS 491Internship3
or WGS 499 Senior Thesis
Total Credits16

B. The remaining 18 credits can be chosen from one of the following Areas of Emphasis: 1) Communication and Cultural Representation, 2) Identities and Sexualities, 3) Leadership and Social Justice, or 4) General Women's and Gender Studies.

1) Communication and Cultural Representation

WGS 210Gender and Sexuality in American Pop Culture3
WGS 308Write Like a Woman3
WGS 323Gender and Communication3
WGS 325Portrayals of Gender and Sexualities in the Media3
WGS 338Feminist Philosophy3
WGS 340Women's Literature3
WGS 345Women and Literature: Selected Topics3
ENGL 349Topics in Multicultural Literatures of the United States3
WGS 352Gay and Lesbian Literature3
WGS 370Studies in English Translation3
WGS 374Sex, Gender, and Culture in the Ancient Mediterranean World3
WGS 422Women, Men, and the English Language3
WGS 430Gender and Consumer Culture3
WGS 450Topics in Women's and Gender Studies3
WGS 460Seminar in Gender and Ethnicity3
WGS 490Independent Study1-3
WGS 494Women/Gender in Art3
WGS 545Women's Literature3


2) Identities and Sexualities

WGS 203Introduction to Lesbian Studies3
WGS 205Introduction to Queer Studies3
WGS 210Gender and Sexuality in American Pop Culture3
WGS 308Write Like a Woman3
WGS 325Portrayals of Gender and Sexualities in the Media3
WGS 327Sex and Gender in Society3
WGS 328Sociology of Masculinities and Manhood3
WGS 336Women and Religion3
WGS 344Human Reproduction3
WGS 346Psychology of Women3
ENGL 349Topics in Multicultural Literatures of the United States3
WGS 350Women of Color in the U.S3
WGS 374Sex, Gender, and Culture in the Ancient Mediterranean World3
WGS 386History of Women in America3
WGS 425Intersections of Race, Class and Gender3
WGS 430Gender and Consumer Culture3
WGS 440Gender Issues in Sports3
WGS 444Sex and Gender in Cross-cultural Perspective3
WGS 450Topics in Women's and Gender Studies3
WGS 490Independent Study1-3
WGS 494Women/Gender in Art3
WGS 525Intersections of Race, Class and Gender3
WGS 586Readings Seminar in Women's and Gender History3


3) Leadership and Social Justice

WGS 210Gender and Sexuality in American Pop Culture3
WGS 307Women in Science and Engineering3
WGS 320Ecofeminism3
WGS 321Economics of Discrimination3
WGS 333Women and Leadership3
WGS 344Human Reproduction3
WGS 350Women of Color in the U.S3
WGS 385Women in Politics3
WGS 386History of Women in America3
WGS 425Intersections of Race, Class and Gender3
WGS 435Gender, Globalization and Development3
WGS 440Gender Issues in Sports3
WGS 450Topics in Women's and Gender Studies3
WGS 488Research on Women and Leadership3
WGS 490Independent Study1-3
WGS 586Readings Seminar in Women's and Gender History3


A minor or second major is recommended. The typical degree awarded is a Bachelor of Arts; students interested in a Bachelor of Science degree in Women's and Gender Studies need to complete 12 credits in addition to the general education requirements across the areas of natural science, mathematics, and social science.

Communication Proficiency requirement:

The Women’s and Gender Studies major requires credit for ENGL 150; ENGL 250 (or ENGL 250H) (with a grade of C or better, per the university-wide Communication Proficiency Grade Requirement); and WGS 301 or WGS 401 or WGS 402 (with a grade of C or better).