UMass Boston

Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Minor

Enhance Your Social Awareness & Critical Thinking Skills. 

The Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor at UMass Boston explores the multifaceted aspects of gender, sexuality, and identity. As a student in this program, you’ll learn how these factors shape experiences, institutions, and social realities. 

The curriculum for this program gives voice to perspectives from different cultures, races, social classes, and sexualities. It fosters multicultural awareness and encourages critical thinking regarding social stereotyping. The courses span a wide range of topics, such as global gender dynamics, multicultural studies, feminist thought, and interdisciplinary research.

A WGS Minor complements various majors and career paths, including fields like social work, education, public policy, healthcare, and advocacy.

Expand Your Studies

How To Apply/Declare

Current Undergraduate Students: Declare or change your minor by completing an Undergraduate Program Add/Change form.

Prospective Undergraduate Students: Apply for admission to UMass Boston by completing an application. Start by reviewing the first-year and transfer application pages for important information about requirements, deadlines, and application status checks. Use the links below to apply: 

Apply as a First-Year Student

Apply as a Transfer Student

Curriculum

Electives (18 Credits)

Take six courses from the lists below. You must complete at least one course each from the introductory list and the multicultural awareness list. One course must be from one of the four specific course groups.

Introductory Courses List

  • WGS 100 - Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexualities in the United States 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 110 - Gender in Global Context 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 150 - Women, Culture, and Identity 3 Credit(s)

Multicultural Awareness Course List

  • WGS 110 - Gender in Global Context 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 225L - Latinas in the United States 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 268 - Global Bodies: Sex, Families, and Reproductive Rights in Transnational Perspective 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 270 - Native American Women in North America 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 295L - Introduction to Human Rights 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 300L - Women in African Cultures 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 345 - Gender, Religion and Politics in South Asia 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 355L - Gender, Development, & Globalization 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 357L - Women in South Asian Religions: Gender Ideology and Practice in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 360 - Gender, Culture, and Power 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 376L - Women of Color 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 401 - Advanced Topics in Human Rights 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 411 - Transnational Feminisms: Contexts, Conflicts, and Solidarity 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 412L - Gender, Human Rights, and Global Cinema 3 Credit(s)
  • AFRSTY 230 - African-American Women’s History 3 Credit(s)
  • AMST 228L - Asian Women in the United States 3 Credit(s)
  • ASAMST 226 - Becoming South Asians 3 Credit(s)
  • CINE 412L - Gender, Human Rights, and Global Cinema 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGL 357 - African-American Women Writers 3 Credit(s)
  • PSYCH 403 - Gender, Culture, and Health 3 Credit(s)

Specific Group Course Lists

 

Historical Perspectives

    • WGS 290 - The Legal Rights of Women 3 Credit(s)
    • WGS 317L - Women in Medieval and Early Modern Europe 3 Credit(s)
    • WGS 325L - Sexual Identities in American Culture 3 Credit(s)
    • WGS 345 - Gender, Religion and Politics in South Asia 3 Credit(s)
    • WGS 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)
    • WGS 394L - Radical Voices of Resistance: Gender, Race and US Social Movements 3 Credit(s)
    • AFRSTY 230 - African-American Women’s History 3 Credit(s)
    • ENGL 257L - Queer Literature and History in the 20th Century US 3 Credit(s)
    • HIST 257L - Queer Literature and History in the 20th Century US 3 Credit(s)

Feminist Thought

    • WGS 356L - Faiths & Feminisms: Women, Gender, Sexuality & Religion in the U.S. 3 Credit(s)
    • WGS 347 - Feminisms, Intersectionality and Social Justice: Histories, Debates, Futures 3 Credit(s)
    • PHIL 230 - Philosophy and Feminism 3 Credit(s)

Interdisciplinary Research

    • WGS 311L - American Oral History 3 Credit(s)
    • WGS 370 - Feminist Research Seminar 3 Credit(s)
    • WGS 498 - Honors Research Tutorial 3 Credit(s)

Field Experience

    • WGS 490 - Internship in Women’s Studies 3 Credit(s)
    • SOCIOL 460 - Internship: Sociology in the City 6 Credit(s)

Completion Requirements

Complete 18 credits from six courses.

Residency: At least three courses for the minor must be taken through the Women’s and Gender Studies Department. At least three courses for the minor must be completed at UMass Boston.
Course level: At least three courses for the minor must be at the 300-level or higher.
Course limits: No more than two independent study courses may be applied toward the minor.

Contact

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department
Wheatley Hall, 5th Floor, Room 4A
617.287.6780
Womens.Studies [@] umb.edu

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Next Steps

Declare or Change Your Minor Request Info About UMass Boston Undergraduate Admissions