Undergraduate
Women's and Gender Studies Program Minor
The Women's and Gender Studies Program is an interdisciplinary forum for the study of women's past and present position in society. The concept of gender relations is considered a primary factor in our understanding of women's roles in various institutions and societies. The Program analyzes the similarities and differences among women as a result of such factors as race, class, religion, and sexuality.
Boston College students may decide to minor in Women's and Gender Studies at any time prior to graduation, provided that the requisite scope and number of courses have been completed with satisfaction.
Required Courses
- ENGL 2125 Introduction to Feminisms
Cross-listed with HIST 2502, SOCY 2225. Minors are encouraged to take Introduction to Feminisms prior to taking other WGS electives.
- SOCY 5593 or COMM 4941 Advanced Topics
Always taken as a Senior during Spring semester
Electives
Four electives (12 or more credits) from a variety of departments are required and can be tailored to your own interests.
Guidelines
- No more than two electives (6 credits) can be courses within the same department.
Note: Many courses that count for the minor are cross-listed with other departments. To avoid having to select an alternative course, you can select the department from which you wish to register the course. For example, if you have three additional courses from the Sociology department, one may be cross-referenced with the Communications department; therefore, you would register for it as a COMM course rather than an SOCY course.
- Only one course can "double count" toward the WGS minor and another requirement (ex: core, major, or another minor). Five of the six courses, or 15 out of 18 credits, must only count toward the WGS minor. The Women's and Gender Studies program does not guarantee that one of our courses will satisfy any major/minor requirements in other departments. You are responsible for knowing whether or not your respective department will accept a WGS elective for major credit. Please contact gender@bc.edu if you have any questions or concerns.
Courses
Please visit the EagleApps Course Information and Schedule site for up-to-date course descriptions, faculty, meeting times, and room assignments.
Fall 2024
Undergraduate Required Courses
Undergraduate Elective Courses
1. In order to request that a course taken abroad substitute for a Women's and Gender Studies minor elective, you must provide the following:
- Syllabus for course taken abroad and/or course description
- Course reading list (if available)
- Printout of student course history as proof that you have taken and passed the course in question. This can be accessed through the Agora Portal.
2. Once these items have been prepared, contact gender@bc.edu to schedule a meeting with the WGS Program Director. The director will review the provided materials and work with you to determine whether or not the course will qualify for a BC course substitution. It is helpful to think about, prior to meeting, under what academic department the course most appropriately falls. If you have a BC-equivalent course in mind, this can expedite the process.
Please contact gender@bc.edu with any questions regarding the above procedures.
FAQ
You must complete six, 3-credit courses (or 18 credits) from the list of approved Women’s and Gender Studies Courses above. The two courses (or 6 credits) we require are Intro to Feminisms, which builds the foundation for your WGS minor, and Advanced Topics, which is offered in the Spring semester for graduating seniors. The remaining four courses (or 12 credits) are electives that may be taken from a variety of departments.
Please note that no more than two electives (or 6 credits) can be courses within the same department, and that only one course can “double count” toward the WGS minor and another requirement (ex: core, major, or another minor). You are also strongly recommended to take Intro to Feminisms prior to taking any WGS electives.
If you believe a course should count toward the minor (meaning, that it deals majorly with women’s, gender, or sexuality themes) but it is not listed, please email gender@bc.edu.
Any Boston College undergraduate student may apply for the Women’s and Gender Studies interdisciplinary minor in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.
You can register for the minor by filling out and submitting the Undergraduate Registration Form.
You may register at any time during the year and at any point during your program of study.
Yes, pending approval. If you have taken, or plan to take, a study abroad course that you believe might count towards the minor, email gender@bc.edu with a catalog course description and any other supporting documentation such as syllabi and reading lists which may assist in the approval process. Once the course has been approved, you will need to complete the OIP degree audit course substitution form for study abroad and bring the signed form(s) to Student Services in Lyons Hall.