Studies of Women, Gender,
and Sexuality

Dr. Karen Flood, Director of Studies

The study of gender and sexuality has long constituted a vibrant, complex, and engaging field for interdisciplinary work and intellectual inquiry. Cultural and historical differences in femininities and masculinities, transnational sexualities, women writers, gender and media studies, lesbian/gay/bisexual studies, transnational feminisms, gender and environmental movements, philosophies of embodiment, queer theory, women's history, transgender studies, gender and religion, the political economy of gender, feminist theory, race/class/gender politics, technology and gender, gender and science, and masculinity studies are just a few of the areas of study that fall within this concentration's purview.

Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality (WGS) is an interdisciplinary concentration that encourages students to develop a focus on either gender or sexuality while working to explore the connections between these areas of study. In recognition of the program's institutional roots in the women's studies program at Harvard, WGS also continues to afford students an opportunity to study various aspects of women's lives, including gendered inequalities.

Given the richness of scholarship on gender and sexuality, the concentration has designed its curriculum to combine a broad interdisciplinary perspective with a rigorous grounding in theory and methodology. WGS 1000 introduces students to a variety of approaches to the study of gender, sexuality, and culture. All concentrators are required to take WGS 97 (Sophomore Tutorial) to familiarize them with foundational texts on sexuality and gender. WGS 98r (Junior Tutorial) and WGS 99a/b (Senior Tutorial) complete the tutorial sequence. Full concentrators must enroll in two of the following three foundation courses: WGS 1001 (feminist theory), WGS 1002 (methodology), and WGS 1003 (theories of sexuality). Joint concentrators are required to take one of these courses.

In addition to WGS courses, concentrators may take departmental courses cross-listed with WGS, with a view toward designing individual programs. In the junior year, with the help of their advisers, students define a specific subject or set of issues around which to focus their junior and senior essays. All students are required to write a thesis in the senior year. Junior concentrators take a WGS 1400+ course, a one-term upper-level seminar in WGS, and WGS 98r, a one-term individual tutorial leading to the junior essay. Seniors, in addition to writing a substantial honors essay, take a general oral examination.

In principle, the concentration is structured to provide students with a broad interdisciplinary background that becomes more focused as the student develops specific competencies within a single discipline or interdisciplinary area (referred to as the "Individual Plan of Concentration"). Departmental courses in which the study of women, gender, or sexuality is not the exclusive or even a major focus, but which supply a necessary context or foundation for a particular program of study, may count for concentration credit. (All individual plans of concentration require the approval of the Director of Studies.)

Students may apply by submitting a written statement explaining their interest in the program. In addition, the Director of Studies may interview students and review their previous academic records. Application materials are available in the WGS main office and on our website: www.fas.harvard.edu/wgs.

Students may combine WGS with another concentration; specific guidelines for required courses may be obtained from the Directors of Studies. In all cases, students will take WGS 97, WGS 1001, 1002, or 1003, and appropriate advanced courses. The senior thesis will deal with a WGS-related topic.

Further information is available in The Concentration in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Handbook and on our website: www.fas.harvard.edu/wgs. Students may also consult the Guide to Gender-Related Courses, Programs, and Other Resources.

REQUIREMENTS 13 half-courses

1. Required courses:
1. Choose two from WGS 1001, 1002, or 1003.
2. WGS 97 (one term), 98r (one term); 99a and 99b (see item 2).
3. Any WGS course numbered 1400+ or substituted course by permission of the Director of Studies.
4. Five half-courses within a specific discipline or group of related disciplines within the humanities or social sciences. Concentration credit will be granted for courses that provide context, methodological or theoretical training, or promote the investigation of a student's special area of interest. Certain Core courses may be counted toward the concentration.
5. One half-course listed or cross-listed under WGS in disciplines outside the division of principal emphasis (e.g., a student specializing in the humanities must take one half-course in the social sciences or the natural sciences).
2. Tutorials:
1. Sophomore year: WGS 97. Letter-graded.
2. Junior year: WGS 98r (one term) required. Letter-graded. A 20-25 page junior essay is required.
3. Senior year: WGS 99a and 99b, the writing of the senior thesis. Graded SAT/UNS. In order for a student to receive a grade of SAT for the fall term, a substantial part of the thesis work must be submitted by the end of the term.
3. Thesis: Required of all concentrators.
4. General Examination: Required. Each concentrator takes an individually tailored oral general examination at the end of the senior year.

Joint Concentration

WGS can be combined with a range of other concentrations including African and African American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, English, Environmental Science and Public Policy, Government, History, History and Literature, History and Science, Literature, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Romance Languages, Social Studies, Sociology, and Visual and Environmental Studies.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality as the Primary Field 8 half-courses

1. Required courses:
1. WGS 1001, 1002, or 1003.
2. WGS 97.
3. WGS 98r.
4. WGS 99a and 99b.
5. Any WGS half-course numbered 1400+ or substituted course by permission of the Director of Studies.
6. Two half-courses within division(s) of focus.
2. For Tutorials, Thesis, and General Examination information, please see 2, 3, and 4 above.

Another Field as the Primary Field 5 half-courses

1. Required courses:
1. WGS 1001, 1002, or 1003.
2. WGS 97.
3. WGS 98r.
4. Any WGS half-course numbered 1400+ or substituted course by permission of the Director of Studies.
5. One additional half-course in WGS.
2. For Tutorials, Thesis, and General Examination information, please see 2, 3, and 4 above.

ADVISING

Each student meets regularly with the Director or Assistant Director of Studies for advising.

RESOURCES

The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America is the leading research library in the field. The library holds more than 35,000 volumes, 800 collections of personal and organizational papers, 50,000 photographs, oral histories, videotapes, and other historical materials. The library collects information on women's rights, suffrage, social welfare and reform, pioneers in the professions, and the family. Carol J. Pforzheimer Student Fellowships are awarded annually to undergraduates to use the resources of the library.

The Henry A. Murray Research Archive is a multidisciplinary research center whose focus is the study of lives over time. It is also a national archive for social science data on human development and social change, especially data that illuminate women's lives and issues of concern to women. Students and researchers at all levels, from undergraduates to scholars, use the center's resources. These include studies of family life, careers, psychological development, political participation, and mental health.

STUDY ABROAD

With good planning, a term abroad or out of residence can be a very meaningful educational experience. In the past our concentrators have spent terms taking courses in countries such as Kenya, Australia, Spain, and France. Most concentrators who go abroad to study do so in the fall term of junior year, which allows them to return to campus in time to take Junior Tutorial (98r) the following spring. Concentrators who wish to study abroad during the spring term of junior year must make special arrangements to complete Junior Tutorial a term early (i.e., in the fall of junior year). If you are a concentrator considering a term abroad, please consult your concentration adviser and the study out of residence adviser as soon as possible. Plans for study out of residence must be approved by the university significantly in advance of the term in which a student plans to be away.

HOW TO FIND OUT MORE

For further information, contact the main office at (617-495-9199) or via email at wgs@fas.harvard.edu. The office of the Committee on Degrees in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality is located at Warren House, 12 Quincy Street. A handbook describing the concentration, a list of current course offerings, and application materials are available from the office.

ENROLLMENT STATISTICS

Number of Concentrators as of November