WGS Minor
The WGS minor provides a thorough education in feminist thought and theory. The minor in Women's and Gender Studies has many uses. Students who complete the minor understand how social, historical and psychological forces, organized by the central concept of gender, shape individual human experience and drive larger social dynamics. They acquire the skills necessary to understand the complex ways in which gender intersects with every level of human experience: societal, personal, scientific, political, economic, and aesthetic. WGS minors ultimately gain the capacity to transfer the critical abilities they acquire in WGS to other classes, beyond the Cal Poly campus to other activities, and eventually to professional careers.
As illustrated by our courses (listed below), the WGS minor combines core courses and electives to provide students with a foundation in feminist scholarship that is both focused and interdisciplinary.
The minor consists of a total of 28 units: 20 units of Core courses and 8 units of Electives. Core courses in the minor emphasize fundamental concepts of feminist scholarship. See Tables 1 and 2 below for core courses. Electives are offered in nine departments and programs. See Table 3 below for elective courses. For course descriptions, prerequisites and GE requirement information, please refer to the Cal Poly Catalog 
. Please note that we are using a new "WGS" prefix for our courses even though the current catalog lists WGS courses using the "WS" prefix. The next catalog will list all WGS courses as we do below, using the "WGS" prefix.
Please consult our Course Offerings page for a list of tentative course offerings for the current academic year.
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WGS 301 | Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (GE D5, USCP) REQUIRED |
| WGS 450 | Feminist Theory (USCP) REQUIRED |
Minors must take WGS 301, WGS 450, and choose three courses from Table 2 (below) to complete the core requirement of the WGS minor. Note that the courses listed in Table 2 can also serve as elective courses. That is, while minors must take at least three of the courses from Table 2 for core requirements, they may also take other courses listed in Table 2 as electives toward the minor.
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WGS/SOC 311 | Sociology of Gender |
| WGS/PSY 314 | Psychology of Women |
| WGS 320 | Women in Global Perspectives (GE D5) |
| WGS 340 | Sexuality Studies (GE D5) |
| WGS/ES 350 | Gender, Race, Science and Technology (GE F, USCP) |
| WGS/RELS 370 | Religion, Gender and Society (GE C4, USCP) |
| WGS 401 | Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies |
| WGS/HIST 435 | American Women's History from 1870 (USCP) |
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| COMS 421 | Gender and Communication |
| ENGL 345 | Women Writers (GE C4, USCP) |
| ENGL 349 | Gender in Twentieth Century Literature (GE C4, USCP) |
| ENGL 382 | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Literature and Media |
| ENGL 439 | Significant British Writers: Gender in Medieval Literature |
| ENGL 449 | Significant American Writers: African American Women Writers |
| ENGL 459 | Significant World Writers: Literature and the Goddess |
| ENGL 469 | Women's Rhetoric(s): Definitions, Contexts, Issues |
| ENGL 495 | Topics in Applied Language Study: Language and Gender |
| ES 300 | Chicano/a Literature (GE C4, USCP) |
| ES 325 | Sex and Gender African American Communities (USCP) |
| GER 350 | German Literature in English Translation: Fräuleinwunder?! Women Writers in the 20th/21st Century |
| HIST 421 | The History of Prostitution |
| HIST 458 | Gender and Sexuality in Modern Europe |
| KINE 323 | Sport and Gender (GE D5, USCP) |
| MU 328 | Women in Music (GE C4) |
| PHIL 336 | Feminist Ethics, Gender, and Society (GE C4, USCP) |
| POLS 310 | Politics of Ethnicity and Gender (USCP) |
| POLS 457 | Politics of Reproductive Policy |
| SOC 351 | Women in East Asia |
| TH 310 | Women's Theatre (GE C4) |
| WGS/SOC 311 | Sociology of Gender |
| WGS/PSY 314 | Psychology of Women |
| WGS/ART 316 | Art History: Women as Subject and Object in Art History |
| WGS 320 | Women in Global Perspective (GE D5) |
| WGS 340 | Sexuality Studies (GE D5) |
| WGS/ES 350 | Gender, Race, Science and Technology (GE F, USCP) |
| WGS/RELS 370 | Religion, Gender and Society (GE C4, USCP) |
| WGS 400 | Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates |
| WGS 401 | Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies |
| WGS/HIST 435 | American Women's History from 1870 (USCP) |
