Undergraduate Major
The Women’s Studies major is open to all undergraduates in the College of Letters and Science; students in other Schools may petition. All courses must be taken for a letter grade. A grade of C or better is required for all preparation courses and core courses; courses for which a grade of "C-" or lower is earned will not count.
Admission to the major requires a minimum GPA of 2.0 and is done by petition. Students meet with the Women's Studies undergraduate counselor to review the requirements, to complete the registration and petition forms, and to plan their course of study. This should be done early but must be done no later than three quarters prior to graduation.
Preparation for the major:
WS-10 Introduction to WS: Feminist Perspectives on Women in Society
[In addition, students are expected to complete lower division prerequisites for those upper division WS-content courses they plan to take.]
Core Courses:
A] Theory - One from:
WS-110A Feminist Theories: Social Sciences;
or WS-110B Feminist Theories: Humanities;
or WS-M110C Feminist Theory: Philosophy
B] Ethnic Studies - One from:
WS-130 Women of Color in the U.S.;
or a WS-content course in one of the ethnic studies programs within the Institute of American Cultures
C] Research - WS-187 Senior Research Seminar
Distribution of Electives:
Four upper division courses* – one each from four different fields – chosen from the quarterly WS-credit lists. Lists are available in the WS offices or on-line in the courses section.
Concentration:
Six additional upper division courses* in one or two areas of study – chosen from the quarterly WS-credit lists. A Concentration may be in a discipline sampled in the Distribution or a major topic addressed in the Core. If a dual concentration is selected, courses may be apportioned in a ratio of 3:3 or 4:2. Concentrations must be declared by petition at least three quarters prior to graduation. No more than four units of WS-195-199 may be applied without special permission.
Honors in the major may be earned by petition. See the "Departmental Honors" summary for criteria and procedures. The 2-quarter honors course, 198A/B, counts as the 6th concentration course.
*minimum of 4 units