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Women and Gender Studies

Overview Degrees/Certificates Courses

Women and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program that involves an interdisciplinary, multicultural, and transnational perspective of gender inequality. Based on the conviction that gender roles are socially constructed through time, the program employs perspectives from disciplines such as history, literature, philosophy, sociology, politics, and psychology to examine how gendered experiences are created and shaped by social and economic institutions, political movements, and individual experiences. The course of study centers on teaching students how to use feminist and social justice frameworks to analyze gender oppression within local, national, and global contexts. The program encourages an analysis of how race, class, sexuality, and nationality influence the construction of gender.

Degrees Offered

A.A. in Women and Gender Studies

Dean Dennis Lee
Department Chair Surangi Frazier
Phone (916) 558-2401
Email SCC-BSS@losrios.edu

Associate Degree

A.A. in Women and Gender Studies

Women and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program that involves an interdisciplinary, multicultural, and transnational perspective of gender inequality. Based on the conviction that gender roles are socially constructed through time, the program employs perspectives from disciplines such as history, literature, philosophy, sociology, politics, and psychology to examine how gendered experiences are created and shaped by social and economic institutions, political movements, and individual experiences. The course of study centers on teaching students how to use feminist and social justice frameworks to analyze gender oppression within local, national, and global contexts. The program encourages an intersectional analysis, recognizing how gender is co-constructed with other aspects of identity such as race, class, sexuality, age, ability, and nationality. Women and Gender Studies is inclusive of human rights related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2024

Degree Requirements

Course Code	Course Title	Units
WGS 300	Introduction to Women and Gender Studies	3
WGS 302	Global Women's Issues (3)	3
or SOC 345	Global Women's Issues (3)
A minimum of 12 units from the following:		12¹
ARTH 312	Women in Art (3)
ENGLT 360	Women in Literature (3)
ENGLT 401	Women in Film and Literature (3)
HIST 310	History of the United States (To 1877) (3)
or HIST 483	History of the United States - Honors (3)
HIST 311	History of the United States (1865 - Present) (3)
or HIST 484	History of the United States - Honors (3)
POLS 340	Women in Politics (3)
PSYC 356	Human Sexuality (3)
PSYC 360	Psychology of Women (3)
SOC 341	Sex and Gender in the U.S. (3)
SOC 343	Women and Social Action (3)
SOC 344	Sociology of Women's Health (3)
WGS 304	Women, Globalization, and Human Rights (3)
or SOC 347	Women, Globalization, and Human Rights (3)
Total Units:		18

¹Students must take the "Women's Emphasis" sections of HIST 310, HIST 311, HIST 483, and HIST 484. The "Women's Emphasis" courses are identified in the class schedule.

The Women and Gender Studies Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree may be obtained by completion of 60 transferable, semester units, including (a) the major or area of emphasis described in the Required Program, and (b) one of the following: the SCC General Education, the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

identify women’s activism and social movements that have contributed towards gender equality in the local, national, and global contexts.
explain the role of oppression and privilege in the lives of women from an intersectional perspective, considering the influence of race, class, ethnicity, age, ability, sexuality, and other aspects of identity.
identify, summarize, and apply a variety of feminist theories.
identify and discuss a range of gender issues, including motherhood, gender-based violence, reproductive justice, economic issues, marriage and relationships, political leadership, employment, and physical and mental health issues.
analyze issues of women and gender from an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and global perspective.
utilize feminist theories and strategies for social change to better understand one's place in the community and wider world and to inform participation in personal and collective actions to increase gender equality.
communicate effectively in writing.

Career Information

A degree in Women and Gender Studies provides students with an academically well-rounded knowledge base anchored in strong critical thinking skills, through the lens of feminism and social justice. Students who complete the Women and Gender Studies program develop skills that are attractive to many employers in the twenty-first century, including the ability to think critically, to be open-minded and innovative, and to handle the real-life complexities of the workplace. Students also bring to the workplace a specific awareness of issues such as sexism, racism, homophobia, and class oppression. Students who earn an A.A. degree in Women and Gender Studies may either pursue further study or obtain employment directly in fields such as health and social services, education, law, government and politics, communications, and business. Moreover, a Women and Gender Studies degree gives students the confidence to pursue nontraditional careers.

Women and Gender Studies (WGS) Courses

WGS 300 Introduction to Women and Gender Studies

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:ENGWR 300 or ESLW 340 with a grade of "C" or better
Transferable:CSU (Formerly approved for SOCSC 350.); UC (Approved for SOCSC 350 previously.)
General Education:AA/AS Area V(b); AA/AS Area III(b); CSU Area D; IGETC Area 4
C-ID:C-ID SJS 120
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course provides an interdisciplinary approach to introducing Women and Gender Studies and key theories, concepts, and issues of the field. The course will examine gender inequality from an intersectional perspective, emphasizing the interrelated circumstances that influence women’s status in popular culture, in the workforce, in the arts, before the law, in the family, and in other social, political, and economic realms of society. Students will strive to understand women’s diverse histories and experiences, while at the same time seeking to understand how their own histories have shaped who they are and how they view the world. Employing gender as a central category of analysis, the course will be inclusive of issues of oppression based on gender expression and sexuality. This course is inclusive of human rights related to sexual orientation and gender identity/LGBTQIA+ identities. Each student writes a minimum of 3,000 words.

WGS 302 Global Women's Issues

Same As:SOC 345
Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:ENGWR 300 or ESLW 340; and LIBR 318 with grades of "C" or better.
Transferable:CSU (Formerly approved for SOCSC 352); UC (Formerly approved for SOCSC 352)
General Education:AA/AS Area V(b); CSU Area D; IGETC Area 4
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

The course will consider the conditions of women’s lives from the perspectives of global and transnational feminism, examining issues such as immigration, girls’ education, maternal health, globalization, economics, war and conflict, gender-based violence, and political activism. Students will seek to understand women’s lives by connecting global data about the status of women to material consequences for individual women and local communities. Using gender as a theoretical category of analysis, the course will explore how gender inequality and oppression create disproportionate suffering and lack of opportunities for women and girls. Students will learn to ask critical questions about the complex and intersecting aspects of the oppression of women, as well as develop an understanding of the culturally situated, creative, and heroic ways women are standing up to gender oppression and shaping change within their local communities and nations. The study of women in the global context is inclusive of human rights related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Credit may be awarded for either WGS 302 or SOC 345 but not for both.

WGS 304 Women, Globalization, and Human Rights

Same As:SOC 347
Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:ENGWR 300 or ESLW 340; and LIBR 318 with grades of "C" or better.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area V(b); CSU Area D; IGETC Area 4
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

Through global and transnational feminist perspectives, this course provides an overview of human rights ideas and frameworks, including the history and ongoing implementation of United Nations conventions, treaties, and campaigns concerning women. The course will consider the complex and gendered social, economic, and political impacts of globalization on women and girls around the world. Students will learn to critically engage with theories, approaches, and representation related to improving the lives of women in the global context and will learn about key human rights defenders who are recognized for their activism. The study of women in the global context is inclusive of human rights related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Students will consider their own place in a globalized world and utilize course knowledge to think about their role in creating justice in the world. Credit may be awarded for either WGS 304 or SOC 347 but not for both.

WGS 499 Experimental Offering in Women and Gender Studies

Units:0.5 - 4
Prerequisite:None.
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This is the experimental courses description.