Changes for 2023-24

In 2023-24 the core course SWAG 100 Construction of Gender will not be offered. Instead any of the following four courses will fulfill this requirement:

  1. HIST/SWAG 158 Asian American History: 1800-Present (Fall 2023)
  2. HIST/SWAG 162 History of Sexuality in the U.S. (Fall 2023)
  3. SWAG 101 Intro to Queer/Trans Studies (Spring 2024)
  4. BLST/SWAG 117 Race, Difference, and the American Imagination (Spring 2024)

In 2023-24 either of the following courses will fulfill the SWAG 200 core course requirement:

  1. SWAG 200 Theories in Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies (Spring 2024)
  2. BLST/SWAG 301 Queer of Color Critique: Theory and Practice (Spring 2024)

Required Courses

Students interested in a SWAGS major need to complete a total of nine courses, three of which are core courses. The three core courses are:

  1. SWAG 100 The Cross-Cultural Construction of Gender
  2. SWAG 200 Feminist Theory (renamed "SWAGS Theory" effective Spring 2024)
  3. SWAG 400 Contemporary Debates

SWAG 100 introduces students to issues involved in the social and historical construction of gender identities and roles from a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective. Topics, which change from year-to-year, have included gender and sexuality; the uses and limits of biology in explaining gender differences; women’s participation in production and reproduction; the intertwining of gender, race, nationality, and class in explaining oppression and resistance; women, men and globalization; and gender and warfare.

For the 2021-2022 academic year, the SWAGS Department will accept SWAG-160 / POSC-160 Sexualities in International Relations or SWAG-163 / HIST-163 LGBTQ History in Popular Culture in place of the SWAG-100 The Cross-Cultural Construction of Gender requirement for the major.

SWAG 200 investigates contemporary feminist thought from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. It focuses on key issues in feminist theory, such as the sex/gender debate, sexual desire and the body, the political economy of gender, the creation of the "queer" as subject, and the construction of masculinity, among others. This course aims also to think through the ways in which these concerns intersect with issues of race, class, the environment, and the nation.

SWAG 400 is a research seminar, which culminates in a final research paper. The topic of this course will vary from year to year. Students who have taken this seminar in the past may take it again if the topic is different.

The remaining six electives required to complete the major may be chosen from courses offered by the Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies Department or from the list of related courses below:

Related Courses

External Courses

An external course is any course that is NOT cross-listed in the Amherst College SWAGS Department, nor listed as a related course, at the time of the student’s enrollment in the course.

External courses, such as courses outside our department and at other colleges and universities, including study away programs, that address sexuality, women and/or gender, may be counted toward the major. A student who wishes to count an external course towards their SWAGS major must consult with their SWAGS advisor and provide their advisor with a course description and syllabus of the external course. If a current syllabus is not available, a syllabus from a previous iteration of the course will suffice. At the advisor’s discretion, the advisor may also ask the student to provide copies of the student’s assignments from the external course (e.g. research paper, essay, final project etc.). If at least 50% or more of the external course addresses women, gender or sexuality, then the advisor can approve the course counting towards the student’s SWAGS major. Copies of all documents should be shared with the ADC to update the department’s records.

Starting with students entering in Fall 2015, up to 3 of the 9 courses that are required for the major may be taken outside the SWAGS Department.

Double Majoring

Courses counting towards the SWAGS major may NOT be counted towards another major.

Course Taken Pass/Fail

Students should petition the chair of the SWAGS department if they wish to count an FGO or Pass/Fail course towards the major. In the petition the student should explain why they took the course pass/fail and why they are unable to take another course for a grade to fulfill the SWAGS major requirements. A student may take no more than one course FGO (or Pass/Fail) towards the major.

For courses taken in Spring 2020, the SWAGS Department will accept courses toward the major for which students have earned a grade of Pass.

Comprehensive Requirement

The comprehensive requirement of the major will be met by completing the nine required courses. [Updated 5/24/2022]