Gender Studies Major/Minor Requirements

Gender Studies at Lawrence University transforms how you see yourself and the world around you. 

Our courses facilitate inquiry into how power shapes everything from interpersonal relations to global economic structures. This inquiry occurs along the intersections of gender, race, class, sexuality, nationality, ability, religion, and age. Our multidisciplinary approach draws on methods across such fields as psychology, biology, history, anthropology, and art. Our courses engage with topics including the psychology of identity, human reproduction, gender roles in the family and society, productive and reproductive labor, and representations of gender and sexuality in literature, culture, music, and visual art. As a Gender Studies student at Lawrence, you will engage in critical thinking, activism, in-depth discussion, and research. The coursework in gender studies culminates in a substantial academic project that brings theory into practice, such as filmmaking, poetry, community organizing, exhibitions, and papers.    

Gender Studies majors have pursued careers in such diverse fields as social and community service, law, education, healthcare, and museums. The interdisciplinary approach to gender studies at Lawrence will help you cultivate agility and prepare for various occupations in an ever-changing job market and political landscape. 

Students who major in gender studies will be able to describe scholarly debates over definitions of gender and explain the culturally constructed nature of gender. They will articulate a variety of disciplinary perspectives on gender, demonstrate familiarity with a range of theoretical models and methods in gender studies, and apply one or more of these to an original scholarly inquiry, a community or activist initiative, or creative project.

The major in gender studies requires:

1. Two core courses:
   1. GEST 100 Introduction to Gender Studies
   2. GEST 240 Methods in Gender Studies
2. Either GEST 300 Queer Theory or GEST 301 Intersectional Feminist Theories
3. One course from ANTH/HIST category (GEST 110: Gender and Feminism in Historical Perspective or GEST 350: Anthropology of Gender)
4. One course from PSYC/BIOL category (GEST 180: The Biology of Human Reproduction or GEST 270: The Psychology of Gender)
5. Five additional 6-unit courses in (or cross-listed with) GEST; at least one must be at level 400 or above. A 600-level capstone course may count toward one of these five
6. A 600-level senior capstone project OR large project in a comparable course as a Senior Experience
   
   No more than 6 units of independent study may be substituted for one course

Students majoring in gender studies will enroll in GEST 600: Seminar in Gender Studies to complete their Senior Experience project, or they may enroll in a Senior Experience that is approved by the Gender Studies Advisory Committee.

The Senior Experience project should draw upon research, empirical data, or other work in Gender Studies that has been created or gathered by the student in a previous course (such as GEST 240), an independent study, field work, or an internship prior to taking the capstone seminar course. In spring of their junior year, students submit initial applications for their projects to receive feedback on their ideas and guidance for developing their projects. A proposal for Senior Experience based on that research, should be submitted to the Gender Studies faculty member who will be teaching the capstone seminar the term before the seminar begins.  The Senior Experience will culminate in a senior thesis about the project, and an oral presentation of the student's work. A variety of artistic or research projects, interdisciplinary projects, and projects based on social service or activist initiatives may be appropriate Senior Experiences but must be approved in consultation with the student's advisor and the Advisory Committee.

Students interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary capstone that integrates their interests in gender studies with another major or student teaching are strongly encouraged to consult with their advisors and relevant department chairs to plan and negotiate their overall Senior Experience as early as possible.

1. Two core courses:
   1. GEST 100 Introduction to Gender Studies
   2. GEST 240 Methods in Gender Studies
2. Either GEST 300 Queer Theory or GEST 301 Intersectional Feminist Theories
3. Three additional 6-unit courses  in (or cross-listed with) GEST:
   1. At least two of the courses must be 200-level or above
   2. Six units of independent study may be substituted for one course

Courses cross-listed in gender studies will count toward completion of the minor whether students register for them using the program's designation (GEST) or an individual department's designation.