HIDE ANNOUNCEMENT

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS)

BA Major, Minor

professor gives a book talk

As a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major at Emory, you’ll explore complex social, cultural, and political structures within an intellectually rigorous, yet supportive environment.

Our interdisciplinary program addresses the roles of women, gender, and sexuality thorough the lens of history, sociology and psychology. You’ll hone your abilities to think critically and analytically, recognize and confront injustices, and use data to lead change and make a positive impact on your community.

Outcomes

A degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies provides an exceptional foundation for meaningful careers in a wide variety of fields, including public health, advocacy, education, community development, journalism, human resources, management, law, and politics.

Recent graduates work at the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the American Political Science Association, the Social Science Research Council, Grady Memorial Hospital, Littler Mendelson Law Firm, and the Peace Corps.

Examples of Classes

Anthropology of Gender

All cultures identify and mark differences in gender, however, there is incredible diversity in the ways they do so. In this course, explore the ways people from different times and communities imagine, practice, experience, challenge, and impose ideas of gender and sexuality.

Gender Trouble

Discuss how sex, gender, and power intersect with issues of race, class, sexuality, and more. Drawing from feminist and queer scholarship, track historical perspectives on sex and gender to contemporary discussions regarding identities, the treatment of intersex bodies, and the design and development of new reproductive technologies.

Love-Sex-Desire

Through carefully selected readings, learn about the history of love, sex, and desire, to shed light on the socially-constructed nature of ideologies. Focus especially on such dyads as Madonna/whore; healthy/perverse; genital/non-genital; infantile/adult; love/hate; civilized/uncivilized.

Research in WGSS

Carly Moore video

Lives mean more than a few words on a register

Carly Moore 18C, WGSS and philosophy double major visited the National Archives to research cases of women admitted to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital between 18551941 with the diagnosis of hysteria.

“As an attorney, I am motivated to advocate for the underdog. My studies at Emory affirmed and re-enforced the idea that being a minority or "on the fringe" can be a position of strength and that defending difference is a worthy lifelong fight.”

Laurie Speed 96C Women's Studies and English double major