Women's Studies

The Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research administers the women's studies program, which offers students the opportunity to investigate how questions of gender and sexuality shape the human experience in the United States and abroad, from the past to the present.

Overview

The B.A. in women’s studies offers undergraduates an opportunity to explore the way gender works in the lives of people (men as well as women) from a variety of academic perspectives. The major gives a solid Liberal Arts education but also takes advantage of resources outside the college: students take courses offered through the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research as well as approved courses offered in departments across the university.

Students may elect to follow the general concentration in the major, or choose one of the more specialized concentrations: international perspectives on gender, or theories and politics of sexuality. Minors are available in women's studies, theories and politics of sexuality and health disparities in society. All of the courses of study offer a rigorous academic curriculum, along with exciting experiential learning opportunities, including service-learning courses, internships and study abroad; the major culminates in an independent capstone project.

Women’s studies majors complete their degrees ready to make competitive applications to graduate and professional school, or to pursue careers in a wide variety of fields, including education, journalism, community activism, arts and entertainment, international relations and the helping professions.

Coursework for the Major

The major requires 30 credits of coursework in women's studies core and elective courses, at least 27 credits of which must be at the 3000/4000 level. All 30 credits must be completed with minimum grades of C. To ensure a good grasp of the content, theories and methods of women's studies scholarship, students will take courses from a variety of disciplines in addition to those offered under the WST prefix designation.

Students are encouraged to fulfill some of the requirements with appropriate study-abroad courses and may petition the program to count courses outside of WST toward the major if they have significant (greater than 50 percent) gender content. Because the major is so flexible, students should use the approved plan of study worksheets to plan and track their progress through the degree. Many courses offered in other departments are approved for women's studies credit. Students should refer to the department website and contact the women's studies undergraduate coordinator for a complete course listing.

Required Coursework

• WST 3015 Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Women's Studies
• WST 3415 Transnational Feminisms
• WST 4935 Capstone Seminar in Women's Studies (Prereq: WST 3015)
• 21 additional credits of approved women’s studies and gender-related courses
• A minimum of 18 credits for the major must be taken at UF

Combined Degree Programs

Women's studies is an interdisciplinary field, and at the undergraduate and masters levels, provides general training in critical thinking, written and oral communication and specific training in gender analysis. The combined B.A./M.A. degree offers a useful program for well-qualified students who may want careers in social service, law, business, education, policy planning, government and nongovernment organizations and international development. Some MA recipients also choose to pursue the Ph.D. in women's studies (not currently available at UF).

For those students interested in using the MA to develop job qualifications, this accelerated program provides quicker access to advanced training in research and analytic skills. Students who have a Ph.D. as their goal will be able to abbreviate the length of time engaged in coursework. Undergraduates enrolled in graduate courses also will benefit from the more intense level of intellectual engagement involved in graduate training. More information.

Concentrations

• General Concentration: Students in the general concentration tailor their coursework for maximum exposure to the various issues covered by women's studies scholarship. In addition to the core requirements, students take nine credits of WST electives focused on humanities, nine credits of WST electives focused on social science and three credits of a gender and science-focused course or an internship (WST 4940).
• International Perspectives on Gender: This concentration emphasizes the experiences of women and men around the globe, with an eye to achieving a cross-cultural perspective on gender, power, sexuality and the way social and cultural changes impact gender relations. In addition to the core requirements, students must take at least 21 credits from an approved list of IPG electives.
• Theories and Politics of Sexuality: This concentration introduces students to new ways of theorizing sex, sexual identities and the significance of sexualities in social organization. In addition to taking the three core requirements, students take a required three-credit sexualities course, LIT 4844 Queer Theory, or WST 3603 Sexualities Studies. The remaining 18 credits are drawn from an approved list of TPS electives.

Course Details

The core courses in women’s studies give coherence to the plan of study that individual students devise.

• WST 3015 Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Women’s Studies draws on various materials and methodologies to explore the diverse experiences of women, both in past eras and in the present, focusing on the US.
• WST 3415 Transnational Feminism introduces theories of gender and social change engendered by women in diverse national and international contexts. Contemporary economic development, reproductive politics, women’s health and migration are among the examined topics.
• WST 4935 Capstone Seminar is taken in the final year and allows students to reflect on their experience in the major and carry their interests forward through structured independent research tied to their scholarly or career interests. Students in the theories and politics of sexualities concentration take an additional core course (WST 3603 or ENG 4844) that introduces them to key issues in contemporary sexualities studies.

Critical Tracking

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college and major requirements. For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements: Structure of a CLAS Degree.

Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.

Women's studies is a flexible major without a specific gateway course or prerequisites for upper-division courses. In addition to maintaining a 2.0 overall UF GPA and a 2.5 critical-tracking GPA, students should have four women’s studies courses (three at the 3000 level) completed by the fifth semester. It is required that one of these 3000-level courses be WST 3015 or WST 3415, and it is highly recommended that students take WST 3015 or WST 3415 in semester 4. Additionally, it is highly recommend that students complete both WST 3015 and WST 3415 by semester 5.

Semester 1

• 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 2

• 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 3

• Complete one women's studies course
• 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 4

• Complete 1 additional women's studies course at the 3000 level (WST 3015 or
  WST 3415 recommended) with a 2.5 critical-tracking GPA
• 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 5

• Complete 2 additional women's studies courses at the 3000 level, including WST 3015 or WST 3415, with a 2.5 critical-tracking GPA. At least three of the four courses taken must be at the 3000 level or higher.
• 2.0 UF GPA required

Recommended Semester Plan

Students are expected to complete the writing and math requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) and diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another general education requirement (typically GE-C, H or S).