Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that investigates how gender and sexuality operate as organizing axes of social, cultural, economic and political institutions, as well as in the everyday lives and cultural products of people who must live within them. Emphasizing the importance of historical and cross-cultural and transnational perspectives, Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies at UMBC critically examines the intersections of gender and sexuality with other differences, including, class, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, and ability to make visible structures of power that otherwise remain hidden. We empower students to imagine a more just future and equip them with the tools to collectively enact it.
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To complete the certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies, students must complete 24 credits of Gender and Women’s Studies coursework, divided as follows:
| CORE COURSES (12 credits) | |||
| Course # | Course Name | GEP | Semester offered |
| GWST 100 | Introduction to Gender + Women’s Studies | SS/C | |
| GWST 200 | Studies in Feminist Activism | SS | Spring Only |
| GWST/CSST 300 | Methodologies in Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies | WI | |
| GWST 480 | Theories of Feminism | ||
ELECTIVE CREDITS (12 credits)
12 elective credits: 3 credits must be one of the following women’s history courses. Of these 12 elective credits, 6 credits must be designated Range of Experience (RoE) courses and 6 must be at the 300 level and above. Students have the option to take up to 3 credits of independent study and 3 credits of internship towards completion of the certificate. Selected topics courses (CSST 292, 392, 492, GWST 290, 390, 490) may be counted toward the 12 credits in electives.
| WOMEN’S HISTORY COURSES (3 credits) | ||||
| Course # | Course Name | RoE | GEP | |
| GWST/HIST 325 | History of Women in America to 1870 | SS | ||
| GWST/HIST 326 | History of Women in America since 1870 | SS | ||
| GWST327/AFST354/HIST323 | African-American Women’s History | RoE | SS | |
| GWST 330/ANCS 320 | Women and Gender in the Classical World | AH/C/WI | ||
| GWST/HIST 366 | Doin’ It: Case Studies in the History of Western Sexuality | RoE | SS/C | |
| GWST 373/HIST 379 | “Do Muslim Women Need Saving?” Women and Gender in Islam | RoE | AH/C | |
| GWST/HIST 374 | European Women’s History 1200-1750 | SS/C | ||
| GWST/HIST 375 | European Women’s History 1750-Present | SS/C | ||
| GWST/HIST 380 | History of Women + Gender in Asia | RoE | C | |
| GWST 383 | History and Politics of Sexuality | RoE | ||
NOTES:
- A C or better is required in all courses applied toward the certificate