Gender and Women’s Studies, Associate in Arts
The Gender and Women’s Studies Program is a dynamic multi-cultural course of study, investigating intersecting systems of gender and emphasizing the diversity of gender identities and experience. Courses provide comprehensive engagement with foundational elements of the discipline through examination of racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and sexual identities in gendered contexts of political, cultural, historical, and economic impact. Students learn to apply critical methods of intersectional feminist analysis in understanding the causes of social inequalities and social justice frameworks. The program offers a major and AA degree in Gender and Women’s Studies as well as courses that satisfy General Education requirements for MPC degree completion and transfer. Students graduating with an AA degree in Gender and Women’s Studies are thoroughly prepared for transfer to Baccalaureate degree programs in Gender and Women’s Studies in the UC system and more broadly and have acquired a basis of knowledge applicable to career pathways in a flexible range of professions.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Differentiate stratified access to social power and compare and contrast diverse impacts of gender systems and experiences of gender pertaining to socio-economic, racial, ethnic, and national identities and sexuality.
- Describe and apply frameworks, concepts, and methods fundamental to intersectional analysis and the discipline of Gender and Women’s Studies.
- Describe feminist movements, theoretical concepts, and goals for social change.
- Synthesize research and knowledge across disciplinary fields and integrate interdisciplinary perspectives central to Gender and Women’s Studies.
- Generalize, predict, and classify interactions among gendered systems and their impacts in the lives of diverse communities.
- Summarize specific gender justice issues, identify and evaluate solutions to improve social conditions related to gender.
- Characterize historical contexts and distinguish historical transitions and examples of social change.
Associate in Arts Degree Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core | ||
| GWOS 1 | Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies | 3 |
| GWOS 4 | Gender, Sexuality, and Popular Culture | 3 |
| List A: Core Electives | ||
| Select three courses from the following: | 9 | |
| Gender and Violence | ||
| Women of Color in the U.S. | ||
| Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies | ||
| Introduction to LGBTQ Global Literatures | ||
| Gender in Global Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Feminist Theory | ||
| List B: Electives | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
Any List A course not already selected | ||
| Sports and Social Justice | ||
| Gender in American Politics | ||
| Literature by and About Women | ||
| Women in United States History | ||
| TOTAL MAJOR UNITS | 18 | |
| Additional Requirements | 42 | |
| Complete Competency Requirements, general education pattern (MPC General Education, CSU General Education, or IGETC), and electives, if needed, for a total of 60 degree-applicable units. | ||
| Total Units | 60 | |
Please refer to the graduation requirements section of the Catalog for information about degree and certificate requirements including Reading and Writing, Mathematics, Information Competency, and General Education requirements.