The interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies takes as its central scholarly focus people’s experiences as women, men, and nonbinary persons, across time and around the world, with an attention to the social and ideological construction of behavioral categories like masculinity and femininity, and the diversity of human sexual identities and sexualities. Understanding that gender and sexuality are just two of the nodes of an intersectional identity, the program also requires that students choose at least one elective that analyzes their complex interactions with other fluid categories such as race, class, ethnicity, religion, ability, age, and national identity. Through their interdisciplinary study, and with attention to the rights of all to dignity, equality, and justice, students in WGST gain an understanding of how active and changing processes of social construction, knowledge production, and institutionalized privilege.frame gender and sexuality both ideologically and experientially. Our majors also acquire critical thinking, research, problem solving, leadership, and written and oral communication skills.


You may familiarize yourself with the WGST major requirements here.


Faculty may propose new or existing courses for review as WGST electives by the WGST Advisory Board.  Existing courses can be submitted directly to the Director for Women’s and Gender Studies, Dr. Mindy Erchull (merchull@umw.edu). NOTE: New courses should first be confirmed by the appropriate curriculum approval process.

Faculty proposing a course for inclusion in the program should provide a sample syllabus and the following information:

  • Name, email, department, and college
  • Course number and name, and status as either catalog or special topics class
  • Credits and prerequisites
  • Semester and year of first offering, and predicted number of sections or schedule for offering
  • Faculty who will offer the class
  • Course’s ATC designations (WI, SI, DI, CE, BtC, AMW), if any
  • Brief Rationale:
    • For WGST electives: How does this course address the central questions and foci that shape Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at UMW as stated above? In what way might it make a meaningful or useful addition to the WGST elective offerings? What skills in research, critical thinking, leadership, or written and oral communication does the class reinforce?
    • For methods classes: What methodology/analysis tools/approaches are taught in the class? How could they could help prepare a WGST student for advanced work in a capstone experience?