BA with a Major in Gender and Women’s Studies
Degree Requirements
To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from UIC, students must complete university, college, and program degree requirements. The Gender and Women’s Studies Program degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summary of Requirements | ||
| Major Requirements | 33 | |
| General Education and Electives to reach minimum Total Hours | 87 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
General Education
See General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for information on meeting these requirements.
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| GWS 101 | Gender in Everyday Life a,b | 3 |
| GWS 102 | Global Perspectives on Women and Gender a,c | 3 |
| GWS 292 | History and Theories of Feminism d | 3 |
| GWS 390 | Feminism and Social Change | 3 |
| Select one course from three of the following four categories: e | 9 | |
| Culture and Representation | ||
| Study of Gender, Class, and Political Issues in German Texts | ||
| Latin American Women Writers in Translation | ||
| Gender and Popular Culture | ||
| Sex and Gender in the Ancient World | ||
| Women in Russian Literature | ||
| Introduction to Gender, Sexuality and Literature | ||
| Women and Literature | ||
| Introduction to Middle East and Muslim Feminisms | ||
| Reading Black Women Writing | ||
| Race, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
| Gender in Latin America | ||
| Latinas in the United States | ||
| Topics in Gender and Women's Studies f | ||
| Gender and Communcation | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Early Christianity and Judaism | ||
| Gender Theory | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Literature | ||
| Topics in Black Feminist and Queer Studies | ||
| Advanced Seminar in Queer and Trans Studies | ||
| Gender and Cultural Production | ||
| Women and Film | ||
| Asian America and Transnational Feminism | ||
| AIDS, Politics and Culture | ||
| Women's Literary Traditions | ||
| Science, Health, and the Body | ||
| Disability, Race, Class and Gender | ||
| Biology of Women | ||
| Constructions of Gender, Race, Health, and Human Rights | ||
| Topics in Gender and Women's Studies f | ||
| Psychology of Women and Gender | ||
| Public Health Aspects of Sexuality and Women's Health | ||
| AIDS, Politics and Culture | ||
| Feminism, Social Policy, and the State | ||
| Comparative Social Movements | ||
| Gender and Society | ||
| Sex Roles: Moral and Political Issues | ||
| Afro Asian Solidarities | ||
| Women and Gender in American History | ||
| Constructions of Gender, Race, Health, and Human Rights | ||
| Gender in Latin America | ||
| Latinas in the United States | ||
| Topics in Gender and Women's Studies f | ||
| Constitutional Law: Women, Gender and Privacy | ||
| Topics in Black Feminist and Queer Studies | ||
| Women and Gender in the Middle East | ||
| Gender, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Asian/Asian American Women in the Global Economy | ||
| Advanced Seminar in Feminism and Justice | ||
| AIDS, Politics and Culture | ||
| Women in Chinese History | ||
| Topics in the History of Women | ||
| Gender and Politics | ||
| Sexuality and Society | ||
| Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies | ||
| Gender and Popular Culture | ||
| Sex and Gender in the Ancient World | ||
| Gender and Society | ||
| Sex Roles: Moral and Political Issues | ||
| Introduction to Gender, Sexuality and Literature | ||
| Sexuality in America: Historical Perspectives | ||
| Asian American Gender and Sexual Diversity | ||
| Race, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
| Topics in the Study of Sexuality | ||
| Topics in Gender and Women's Studies f | ||
| Gender and Communcation | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Early Christianity and Judaism | ||
| Queer Theory | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Literature | ||
| Queer Histories | ||
| Advanced Seminar in Queer and Trans Studies | ||
| AIDS, Politics and Culture | ||
| Topics in the History of Women | ||
| Advanced Topics in the Study of Sexuality | ||
| Four additional GWS courses | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
- a
This course is approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category.
- b
This course is approved for the Understanding U.S. Society General Education category.
- c
This course is approved for the Exploring World Cultures General Education category.
- d
GWS 292 fulfills the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.
- e
Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog to determine if any of the courses on these lists are approved General Education courses.
- f
GWS 294 can fulfill various categories depending on the topic offered. Students should work with their academic advisor to determine which category GWS 294 fulfills in a given semester.
Of the 33 hours required for the major, no more than 9 hours can be at the 100 level and at least 6 hours must be at the 400 level. The same course cannot count toward more than one category requirement for the major. No more than 3 hours of GWS 396 may be applied to the major.
Recommended Plan of Study
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| Quantitative Reasoning a | 3-5 | |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3-5 | |
| Hours | 13-17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| GWS 101 or GWS 102 |
Gender in Everyday Life b or Global Perspectives on Women and Gender |
3 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3-5 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| Hours | 16-18 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GWS 101 or GWS 102 |
Gender in Everyday Life b or Global Perspectives on Women and Gender |
3 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3-5 | |
| Hours | 16-18 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GWS 292 | History and Theories of Feminism | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| General Education Requirement course | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement course/Elective | 3 | |
| Electives | 3-5 | |
| Hours | 16-18 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GWS Distribution course | 3 | |
| GWS Elective | 2-3 | |
| General Education Requirement course/Elective | 3 | |
| Electives | 6-9 | |
| Hours | 14-18 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GWS Distribution course | 3 | |
| GWS Elective | 3 | |
| Electives | 9 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GWS Distribution course | 3 | |
| GWS Elective | 3 | |
| Electives | 9 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GWS 390 | Feminism and Social Change | 3 |
| GWS Elective | 3 | |
| Electives | 9 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- a
Students may need to complete prerequisite courses before fulfilling the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement.
- b
Two of these courses may be used to satisfy two of the nine courses in the General Education requirement.