Shelf of books written by UW-Madison's Gender and Sexuality Studies faculty

The Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS) curriculum provides a platform for students to study how equity and social justice are connected to gender, sexuality, and identity. Gender and Women's Studies students explore the field through traditional disciplines, such as literature, history, anthropology, sociology, public health, education, law, biology, psychology, political science, and the visual arts. Students in our courses develop strong analytical and communication skills through classroom discussion, writing, and independent projects. Undergraduates in our programs can pursue research skills through thesis writing, as well as professional development opportunities through career workshops with alumni and in our internship program. As a result, graduates from our programs apply a critical lens in fields like health and public policy, social justice and advocacy, reproductive justice, non-profit administration, clinical medicine, software development, communications, and media production.

At the undergraduate level, the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies offers a variety of programs. Students can declare the Gender and Women’s Studies major and/or certificates, or minors, in Gender and Women’s Studies or LGBTQ+ Studies. The Gender and Women’s Studies certificate and the LGBTQ+ Studies certificate are both 5-course, 15-credit programs.

For more information about the department, including course listings, undergraduate advising, sample syllabi, and faculty bios, students can visit the GWS website.

How to Get in

Declaration

Intent to pursue the major can be declared by meeting with the undergraduate advisor in Gender and Women's Studies and completing this online declaration form. Declaring the major as early as possible allows students to best align major coursework with their interests.

Students declared in the Certificate in Gender and Women's Studies at the Undergraduate Level may not be declared in the Gender and Women's Studies major at the same time. Students who do wish to declare this major must first cancel their declaration in the certificate.

University General Education Requirements

All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. Various schools and colleges will have requirements in addition to the requirements listed below. Consult your advisor for assistance, as needed. For additional information, see the university Undergraduate General Education Requirements section of the Guide.

General Education
  • Breadth—Humanities/Literature/Arts: 6 credits
  • Breadth—Natural Science: 4 to 6 credits, consisting of one 4- or 5-credit course with a laboratory component; or two courses providing a total of 6 credits
  • Breadth—Social Studies: 3 credits
  • Communication Part A Part B *
  • Ethnic Studies *
  • Quantitative Reasoning Part A Part B *

* The mortarboard symbol appears before the title of any course that fulfills one of the Communication Part A or Part B, Ethnic Studies, or Quantitative Reasoning Part A or Part B requirements.

College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science (BS)

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Letters & Science must complete all of the requirements below. The College of Letters & Science allows this major to be paired with either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree requirements.

Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements

Mathematics Complete two courses of 3+ credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level in MATH, COMP SCI, or STAT subjects. A maximum of one course in each of COMP SCI and STAT subjects counts toward this requirement.
Language Complete the third unit of a language other than English.
LS Breadth Complete:
• 12 credits of Humanities, which must include at least 6 credits of Literature; and
• 12 credits of Social Science; and
• 12 credits of Natural Science, which must include 6 credits of Biological Science and 6 credits of Physical Science.
Liberal Arts and Science Coursework Complete at least 108 credits.
Depth of Intermediate/Advanced Coursework Complete at least 60 credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level.
Major Declare and complete at least one major.
Total Credits Complete at least 120 credits.
UW-Madison Experience Complete both:
• 30 credits in residence, overall, and
• 30 credits in residence after the 86th credit.
Quality of Work • 2.000 in all coursework at UW–Madison
• 2.000 in Intermediate/Advanced level coursework at UW–Madison

Non–L&S students pursuing an L&S major

Non–L&S students who have permission from their school/college to pursue an additional major within L&S only need to fulfill the major requirements. They do not need to complete the L&S Degree Requirements above.

Requirements for the Major

Majors in Gender and Women’s Studies are required to take foundational work in GEN&WS courses reflecting each of four approaches to knowledge (humanities, social science, theory, and biological or health sciences), one course from three of four issue areas (sexuality, disability and embodiment, race/ethnicity, and global), and a capstone seminar or thesis.

All majors complete a minimum of 30 credits in GEN&WS including: 1

Introductory GEN&WS

GEN&WS 101 Gender, Women, and Cultural Representation 23
or GEN&WS 102 Gender, Women, and Society in Global Perspective
GEN&WS 103 Gender, Women, Bodies, and Health3
Total Credits6

Approaches 3

1 course from each area:

Biology and Health

Explore health as both a physiological and a socio‐cultural experience, and recognize ways in which gender and other axes of social inequality influence health. Develop critical tools to place the medical field, scientific research, and public health and policy organizations into social contexts, and recognize how these institutions both can reflect and perpetuate dominant ideologies. Learn about feminist approaches to, and histories of, science, medicine, and health activism.

GEN&WS 104 Gender, Sexuality, and Global Health3
GEN&WS 523 Framing Fatness: Gender, Size, Constructing Health3
GEN&WS 524 Race, Gender, Health, and Medicine3
GEN&WS 525 Gender and Global Health in Critical Perspective3
GEN&WS 527 The Environment of the Womb: Epigenetics and Parent/Child Health3
GEN&WS 528 Sexuality and Science3
GEN&WS 529 The Science and Politics of Reproductive Health3
GEN&WS 530 Biology and Gender3
GEN&WS/​HIST SCI/​MED HIST  531 Women and Health in American History3
GEN&WS/​HIST SCI/​MED HIST  532 The History of the (American) Body3
GEN&WS 533 Special Topics in Gender and Biology3
GEN&WS 534 Gender, Sexuality, and Reproduction: Public Health Perspectives3
GEN&WS/​INTL ST  535 Women's Global Health and Human Rights3
GEN&WS 536 Queering Sexuality Education3
GEN&WS/​HIST SCI  537 Childbirth in the United States3
GEN&WS 538 Special Topics in LGBTQ+ Health3
GEN&WS 539 Special Topics in Gender and Health3

Humanities

Engage with humanities-based theories, content areas, and methodologies as they relate to gender and women's studies. These include, but are not limited to, critical text analysis, discourse analysis, historical approaches and archival work, media studies, ethnography, and digital humanities. (GEN&WS courses with H, L or Z designations)

GEN&WS/​HISTORY  134 Women and Gender in World History3-4
GEN&WS/​SOC  200 Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ Studies3-4
GEN&WS/​LITTRANS  205 Women in Russian Literature in Translation3-4
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  221 Introduction to Black Women's Studies3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  222 Introduction to Black Women Writers3
GEN&WS 240 Feminist Approach to Research and Writing3
GEN&WS/​ENGL  248 Women in Ethnic American Literature3
GEN&WS/​ENGL  250 Women in Literature3
GEN&WS/​LITTRANS  270 German Women Writers in Translation3
GEN&WS/​RELIG ST  305 Women, Gender and Religion3
GEN&WS 310 Special Topics in Gender, Women and the Humanities1-3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  315 Gender, Race and Colonialism3
GEN&WS 319 Study Abroad Special Topic: Gender, Women and the Humanities3-4
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  324 Black Women in America: Reconstruction to the Present3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  326 Race and Gender in Post-World War II U.S. Society3
GEN&WS 330 Topics in Gender/Class/Race/Ethnicity (Humanities)3
GEN&WS/​CHICLA  332 Latinas: Self Identity and Social Change3
GEN&WS 340 Topics in LGBTQ Sexuality3
GEN&WS 342 Transgender Studies3-4
GEN&WS 343 Queer Bodies3
GEN&WS 344 Bi/Pan/Asexuality: Community & Representation3
GEN&WS 345 Narrating Queer Lives3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  346 Trans/Gender in Historical Perspective3-4
GEN&WS/​ENGL  350 Special Topics in Gender & Literature3
GEN&WS/​CLASSICS  351 Women and Gender in the Classical World3-4
GEN&WS/​ENGL  359 Visionary and Speculative Fiction: Social Justice Approaches3
GEN&WS/​CLASSICS  361 Sex and Power in Greece and Rome3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  353 Women and Gender in the U.S. to 18703-4
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  367 Art and Visual Culture: Women of the African Diaspora and Africa3
GEN&WS 370 Topics in Gender and Disability3
GEN&WS 371 Disability and Gender in Film3
GEN&WS 372 Visualizing Bodies3
GEN&WS 373 Gender & the Cultural Politics of Illness3
GEN&WS 374 Disability, Gender and Sexuality3
GEN&WS/​ENGL  401 Race, Sex, and Texts (How to do things with writing)3
GEN&WS 410 Special Topics in Gender and Visual Culture3
GEN&WS 412 Contemporary Queer Art and Visual Culture3
GEN&WS/​THEATRE  415 Introduction to Contemporary Feminist Theatre and Criticism3
GEN&WS/​COM ARTS  418 Gender, Sexuality, and the Media3
GEN&WS/​FOLKLORE  428 Gender and Expressive Culture3
GEN&WS/​AMER IND/​ANTHRO/​FOLKLORE  437 American Indian Women3
GEN&WS/​LITTRANS/​SCAND ST  438 Sexual Politics in Scandinavia3
GEN&WS 441 Contemporary Feminist Theories3
GEN&WS 445 The Body in Theory3
GEN&WS 449 Special Topics in Feminist Theory3
GEN&WS/​PORTUG  450 Brazillian Women Writers3
GEN&WS/​PORTUG  460 Carmen Miranda3
GEN&WS/​ASIAN AM/​ENGL  463 Race and Sexuality in American Literature3
GEN&WS/​ASIAN AM/​ENGL  464 Asian American Women Writers3
GEN&WS/​FOLKLORE  467 Women and Politics in Popular Culture and Folklore3
GEN&WS/​FOLKLORE  468 Feminism, Folklore and Comparative Literature3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  519 Sexuality, Modernity and Social Change3
GEN&WS/​HIST SCI/​MED HIST  532 The History of the (American) Body3
GEN&WS/​ENGL  545 Feminist Theory and Women's Writing in English3
GEN&WS 547 Theorizing Intersectionality3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  624 African American Women's Activism (19th & 20th Centuries)3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  625 Gender, Race and the Civil Rights Movement3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  677 Critical and Theoretical Perspectives in Black Women's Writings3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  679 Visual Culture, Gender and Critical Race Theory3

Social Science

Engage with social-science-based theories, content areas, and methodologies as they relate to gender and women's studies. These include, but are not limited to, scientific and clinical research, statistical analysis, mixed-methods approaches, and theories of social change. (GEN&WS courses with S or Z designations)

GEN&WS 104 Gender, Sexuality, and Global Health3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  134 Women and Gender in World History3-4
GEN&WS/​SOC  200 Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ Studies3-4
GEN&WS 240 Feminist Approach to Research and Writing3
GEN&WS 280 Honors Seminar: Studies in Gender, Sex, and Sexuality3
GEN&WS 320 Special Topics in Gender, Women and Society1-3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  323 Gender, Race and Class: Women in U.S. History3
GEN&WS 329 Study Abroad Special Topic: Gender, Women in Society3-4
GEN&WS 331 Topics in Gender/Class/Race/Ethnicity (Social Sciences)3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  333 Black Feminisms3
GEN&WS 340 Topics in LGBTQ Sexuality3
GEN&WS 344 Bi/Pan/Asexuality: Community & Representation3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  353 Women and Gender in the U.S. to 18703-4
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  354 Women and Gender in the U.S. Since 18703-4
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  392 Women and Gender in Modern Europe3-4
GEN&WS/​COM ARTS  418 Gender, Sexuality, and the Media3
GEN&WS 420 Women in Cross-Societal Perspective3
GEN&WS/​LEGAL ST  422 Women and the Law3
GEN&WS 423 The Female Body in the World: Gender and Contemporary Body Politics in Cross Cultural Perspective3
GEN&WS/​LEGAL ST/​SOC  425 Crime, Gender and Justice3
GEN&WS/​POLI SCI  429 Gender and Politics in Comparative Perspective3-4
GEN&WS/​POLI SCI  435 Politics of Gender and Women's Rights in the Middle East3
GEN&WS 441 Contemporary Feminist Theories3
GEN&WS/​ANTHRO  443 Anthropology by Women3
GEN&WS 446 Queer of Color Critique3
GEN&WS 449 Special Topics in Feminist Theory3
GEN&WS/​POLI SCI  469 Women and Politics3-4
GEN&WS/​GEOG  504 Feminist Geography: Theoretical Approaches3
GEN&WS/​PSYCH  522 Psychology of Women and Gender3
GEN&WS 523 Framing Fatness: Gender, Size, Constructing Health3
GEN&WS 524 Race, Gender, Health, and Medicine3
GEN&WS 525 Gender and Global Health in Critical Perspective3
GEN&WS 527 The Environment of the Womb: Epigenetics and Parent/Child Health3
GEN&WS 528 Sexuality and Science3
GEN&WS 529 The Science and Politics of Reproductive Health3
GEN&WS 534 Gender, Sexuality, and Reproduction: Public Health Perspectives3
GEN&WS 536 Queering Sexuality Education3
GEN&WS/​HIST SCI  537 Childbirth in the United States3
GEN&WS 538 Special Topics in LGBTQ+ Health3
GEN&WS 539 Special Topics in Gender and Health3
GEN&WS 546 Feminist Theories and Masculinities3
GEN&WS/​ED POL  560 Gender and Education3
GEN&WS/​SOC  611 Gender, Science and Technology3

Feminist Theory

Explore feminist theoretical approaches, both national and international.

GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  333 Black Feminisms3
GEN&WS 340 Topics in LGBTQ Sexuality (Theory)3
GEN&WS 441 Contemporary Feminist Theories3
GEN&WS 445 The Body in Theory3
GEN&WS 446 Queer of Color Critique3
GEN&WS 448 3
GEN&WS 449 Special Topics in Feminist Theory3
GEN&WS 546 Feminist Theories and Masculinities3
GEN&WS 547 Theorizing Intersectionality3

Issue Areas 3

Race/Ethnicity

Explore the role of race/ethnicity as a tool of creating, identifying, materializing, and solidifying human difference. These courses may explore the construction and deployment of race/ethnicity anywhere in the world.

GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  221 Introduction to Black Women's Studies3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  222 Introduction to Black Women Writers3
GEN&WS/​ENGL  248 Women in Ethnic American Literature3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  267 Artistic/Cultural Images of Black Women3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  315 Gender, Race and Colonialism3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  323 Gender, Race and Class: Women in U.S. History3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  324 Black Women in America: Reconstruction to the Present3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  326 Race and Gender in Post-World War II U.S. Society3
GEN&WS 330 Topics in Gender/Class/Race/Ethnicity (Humanities)3
GEN&WS 331 Topics in Gender/Class/Race/Ethnicity (Social Sciences)3
GEN&WS/​CHICLA  332 Latinas: Self Identity and Social Change3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  333 Black Feminisms3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  353 Women and Gender in the U.S. to 18703-4
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  354 Women and Gender in the U.S. Since 18703-4
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  367 Art and Visual Culture: Women of the African Diaspora and Africa3
GEN&WS/​AMER IND/​ANTHRO/​FOLKLORE  437 American Indian Women3
GEN&WS 446 Queer of Color Critique3
GEN&WS 448 3
GEN&WS/​PORTUG  450 Brazillian Women Writers3
GEN&WS/​PORTUG  460 Carmen Miranda3
GEN&WS/​ASIAN AM/​ENGL  463 Race and Sexuality in American Literature3
GEN&WS/​ASIAN AM/​ENGL  464 Asian American Women Writers3
GEN&WS 524 Race, Gender, Health, and Medicine3
GEN&WS 529 The Science and Politics of Reproductive Health3
GEN&WS 547 Theorizing Intersectionality3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  624 African American Women's Activism (19th & 20th Centuries)3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  625 Gender, Race and the Civil Rights Movement3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  677 Critical and Theoretical Perspectives in Black Women's Writings3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  679 Visual Culture, Gender and Critical Race Theory3

Global

Explore aspects of gender in a comparative national frame. These classes may focus on the process of globalization or they may focus on gendered concerns in at least two national contexts.

GEN&WS 104 Gender, Sexuality, and Global Health3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  315 Gender, Race and Colonialism3
GEN&WS 320 Special Topics in Gender, Women and Society (Global)3
GEN&WS/​AFROAMER  367 Art and Visual Culture: Women of the African Diaspora and Africa3
GEN&WS 420 Women in Cross-Societal Perspective3
GEN&WS 423 The Female Body in the World: Gender and Contemporary Body Politics in Cross Cultural Perspective3
GEN&WS/​FOLKLORE  428 Gender and Expressive Culture3
GEN&WS/​POLI SCI  429 Gender and Politics in Comparative Perspective3-4
GEN&WS/​POLI SCI  435 Politics of Gender and Women's Rights in the Middle East3
GEN&WS/​LITTRANS/​SCAND ST  438 Sexual Politics in Scandinavia3
GEN&WS/​ANTHRO  443 Anthropology by Women3
GEN&WS/​FOLKLORE  468 Feminism, Folklore and Comparative Literature3
GEN&WS 525 Gender and Global Health in Critical Perspective3
GEN&WS/​INTL ST  535 Women's Global Health and Human Rights3
GEN&WS/​URB R PL  644 International Development and Gender3

Sexuality

Explore “sexuality” under the assumption that sexuality is not a natural or self-evident attribute or category, these courses demonstrate how sexuality has come to assume a variety of culturally specific but often contested meanings.

GEN&WS/​SOC  200 Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ Studies3-4
GEN&WS 320 Special Topics in Gender, Women and Society (Sexuality)3
GEN&WS 320 Special Topics in Gender, Women and Society (Queer)3
GEN&WS 320 Special Topics in Gender, Women and Society (LGBTQ+)3
GEN&WS 340 Topics in LGBTQ Sexuality3
GEN&WS 342 Transgender Studies3-4
GEN&WS 343 Queer Bodies3
GEN&WS 344 Bi/Pan/Asexuality: Community & Representation3
GEN&WS 345 Narrating Queer Lives3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  346 Trans/Gender in Historical Perspective3-4
GEN&WS/​CLASSICS  351 Women and Gender in the Classical World3-4
GEN&WS/​CLASSICS  361 Sex and Power in Greece and Rome3
GEN&WS 374 Disability, Gender and Sexuality3
GEN&WS 412 Contemporary Queer Art and Visual Culture3
GEN&WS/​LITTRANS/​SCAND ST  438 Sexual Politics in Scandinavia3
GEN&WS 446 Queer of Color Critique3
GEN&WS/​ASIAN AM/​ENGL  463 Race and Sexuality in American Literature3
GEN&WS/​FOLKLORE  468 Feminism, Folklore and Comparative Literature3
GEN&WS/​HISTORY  519 Sexuality, Modernity and Social Change3
GEN&WS 528 Sexuality and Science3
GEN&WS/​HIST SCI/​MED HIST  532 The History of the (American) Body3
GEN&WS 533 Special Topics in Gender and Biology (Sexuality)3
GEN&WS 533 Special Topics in Gender and Biology (Queer)3
GEN&WS 533 Special Topics in Gender and Biology (LGBTQ+)3
GEN&WS 534 Gender, Sexuality, and Reproduction: Public Health Perspectives3
GEN&WS 536 Queering Sexuality Education3
GEN&WS 538 Special Topics in LGBTQ+ Health3

Disability & Embodiment

Examine the creation and evolution of different categories of embodiment and the experience of living through and as bodies These courses focus on gender and disability, exploring disability as a social category, a medical realm, a political identity, an analytical approach, and a lived experience.

GEN&WS 320 Special Topics in Gender, Women and Society (Disability)3
GEN&WS 343 Queer Bodies3
GEN&WS 370 Topics in Gender and Disability3
GEN&WS 371 Disability and Gender in Film3
GEN&WS 372 Visualizing Bodies3
GEN&WS 373 Gender & the Cultural Politics of Illness3
GEN&WS 374 Disability, Gender and Sexuality3
GEN&WS 445 The Body in Theory3
GEN&WS 523 Framing Fatness: Gender, Size, Constructing Health3

Capstone 4

Capstone course or Thesis Sequence:3-6
Capstone Seminar in Gender and Women's Studies
Senior Honors Thesis I
and Senior Honors Thesis II
Senior Thesis I
and Senior Thesis II
Total Credits3-6

Residence and Quality of Work

  • 2.000 GPA in all GEN&WS and major courses
  • 2.000 GPA on 15 upper-level major credits, taken in Residence 5
  • 15 credits in GEN&WS, taken on the UW–Madison campus

Footnotes

1

A maximum of three courses designated as elementary level may apply in the major, overall. Directed study courses typically do not count toward the minimum credits required in the major.

2

GEN&WS 101 and GEN&WS 102 cannot both count toward the coursework required in the Gender and Women's Studies major. Students must choose one of these courses.

3

A single course may apply to both an Approach and an Issue Area.  However, a single course may not apply to more than one Approach or to more than one Issue Area.

4

Students interested in the doing research in Gender & Women's Studies will develop a thesis topic in consultation with a member of the faculty. The senior thesis course sequence (GEN&WS 691-GEN&WS 692 or GEN&WS 681-GEN&WS 682) serves as the capstone requirement for the major.  In this case, the student may still count GEN&WS 640 as an elective in the major.

5

Courses in GEN&WS with Intermediate or Advanced level designation are considered upper level in the major. 

Honors in the Major

To declare Honors in the Major in Gender and Women's Studies, students must submit a letter of application to the undergraduate advisor prior to enrollment in GEN&WS 681.  The letter should include:

  • A list of all planned and declared degrees, major and certificate programs 
  • Area(s) of research interest within gender and women's studies and ideas for an Senior Honors Thesis
  • A letter from a faculty member agreeing to supervise the thesis project

Honors in the Gender and Women's Studies Major Requirements

To earn Honors in the Major in Gender and Women’s Studies, students must satisfy the requirements for the major (above) and the following additional requirements:

  • Earn a 3.300 University GPA
  • Earn a 3.300 GPA for all GEN&WS courses
  • Complete at least 2 GEN&WS courses totaling 6 or more credits for Honors and earn grades of B or higher
  • Complete GEN&WS 681 and GEN&WS 682 for a total of 6 credits.

University Degree Requirements

Total Degree To receive a bachelor's degree from UW–Madison, students must earn a minimum of 120 degree credits. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 degree credits. Students should consult with their college or department advisor for information on specific credit requirements.
Residency Degree candidates are required to earn a minimum of 30 credits in residence at UW–Madison. "In residence" means on the UW–Madison campus with an undergraduate degree classification. “In residence” credit also includes UW–Madison courses offered in distance or online formats and credits earned in UW–Madison Study Abroad/Study Away programs.
Quality of Work Undergraduate students must maintain the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, or academic program to remain in good academic standing. Students whose academic performance drops below these minimum thresholds will be placed on academic probation.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Knowledge of core concepts of gender and women’s studies, including: gender, intersectionality, feminist theory, epistemology, class, race/ethnicity, global processes, sexuality, disability & embodiment, health and science, and contemporary and historical issues.
  2. Intellectual and practical skills relating to gender and women’s studies, including: problem solving, research and inquiry, interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, writing, oral communication, collaboration, creativity, and career skills.
  3. Personal and social responsibility anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges. This category may include things like developing critical self and social awareness, applying ethical frameworks, learning through engaged practices.
  4. Integrative learning demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems. This category may be acquired through advanced accomplishment and/or the application beyond the Gender & Women’s Studies classroom to, for example, one’s life, to activist project, and/or to non-Gender & Women’s Studies academic coursework.

Four-Year Plan

This Four-Year Plan is only one way a student may complete an L&S degree with this major. Many factors can affect student degree planning, including placement scores, credit for transferred courses, credits earned by examination, and individual scholarly interests. In addition, many students have commitments (e.g., athletics, honors, research, student organizations, study abroad, work and volunteer experiences) that necessitate they adjust their plans accordingly. Informed students engage in their own unique Wisconsin Experience by consulting their academic advisors, Guide, DARS, and Course Search & Enroll for assistance making and adjusting their plan.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Communication-A, complete during the first year3Ethnic Studies, complete in your first 60 credits3
Quantitative Reasoning-A, complete during the first year3Foreign Language, if required 4
Foreign Language, if required4GEN&WS 1033
GEN&WS 1023L&S Breadth3
First Year Seminar (optional)1I/A Comp Sci, Math, or Statistics, if required for the BS3
 14 16
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Quantitative Reasoning-B, consult with an advisor about options and when to complete this course3Communication-B, consult with an advisor about options and when to complete this course3
GEN&WS Humanities Approach/Disability & Embodiment Issue Area3GEN&WS Social Science Approach3
L&S Breadth3L&S Breadth3
Electives6Electives5
 INTER-LS 2101
 15 15
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
GEN&WS Feminist Theory Approach3GEN&WS Elective/Race & Ethnicity Issue Area3
I/A Comp Sci, Math, or Statistics, if required for the BS3GEN&WS Bio/Health Approach3
L&S Breadth3L&S Breadth3
Electives6Electives6
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
GEN&WS Elective/Global Issue3GEN&WS 660 (optional)3
Capstone Seminar3Electives12
Electives9 
 15 15
Total Credits 120

Advising and Careers

Advising

Working with your advisor helps you create a meaningful course plan as you complete your degree, major and/or certificate requirements. The undergraduate advisor is available to consult on a variety of topics, including declaring the major and/or certificate, course selection and building a four-year plan, study abroad, volunteer and internship opportunities on campus and in the community, applying to graduate programs, and preparing for the job market after graduation.

Internship Program in Gender and Women's Studies

Applied learning through professional experiences in gender and women's studies provides an opportunity for students to connect academic knowledge with community-based practice. Recognizing the power and importance of experiential and community-based learning, the Department of Gender and Women's Studies proudly offers local and global internship opportunities. In the internship program, students work with organizations to apply their coursework in gender and women's studies to specific issues in the community. The accompanying three-credit internship seminar offers a venue for students to engage deeply in feminist-based work and reflection while thinking critically about how to participate as feminists in activism and professional settings.

Career Development in Gender and Women's Studies

The Department of Gender and Women's Studies is committed to helping our students articulate how skills and concepts learned in the classroom can be cultivated in professional settings. As reflected in our Learning Outcomes, students in gender and women's studies develop important transferable skills in written and oral communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration, as well as critical self and social awareness. The department continues to expand career development opportunities for our students as we work with our alumni to offer workshops, panels, and networking opportunities. Contact the undergraduate advisor to learn more about career development opportunities in Gender & Women's Studies.

L&S Career Resources

Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities.  SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.

In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.

Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.

People

Faculty & Staff

GWS Faculty

GWS Staff