Mar 28, 2024  
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2022-2023 
    
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Women’s and Gender Studies, B.A.


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Academic Degrees and Programs

Objectives


The mission of Women’s and Gender Studies at Loyola Marymount University is to engage students in a critical understanding of the complex ways gender shapes the world around them, particularly in relation to race, sexuality, class, and other social factors. Women’s and Gender Studies invites students to participate in a vibrant interdisciplinary program of study that places women at the center of traditional disciplines. It encourages the critical examination of academic fields such as the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and the arts, as well as the gendered assumptions that underwrite them. Further, Women’s and Gender Studies proposes not only that we ask different questions of academic disciplines from the perspective of women but also that we transform those fields and ways of knowing through the innovative theoretical tools and new methodologies that have been developed by feminist scholars and activists over the past thirty years. As a department committed to transformation through education, the mission of Women’s and Gender Studies is to call attention to the androcentric nature of society, propose alternatives and strategies that honor women’s human rights, and promote a vision of society where gender hierarchy, as well as other forms of social injustice, are eliminated. Grounded in feminist pedagogy, Women’s and Gender Studies courses provide students with a broad understanding of the asymmetry of gender relations within diverse historical and cultural contexts. Our mission is to foster a vigorous intellectual environment where students can develop their analytical thinking skills and conceptual tools for social change.

Women’s and Gender Studies Student Learning Outcomes


  • Students will be able to analyze the complex ways gender shapes the world, particularly in relation to race, sexuality, class, and other social factors.
  • Students will be able to evaluate how feminist theories and methodologies provide intellectual tools through which we can examine inequalities and argue for change.
  • Students will be able to express commitment to gender and social justice through an intersectional framework.
  • Students will be able to clearly articulate their ideas orally and in writing.
  • Students will gain information literacy skills.

Major Requirements


Upper Division Requirements: 24 semester hours


Required Upper Division Courses: 12 semester hours


Upper Division Options: 12 semester hours


Choose 8 semester hours (2 courses) from one of the following:

In addition, choose 4 semester hours (1 course) from any Women’s and Gender Studies upper division course.

At times a special studies course may be taken in lieu of one of the upper division electives. Please consult the Department for advice.

Total: 36 semester hours


Women’s and Gender Studies majors should have a minimum of a C (2.0) in all Women’s and Gender Studies classes.

Please note that cross-listed courses may have departmental prerequisites; consult departments for details.

Women’s and Gender Studies Model Four-Year Plan


The normal course load is 16 semester hours (4 classes). By following the model below, a student will complete all lower division core requirements by the end of the sophomore year as well as most major prerequisites. Note that core areas are suggested to provide a distribution of various disciplines every semester. Please be flexible implementing these suggestions, given your own interests and course availability. In four years, this plan meets all common graduation requirements.

Freshman Year


Fall Semester


Total: 13-16 semester hours

Spring Semester


Total: 13-16 semester hours

Sophomore Year


Fall Semester


Total: 13-16 semester hours

Spring Semester


  • University Core 3-4 semester hours
  • University Core 3-4 semester hours
  • Elective 3-4 semester hours
  • Elective 3-4 semester hours
Total: 12-16 semester hours

Junior Year


Fall Semester


  • 4 semester hours
  • or WGST Upper Division Required Elective 4 semester hours

  • WGST Upper Division Required Elective 4 semeter hours
  • University Core 3-4 semester hours
  • Upper Division Elective 3-4 semester hours
Total: 14-16 semester hours

Spring Semester


  • 4 semester hours
  • or WGST Upper Division Optional Elective 4 semester hours 

  • WGST Upper Division Required Elective 4 semester hours 

  • University Core 3-4 semester hours 

  • Upper Division Elective 3-4 semester hours 

Total: 14-16 semester hours

Senior Year


Fall Semester


Total: 13-16 semester hours

Spring Semester


Total: 13-16 semester hours

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Academic Degrees and Programs