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Women's Studies
-
Contact Information
Department Website
620 Old Chemistry
PO Box 210164
Cincinnati, Ohio
45221-0164
womens.studies@uc.edu
Quick Facts
-
Program Name
Women's Studies -
Degree
Bachelor of Arts Degree -
Degree Code
BA -
Department
Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies -
College
Arts and Sciences -
Program Code
15BA-WMST -
Location
Main Campus -
Time to Completion
4 years -
Evening Courses Offered
No -
Distance Learning Courses Offered
No -
Weekend Courses Offered
No -
Contact Information
Department Website
620 Old Chemistry
PO Box 210164
Cincinnati, Ohio
45221-0164
womens.studies@uc.edu
What Is Women's Studies ?
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is an interdisciplinary major that explores the complexity of human experiences and lives. Through a broad range of subjects, women’s studies raises questions about gender, race, sexual identity, nationality and social class, focusing particularly on their intersections. Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies also examines women’s roles and achievements historically and cross-culturally. This program of study challenges stereotypes and inequalities, promotes critical thinking and self-awareness, and empowers individuals to work for social change.
Success Factors
Attention to the intersections between theory and practice is at the heart of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. As an interdisciplinary course of study, women’s studies calls for a range of verbal, analytic and critical skills, as well as the ability to integrate different modes of scholarly inquiry. Students with a keen interest in literature, social science or critical analysis can also focus their work in elective courses.
Career Possibilities
- advocate for domestic violence or hate crime victims
- art therapist
- battered women's center director
- business owner
- clinical social worker
- doctor
- health clinic medical assistant
- human services administrator
- lawyer
- minister
- recreational therapist
- town manager
- union organizer
- writer
Additional career options are listed on the Career Development Center's Web site.
Major Details
The Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) is the academic home for the study of women and gender at UC. Through interdisciplinary teaching, research and community outreach, the department seeks to create a more inclusive and transformative understanding of the world in which we live. In addition to the undergraduate major and minor, the department coordinates a graduate certificate of concentration, a master of arts degree and the MA/JD joint degree with the College of Law.
Students declaring a major in women’s studies are required to complete 54 credit hours with the following distribution:
Core Requirements: (8 courses or 24 credits)
- Introduction to Women’s Studies (WMST 241)
- Feminist Critical Readings (WMST 380)
- Feminist Theory (WMST 480)
- Feminist Methodologies (WMST 580)
- Capstone Experience (independent study: WMST 531 (fall), WMST 532 (winter) or WMST 533 (spring))
- In addition, students will be required to take one (1) women’s studies approved course out of each of the following three topic areas: feminist cultural studies, feminist politics studies and feminist science studies. (See master list of women’s studies approved courses by area.) WGS Electives: (10 courses or 30 credits)
- All electives must be chosen from the list of women’s studies approved undergraduate courses. (See master list.) Courses not taken to satisfy the topic area requirement may count as electives from the list.
- At least three (3) of the ten (10) courses must be in the same discipline.
- Eight (8) of these ten (10) courses must be at the 300 level or above.
- The Women’s Studies Internship course (WMST 490) is a recommended elective.
North American Women’s Studies (concentration within the major)
Only for students planning to apply for and ultimately accept the women’s studies study-abroad program in Mexico or Canada.
- Core requirements remain the same.
- Must take, as part of women’s studies elective credits, Women’s Studies Study Abroad (15 WMST 590, up to 18 quarter credits) by spending a term or summer institute abroad in Canada or Mexico at one of our partner institutions, if accepted, plus two (2) of the following: Feminisms in North America (WMST 589), Latina Feminisms (WMST 588), Women’s Human Rights (WMST 456), Gender and Development (WMST 496) or Comparative Black Feminisms (WMST 450).
- NOTE: Students wishing to study in Mexico must have Spanish proficiency or fluency and have completed at least the top three core courses, one of the specialized track/concentration courses and junior status before going abroad.
- Core requirements remain the same.
- Must take, as part of women’s studies elective credits, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies (15 WMST 360), Advanced Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies (15 WMST 463) plus one additional sexuality studies course in or approved by the department.
McMicken College's flexible degree requirements allow for and highly encourage students to pursue multiple areas of study. Free electives allow for enough credits for students to pursue a minor, certificate program or even complete a second major. Some of the most common pairings are listed below.
- African American studies
- Anthropology
- Area studies
- Communication
- Economics
- English
- Environmental studies
- Geography
- International affairs
- Journalism
- Judaic studies
- Languages
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Urban studies
- Social work
Minor Details
Minor/Certificate Information
The Women’s Studies minor consists of core courses offered by Women’s Studies and elective courses offered by other departments across the university. Because of the interdisciplinary structure of the Women’s Studies minor, students can easily pursue this minor with any other major without having to take additional credits or increasing time to degree. Students often minor in Women’s Studies to apply their insights on gender to another field and to gain an additional credential that serves them well for graduate and professional work.
Minor/Certificate Curriculum
Students minoring/obtaining a certificate in WGS are required to complete 27 credit hours (nine courses) as follows:
Introduction to Women’s Studies (WMST 241); Feminist Critical Readings (WMST 380); Feminist Theory (WMST 480); three (3) women’s studies approved courses, one from each of the topic areas of feminist cultural studies, feminist politics studies, feminist science studies, plus three (3) additional electives from a list of approved women’s studies courses. Four (4) of these six (6) courses must be taken at the 300 level or above. The Women’s Studies Internship course (WMST 490) may be taken as one of these electives.
Because of the interdisciplinary structure of the women’s studies major, students can easily double-major or add one or more minors without having to take additional credits or increasing time to degree completion.
Minor/Certificate Application
Students interested in minoring in Women’s Studies should complete the Application for Admission to the Women’s Studies Minor and schedule an advising session with the Undergraduate Director.
Curriculum
This curriculum information is intended as a general information guide for students considering enrollment in this major. These online tools are designed to assist you, but are not a substitute for planning with an academic or faculty advisor.
If you are currently enrolled at UC, you can audit your degree online. If you are considering transferring to this major from another school use the course applicability system (CAS) to see how credits you have earned will apply to this major at UC. For course descriptions by college, click here.
| Course Name | Course Number | Credits |
| First Year | ||
| *English Composition | ENGL101 & 15ENGL102 |
6 |
| *Quantitative Reasoning (QR) | see checklist |
9 |
| *Foreign Language | see checklist |
9-15 |
| Introduction to Women's Studies | 15WMST241 |
3 |
| *Social Sciences (SS) | see offerings |
3 |
| *Humanities (HU) | see offerings |
3 |
| Courses in minor or other program | see options |
6-12 |
| Total for first year |
45 |
| Second Year | ||
| *Intermediate Composition | 15ENGL289 |
3 |
| *Foreign Language (if necessary) | see checklist |
0-9 |
| Feminist Critical Readings | 15WMST380 |
3 |
| Course in Feminist Cultural, Politics, or Science Studies | see approved courses |
3 |
| Course in Feminist Cultural, Politics, or Science Studies | see approved courses |
3 |
| Women's Studies Approved Courses | see course listing | 12 |
| *Natural Science (NS) | see offerings |
9 |
| *Literature (LT) | see offerings |
3 |
| Courses in minor or other program | see options |
0-9 |
| Total for second year |
45 |
| Third & Fourth Years | ||
| Feminist Theory | 15WMST480 | 3 |
| Feminist Methodologies | 15WMST580 | 3 |
| Women's Studies Approved Courses | see course listing | 21 |
| Individual Work in Women's Studies (capstone) | 15WMST531, 532 or 533 | 3 |
| *Historical Perspectives (HP) | see offerings | 9 |
| *Social Sciences (SS) | see offerings | 6 |
| *Humanities, Literature or Fine Arts (HU, LT or FA) | see offerings | 3 |
| *Social & Ethical Issues (if not already taken, SE) | see offerings |
3 |
| *Diversity & Culture (if not already taken, DC) | see offerings |
3 |
| Courses in minor or other program | see options | 36 |
| Total for third & fourth years | 90 | |
| Minimum total overall: 180 | ||
*Needed to fulfill A&S college requirements.
Course Listing
African American Studies
15 AFAM 204 Introduction to Black Gender Studies (3 cr hrs)
15 AFAM 206 African Diaspora Cultures: Contested Perspectives of Race & Gender (3 cr hrs)
15 AFAM 305 Black Women in U.S. Society (3 cr hrs)
15 AFAM 317 Early African American Poetry: Brown to Present (3 cr hrs)
15 AFAM 343 Issues of Race in African American Literature (3 cr hrs)
15 AFAM 532 Black Popular Culture (3 cr hrs)
15 AFAM 589 Early Black Women Writers: Wheatley to Hurston (3 cr hrs)
15 AFAM 590 Contemporary Black Women Writers: Hurston to Present (3 cr hrs)
15 AFAM 593 Current Issues in Black America: Gender & Black Nationalism (3 cr hrs)
Classics
15 CLAS 356 Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece (3 cr hrs)
Communication
15 COMM 403 Gender Communication (3 cr hrs)
15 COMM 406 Organizational Diversity: Race and Gender in the Workplace (3 cr hrs)
15 COMM 528 Women in Communication (3 cr hrs) UG or G
Economics
15 ECON 560 Women in the Economy (3 cr hrs) UG or G
English
15 ENGB 254 Women's Literature (3 cr hrs)
15 ENGL 581 Ethnic Women Writers of the United States (3 cr hrs)
15 ENGL 582 Black Women Writers (3 cr hrs)
15 ENGL 384 Feminist Literary Criticism (3 cr hrs)
15 ENGL 388 American Women Writers to 1900 (3 cr hrs)
15 ENGL 389 American Women Writers 1900 to Present (3 cr hrs)
15 ENGL 509 Postmodern Women Writers (3 to 4 UG or G)
French
15 FREN 396H Tradition, Struggle for Indep. & Gender Roles in African Lit. (3 cr hrs)
German
15 GRMN 274 German Women's Literature in English Translation (3 cr hrs)
History
15 HIST 397H Women and Health in America (3 cr hrs)
15 HIST 425 U.S. Women's History to 1890 (3 cr hrs)
15 HIST 703 U.S. Women's History to 1890 (3 G)
15 HIST 426 U.S. Women's History 1890 to Present (3 cr hrs)
15 HIST 531 Women in India and China to 1800 (3 cr hrs) UG or G
15 HIST 532 Women in India and China Since 1800 (3 cr hrs) UG or G
15 HIST 561 Women in European Society: 1600-1850 (3 cr hrs) UG or G
15 HIST 562 Women in European Society: 1850 to Present (3 cr hrs) UG or G
15 HIST 683 Gender and Latin American History to 1900 (3 cr hrs) UG or G
15 HIST 684 Gender and Latin American History after 1900 (3 cr hrs) UG3 or G
Judaic Studies
15 JUDC 328 Women in the Bible (3 cr hrs)
15 JUDC 352 Gender and Judaism (3 cr hrs)
15 JUDC 374 Jewish Humor/ Women's Humor (3 cr hrs)
Philosophy
15 PHIL 333 Feminist Political Philosophy (3 cr hrs)
15 PHIL 577 Feminist Philosophy (3 cr hrs)
Political Science
15 POL 314 Women and Politics (3 cr hrs)
15 POL 365 Women and Politics in the Third World (3 cr hrs)
Psychology
15 PSYC 312 Psychology of Women (3 cr hrs)
15 PSYC 314 Research Methods in the Psychology of Women (3 cr hrs)
Sociology
15 SOC 144-201 Barriers to Equality (3 cr hrs)
15 SOC 328 Women, Culture and Society (3 cr hrs)
15 SOC 379 Changing Roles for Men and Women (3 cr hrs)
15 SOC 428 Gender and Social Policy (3 cr hrs)
15 SOC 522 Professional Women (3 cr hrs) or G
28 SOC 284 Sociology of Human Sexuality (3 cr hrs)
28 SOC 285 Sociology of the Family (3 cr hrs)
28 SOC 287 Women in the World (3 cr hrs)
Women's Studies
15 WMST 203 Women's Studies Learning Community (3 to 12 cr hrs)
15 WMST 204 Introduction to Black Gender Studies (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 241 Introduction to Women's Studies (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 250 Introduction to Black Women's Studies (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 301 Current Issues in Women's Studies (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 305 Black Women in U.S. Society (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 340 Women's Movements Worldwide (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 350 Women and the Law (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 360 Introduction to LGBT Studies (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 380 Introduction to Feminist Theory (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 401 Lesbian/Queer Theory (3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 490 Internship in Women's Studies (3 to 9 cr hrs)
15 WMST 510 The Many Voices of American Women (3 to 4 cr hrs)
15 WMST 531 Individual Work in Women's Studies (Fall & 1st Summer) (1 to 3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 532 Individual Work in Women's Studies (Winter & 2nd Summer) (1 to 3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 533 Individual Work in Women's Studies (Spring & 3rd Summer) (1 to 3 cr hrs)
15 WMST 595 American Women's History (3 to 4 cr hrs)
15 WMST 601 Seminar in Women's Studies (1 to 4 cr hrs)
15 WMST 602 Seminar in Women's Studies (1 to 4 cr hrs)
15 WMST 603 Seminar in Women's Studies (1 to 4 cr hrs)
15 WMST 721 Special Topics on Race, Gender and Class (4 cr hrs)
15 WMST 722 Special Topics on Race, Gender and Nationalism (4 cr hrs)
15 WMST 723 Special Topics on Race, Gender and Sexuality (4 cr hrs)
Special Opportunities
Students in the UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences enjoy many benefits afforded through study at a research-intensive institution ranked among the nation's top 25 public research universities. UC's urban, tri-state location offers exciting opportunities for global education, research and service learning, while its student-centered focus includes an 11:1 student-faculty ratio, a nationally recognized Center for Exploratory Studies and a highly successful First Year Experience program that teaches critical skills for first-year students and provides connections with important campus resources.
Special Programs
Students in women’s studies at UC experience small classes with much individualized attention, outstanding research and teaching faculty, rigorous and diverse curricula, internship and study-abroad opportunities, graduate student teaching experience, regular symposia and guest speakers, an excellent placement record and a highly supportive environment. They also enjoy mentoring and grant support from the Friends of Women’s Studies, one of the oldest and largest women’s studies community support groups in the country.
Admission Requirements
Admission criteria for this program vary based on the relative strength of test scores, class rank and GPA. Please see the Freshman Class Profile for this major in the Quick Facts sidebar on this page for the range of academic credentials typically accepted into this program. Test scores in the lower range may be acceptable with higher class rank and/or GPA. Freshmen applying to this program should also have completed the following state of Ohio articulation requirements with no more than two units missing:
- English (4 units)*
- College-preparatory mathematics (3 units)*
- Science (2 units)
- Social science (2 units)
- Foreign language (2 units)*
- Fine arts (1 unit)
- Additional college-prep subjects (2 units)
*McMicken College of Arts & Sciences does not allow units missing from these areas.
Transfer Requirements
Applicants to A&S whose most recent enrollment was not in any of the UC colleges must apply through the Office of Admissions. Applicants in this category must submit transcripts for all secondary school and college-level work. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all college-level work is required for admission consideration. Admission to A&S is generally available for any off-campus applicants who have received an associate degree from an accredited college or university and whose cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher.
Although midyear, off-campus transfer students are not able to participate in priority registration in the quarter prior to their enrollment, they are included in the summer registration period prior to their fall quarter enrollment.
Changing Major Requirements
Applicants to A&S whose most recent enrollment was as a degree-seeking student in one of UC’s other colleges can apply directly to the A&S college office. Admission to A&S is generally available for any on-campus students who have:
- at least a 2.0 GPA in all college-level courses (both at UC and at other institutions),
- successfully completed two quarters of English Composition or its equivalent and
- gained credit for a college-level mathematics course.
Further details on individual programs are available online or in the A&S Office of Undergraduate Affairs and Advising (102 McMicken Hall).
Graduation Requirements
In addition to meeting the university's General Education requirements, the requirements listed in the McMicken College Core Requirements are common to all potential graduates of the college, whether they are pursuing the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science or bachelor of interdisciplinary studies degree.
Application Deadlines
UC operates on a quarter system, with 10-week grading periods beginning in late September, early January, late March and mid-June. While midyear admission is possible, the fall quarter is generally the best time to enter the college, since many course sequences begin in that quarter. Applicants to the UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences who are enrolled or who were previously enrolled as degree-seeking students in A&S or in other UC colleges should apply for admission directly to A&S (in McMicken 102). All other applicants who wish to earn an undergraduate degree from A&S should apply through the Office of Admissions (3rd Floor, University Pavilion).