GSWS is an interdisciplinary field that provides rich opportunities for students to shape their major according to their special interests. We believe that through our required courses and the option of focusing coursework on a concentration, the major both provides grounding in the basic tenets of the field and also allows students a unique opportunity to freely explore their interests.

The major in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies (GSWS) Program offers students exciting opportunities to explore an array of topics related to gender, sexuality, and women. Students have a great deal of flexibility in designing a major that addresses their interests. Students can choose from core courses within the program, as well as courses cross-listed with many departments in SAS, and other schools. GSWS is also a popular double major, as topics in the field are relevant to all major disciplines.

Please contact GSWS Associate Director Gwendolyn Beetham for more information about the major, or to schedule a meeting to discuss how to declare a major: [email protected]

To declare a major, you also need to fill out a declare/update field of study form on Path@Penn.

Field of Study Form

Requirements for the Major: 13 c.u.’s

To pursue the major, students take 3 required courses and a Capstone Course. For their 9 remaining courses students can choose between a track of 9 elective courses or a track of 9 courses in a concentration. Under the requirements of the major, students must complete 33 CUs total.

For students wishing to pursue Honors in the major, the requirements are listed below in “IV- Honors.”

I. 3 Required Courses:

• GSWS 0002: Gender & Society
• GSWS 0003: Introduction to Queer Theory
• GSWS theory course; any GSWS course at the 5000 level OR one additional course from GSWS attribute AGWT. See the Penn course catalog for the most up-to-date list

III. 1 c.u.: Capstone requirement:

For the Capstone requirement, the major offers a range of options:

1. A one-semester Independent Study to pursue a research topic with a GSWS affiliated or core faculty member 

2. A GSWS Graduate Seminar, with permission of the instructor. Some GSWS senior majors are very qualified to take a graduate course and would benefit from pursuing topics not available at the undergraduate level.

3. An applied project, to be taken as an Independent Study with a GSWS affiliated or core faculty member. Students will be able to participate in a local organization and design a project that would give them both hands-on experience, and the ability to analyze an issue in a real-life setting. For example, students could undertake an internship project with an organization working on issues of gender, sexuality and/or women, under the supervision of a GSWS faculty member who will advise the student about a final assignment related to their project or a research component of the project. Students could also conduct a research project with an applied dimension.

4. Write an honors thesis. Students with an overall GPA of 3.4 or better and 3.6 or better in the major are eligible to write an honors thesis for their capstone requirement. Students must apply for Honors in the major in their junior year. As a 2-credit project, the honors thesis entitles students to take one fewer elective than non-honors majors. Please consult the GSWS Associate Director Gwendolyn Beetham for further information.