Overview

The SWAGS Major is designed to give students a comprehensive understanding of gender and sexuality from a historical, political and global perspective. Our courses range from the introductory analysis of gender and sex as categories of difference to more complex and advanced courses that consider such questions as gender and sexual  expression, political rights and repression, and feminist science and technology studies and so on, from a specific disciplinary perspective. Some of our courses have “recommended” requisites; most do not have prerequisites. While there is not a set order in which you must take our courses, we do have some recommendations that will help you get the most out of your major.

Core Courses

Our three core courses are typically offered once a year: SWAG 100 The Cross-Cultural Construction of Gender is usually offered in the fall semester and SWAG 200 Theories in Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies (formerly called "Feminist Theory") is usually offered in the spring semester. SWAG 400 Contemporary Debates is offered once a year in the fall or the spring depending on faculty leave schedules and other department needs.

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

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

Also for 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-301 / SWAG-301 Queer of Color Critique: Theory and Practice (Spring 2024)

Recommended Pathway

We recommend that you complete the SWAG 100 and SWAG 200 requirements by the end of your sophomore year. SWAG 400 can be taken during your junior or senior year. If you are thinking of doing an honors thesis in SWAGS, then it would be helpful to take SWAG 400 during your junior year as the research component is good preparation for thesis work. Electives can be distributed evenly over your semesters; most of the time you would only need to take one SWAGS course per semester.