Women's and Gender Studies is a discipline that critically examines gender and women's issues from an interdisciplinary perspective and challenges many traditional assumptions and theories. It examines the practice and expression of gender in different societies and at different historical moments.
Regardless of your gender, Women's and Gender Studies is crucial and relevant for anyone interested in working in criminal justice, social work, the non-profit sector, the arts, politics, business, and more. Students learn to look at the world and history through different perspectives and think about how gender and our perceptions of it impact culture, society, and daily interactions. It is a traditional liberal arts discipline where the knowledge and skills developed in the program can be applied to all types of career paths. Work experiences during college through internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer positions often shape career paths after graduation.
In 1974, the Office of Women's Studies opened its doors at UWM, becoming the first university in Wisconsin to establish a Women's Studies program. Today, undergraduate students at UWM can pursue a Women's and Gender Studies major or minor, and graduate students can choose from among three different Women's and Gender Studies MA options or a certificate to complement a different graduate degree program. Undergraduates benefit from the MA program's strength by working with and learning from graduate students and taking classes with the same exceptional faculty.
Students in Women's and Gender Studies master critical thinking, problem analysis, and communication through both classroom studies and service learning opportunities.
Students who are interested in the minor should complete the online declaration form on the Women’s and Gender Studies website. For additional information, please contact Women's and Gender Studies, located in CRT 535, by phone at (414) 229-5918, or on the web.
Requirements
Students who minor in Women’s and Gender Studies are required to take 18 credits drawn from Women’s and Gender Studies and cross-listed courses, at least 9 credits of which must be completed in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) courses in residence at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA in all minor courses attempted, including any transfer work. The following courses are required for the minor:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| Select one from these two: 1 | 3 | |
| Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies: A Social Science Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies: A Humanities Perspective | ||
| Foundation - choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Queer Theory | ||
| Feminist Theory | ||
| Select: | 3 | |
| Global Feminisms | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select 9 credits (see below) | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
- 1
Students may not receive credit for both WGS 200 and WGS 201. Only one of these courses can be taken for credit.
Electives
Students must take an additional 9 credits of elective courses to reach a total of 18 credits. Approved electives include WGS courses and courses offered by other programs and departments; see the list below.
Numerous courses in a wide variety of disciplines have been approved as electives for the WGS major. For information about whether a special topics course in another program might be approved as an elective for WGS, please contact Women's and Gender Studies.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| WGS 150 | Multicultural America | 3 |
| WGS 192 | First-Year Seminar: | 3 |
| WGS 199 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| WGS 297 | Study Abroad: | 1-12 |
| WGS 301 | Queer Theory | 3 |
| WGS 302 | Gendered Bodies: | 3 |
| WGS 303 | Feminist Activism and Movements: | 3 |
| WGS 380 | Honors Seminar in the Social Sciences: | 3 |
| WGS 381 | Honors Seminar in the Humanities: | 3 |
| WGS 411 | Feminist Research and Practice | 3 |
| WGS 489 | Internship in Women's and Gender Studies | 1-3 |
| WGS 497 | Study Abroad: | 1-12 |
| WGS 500 | Advanced Social Science Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies: | 3 |
| WGS 501 | Advanced Humanities Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies: | 3 |
| WGS 699 | Independent Reading | 1-3 |
| AFRIC 250 | Black Women and White Women in the Contemporary United States | 3 |
| AFRIC 344 | Global Black Social Movements | 3 |
| AFRIC 350 | The Black Family | 3 |
| AFRIC 351 | Sexuality, Gender, and Health in Africa and the Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRIC 352 | Extended Families in Black Societies | 3 |
| AFRIC 414 | The Black Woman in America, Africa, and the Caribbean | 3 |
| AFRIC 417 | Race, Class and Gender in Southern Africa | 3 |
| AFRIC 418 | Race, Class, and Gender in Latin America and the Caribbean | 3 |
| ANTHRO 250 | Women's Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective | 3 |
| BIO SCI 206 | Biology of Women | 3 |
| BUS ADM 441 | Diversity in Organizations | 3 |
| COMMUN 401 | Communication in Marital and Family Relationships | 3 |
| COMMUN 402 | Gender and Communication | 3 |
| COMMUN 474 | Rhetoric of Women's Rights in the US | 3 |
| CRM JST 385 | Women and Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRM JST 416 | Intimate Partner Violence | 3 |
| ECON 248 | Economics of Discrimination | 3 |
| ED POL 624 | Gender and Education | 3 |
| ENGLISH 243 | Introduction to Literature by Women: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 295 | Women and Film | 3 |
| ENGLISH/FILMSTD 395 | Feminist Media Criticism and Theory: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 465 | Women Writers: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 628 | Seminar in Literature by Women: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 629 | Seminar in Literature and Sexuality: | 3 |
| ETHNIC 255 | Migration and Gender: Starbucks, Sex Trafficking, and Nannies | 3 |
| ETHNIC 275 | Queer Migrations | 3 |
| ETHNIC 325 | Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in Milwaukee: | 3 |
| FILMSTD 669 | Screening Sexuality: | 3 |
| GEOG 410 | Gendered Geographies | 3 |
| HIST 141 | Global History of the Family, Gender, and Sexuality | 3 |
| HIST 241 | Women and Gender in Europe: 1350 to 1750 | 3 |
| HIST 242 | Women and Gender in Europe: 1750 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 243 | History of Women in American Society | 3 |
| HIST 271 | The 1960s in the United States: A Cultural History (WGS voted to approve cross-listing this course in spring 2023.) | 3 |
| HIST 355 | Modern and Contemporary France | 3 |
| HIST 373 | Topics in Gender and History: | 3 |
| HIST 468 | The American Feminist Movement | 3 |
| JAMS 111 | Gender and the Media | 3 |
| JEWISH 332 | Women in the Bible | 3 |
| LGBT 200 | Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | 3 |
| LGBT 275 | Queer Migrations | 3 |
| LGBT 290 | Topics in LGBT Studies: | 3 |
| LGBT 599 | Selected Topics in LGBT Studies: | 3 |
| LINGUIS 212 | Language and Gender | 3 |
| MUSIC 449 | Women in Music: | 3 |
| NURS 204 | Global Maternal and Child Health: From Evidence to Action | 3 |
| NURS 327 | Nursing Science III: Health Concepts-Women & Children | 4 |
| NURS 620 | Global Food Security and Systems | 3 |
| PHILOS 235 | Philosophical Aspects of Feminism | 3 |
| POL SCI 110 | Sex and Power | 3 |
| POL SCI 425 | Women in Politics | 3 |
| POL SCI 464 | Sex, Gender, and the Law | 3 |
| PSYCH 319 | LGBTIQ Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 320 | Psychology of Gender | 3 |
| SOCIOL 250 | Sex and Gender | 3 |
| SOCIOL 255 | Sociology of Sexuality | 3 |
| SOCIOL 260 | Blood, Sex, Money, Power: Families and Intimate Relationships | 3 |
| SOCIOL 442 | The Work-Family Intersection | 3 |
| SOCIOL 444 | Sociology of the Body | 3 |
| SOC WRK 630 | Families and Poverty | 3 |
Letters & Science Minor Advising
Advising for the minor takes place within the department by a faculty member or staff member. Follow the steps using the "Declare a Minor" button on the department’s website which may include instructions on how to select a faculty advisor if there is more than one to choose from.
Students who already have an L&S college advisor because their degree plan is in L&S can discuss the minor with them as well since they will be familiar with any minor in L&S. Students who are working on a degree from a UWM college other than the College of Letters & Science will not need an L&S college advisor for just a minor and one will not be assigned. These students should work with the faculty or staff advisor they receive as part of the minor declaration process or contact the department directly for assistance.
Applicants who have not started classes at UWM yet who wish to declare a minor should wait until they are registered for their first UWM classes and then can declare the minor using the “Declare a Minor” button on the program’s website. If you have questions about the minor before then, contact let-sci@uwm.edu.