Choosing a Major and Minor

General Options and Requirements Choosing a Second Major in WS Specific Course and Credit Requirements

WOMEN'S STUDIES MAJOR AND MINOR

The Women's Studies Major requires 36 hours of selected interdisciplinary courses, and must be earned in conjunction with another major in any College or School within the university. The major exists in concert with the educational mission of Marquette University-the search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence, the promotion of a life of faith, and the development of leadership expressed in service to others. Courses in this program explore and analyze the socioeconomic, political, and cultural experiences of women, minorities, and others defined by gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, class, cultural or religious beliefs, and physical and psychological abilities. The Women's Studies minor requires 21 hours and also examines the individual and collective experiences of women. The Women's Studies major is compatible with any other major, although many of our students have traditionally been double majors in English, Psychology, History, Communications, and Biology (pre-med), and pre-Law. Courses in this program are offered in the College of Arts and Sciences, Nursing, Communication, and include literature, history, theology, social sciences, and philosophy. The schedule of classes lists all courses in the major offered during the semester. Courses can be arranged to overlap with students' other requirements if they begin the major early, before completing core curriculum requirements (18 credits can overlap with core requirements). Students who major or minor in Women's Studies take ARSC 140 to acquaint them with interdisciplinary scholarship on the interlocking hierarchies of power and resistance that shape gender and cultural differences. This course is open to all students, and enrollment does not commit students to the full major or minor. Students considering the Women's Studies major or minor should take this course in their first or second year in order to be able to approach their chosen departmental courses with a rigorous analytical perspective. Some recent graduates with a Women's Studies major have entered graduate and professional schools. Others work in business, government, social services, schools and museums.

Choose a Second Major in Women's Studies

Critically examine the place of women in human culture and society. Courses in women's studies investigate neglected material, raise new questions, and re-evaluate the traditional focus of many disciplines. We pose fundamental questions about gender relations and explore ways in which gender-based divisions affect the growth of women and men. Women's studies courses explore topics such as: the origin of traditional and non-traditional sex roles the economic and historical position of women women's contribution to the arts philosophical and religious attitudes towards women, and the inter-relationships among gender, race, class and sexuality. Students in women's studies benefit from the new feminist scholarship, which is changing conventional ideas and theories in fields as diverse as literature, history, anthropology, sociology, biology, and psychology.

The Major The Women's Studies major requires 36 credit hours (18 of which  may fill core curriculum requirements). The Women's Study major must be taken in conjunction with another major.  Background requirement: ARSC 140.  At least three courses from each of the following two areas: Humanities ENGL 178, 185, 186  FOLA 148  HIST 123, 152, 196*, 197*  PHIL 143, 190*  THEO 129  CMST 196* Social/Behavioral Sciences ANTH 130 (SOCI 198)  CRLS 167  POSC 119, 196*  PSYC 165, 166  SOCI 021, 162, 166 At least two elective courses:  JOUR 167  CMST 137, 159  HEAL 122 These are special topics courses that should be focused on areas pertinent to Women's Studies.

The Minor The Women's Studies minor requires 21 credit hours. The seven courses should include ARSC 140, and at least two courses from each of the following areas: Social/Behavioral Sciences, Humanities, and Electives (selections listed under "The Major").