UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Major Specializations
Learn more about the specializations offered to WGSS Undergrad Majors.
How To Apply
Learn more about the Undergraduate Application process.
Department Mission
Learn more about our departments mission and areas of focus.
A. Overview
Major: Women’s and Gender Studies (WST)
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Total Major Credits Required: 36
5 Core Courses (15 credits)
3 Focused Studies Courses ( 9 credits)
4 Elective Courses (12 credits)
Upper Division Writing Requirement
Also Required: You must meet the general University (SBU) requirements for the bachelors degree.
B. Grades and Credits
Pass/No Credit (P/NC) or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Limits
No more than 3 credits for the major may be taken under P/NC or S/U.
Minimum Grade Requirement
All courses for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher.
No transferred course with a grade lower than C may be applied toward major requirements.
Lower- vs. Upper-Level Course Distribution
No more than three 100-level courses (9 credits) may count toward the major.
At least 18 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or higher.
WST Course Requirement
At least 12 credits must be WST courses (or cross-listed equivalents) taken at Stony Brook.
C. Core Courses
5 Courses | 15 Credits
WST 102 – Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies in the Social Sciences
OR WST 103 – Women, Culture, and Difference
WST 291 – Introduction to Feminist Theory
WST 301 – Histories of Feminism
WST 305 – Feminist Theories in Context
WST 408 – Senior Research Seminar for Women’s and Gender Studies Majors
D. Focused Studies
3 Courses | 9 Credits
Complete one course in each of the following three categories listed below (A, B, and C). At least two of these must be WST “topics” courses taught by WGSS core or associated faculty.
Note: Approved Substitutes
Courses listed as “Approved Substitutes” are acceptable only if the specific topic (when relevant) meets the WST requirement(s). When in doubt, confirm with the UG
Program Director.
A. Women & Gender in a Global Context
Example: WST 395 – Topics in Global Feminism
Approved Substitutes (if listed topic is relevant):
AAS 307 – Women in US-Asian Relations
HIS 431 – Women in Modern Japan
JPN 332 – Japanese Literature in the Feminine Domain
SOC 391 – Gender in Africa
SOC 394 – Gender & International Development
WST 334 – Women, Work & Family in Modern Europe
WST 360 – Women in Premodern Europe
WST/AFS 350 – Black Women & Social Change
WST/AFH/EGL 382 – Black Women’s Literature of the Diaspora
WST/HIS 345 – Women & Gender in Chinese History
B. Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
Example: WST 398 – Topics in Gender, Race, & Ethnicity
Approved Substitutes (if listed topic is relevant):
HIS 300 – Race, Gender, Rights in U.S. Legal History
HIS 396 – Women of Color in American History
WST/EGL 372 – Black Women Writers
WST/HUI 237 – Images of Italian-American Women
WST 391/HUI 390/EGL 369 – Italian-American & African-American Women’s Literature
C. Gender and Sexuality
Example: WST 399 – Topics in Gender & Sexuality
Approved Substitutes (if listed topic is relevant):
ANT 295 – Sex & Human Nature
CCS 325 – Making Bodies Fit
EGL 390 – Queer Studies: Race, Gender, & Sexuality in Literature
HIS 394 – AIDS & Social History
POL 391 – Sexualities & Politics
SOC 391 – Sociology of Sexuality
WST 111 – Introduction to Queer Studies in the Humanities
WST 112 – Introduction to Queer Studies in the Social Sciences
WST/SOC 340 – Sociology of Human Reproduction
WST 374 – Historical Perspectives on Gender Orientation
WST/AFS 381 – AIDS, Race, Gender in the Black Community
WST 390 – Special Topics in Women’s and Gender Studies in the Humanities
Approved topics include: “Queer Studies: Theorizing Race, Gender, & Sexuality”
WST 394 – Special Topics in Medicine, Reproduction, and Gender
Approved topics include: “Psychology of Reproduction” and “Women, Science, Fiction, & Reproduction”
E. Electives
Requirement: 12 Credits in WST electives
Eligible Courses
Any course listed as or cross-listed with WST.
Click here for a list of courses offered by other departments that may also be used to satisfy this requirement.
Determining Course Eligibility
Some departments offer “topics” courses that qualify if the specific topic is relevant.
If uncertain, contact the UG Program Director.
F. Upper-Division Writing Requirement
Formal Writing Submission
You must submit at least 10 typewritten pages of formal writing from an upper-division WST-approved course to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Instructor Approval
The instructor must judge the work to be satisfactory for the WST upper-division writing requirement.
Fulfillment Through WST 408
This requirement is normally satisfied by successful completion of WST 408.
Alignment with the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC)
The WST upper-division writing requirement generally fulfills the SBC “Write Effectively within One’s Discipline (WRTD)” objective.
G. Additional Information
WST 447 & WST 487 (Directed Readings / Independent Project)
A maximum of 6 credits from any combination of WST 447 and WST 487 may be counted toward the major.
WST 475 (Undergraduate Teaching Practicum I)
No more than 3 credits of WST 475 may be counted toward the major.
WST 488 (Internship)
No more than 6 credits of WST 488 may be counted toward the major.
Availability of Electives
Depends on the departments offering them in a given semester.
Have Questions?
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Email: nancy.hiemstra@stonybrook.edu
Course approvals & substitutions, program specific transfer credit evaluation, upper division writing requirement, clarification on course and program content, and similar academically related questions.
Academic Program Coordinator
Charles Edwards
Email: charles.j.edwards@stonybrook.edu
Enrollment, graduation, general administrative and academic advising guidance.