To declare a major in WGS, fill out the Major Declaration Form and submit it to the registrar’s office. To declare a minor or concentration in WGS, fill out the Minor & Concentration Form and submit it to the registrar’s office.
Both forms will also require an advisor’s signature.
There are many ways to go about finding an advisor in WGS. You might think about asking a faculty member you have taken classes with before, or find a faculty member who shares a common research interest. If you are still unsure, you could talk with the director of the program you are in for more information about faculty members who might be a good fit as your advisor.
To complete a capstone in your program, you can take an existing capstone course and focus your final project/paper on a topic related to your program. You can also work with faculty member affiliated with your program on a directed study (paper or project), or you can do an honors thesis or an internship under the supervision of an affiliated faculty member.
In order to do a directed study, you will first need a faculty advisor. Think about asking a faculty member who you have a good relationship with, or someone whose area of research aligns with the intended topic for your directed study.
Students will design an area of specialization in consultation with their adviser. This is an opportunity to tailor the program to your professional goals and personal interests. There are a variety of areas that students can specialize in. One example is a specialization around the theme of Sexuality and Gender. Courses you might take that fall under this umbrella include Human Sexuality (PSYC 143), History of Sexuality (HIST 212), Sexuality and Human Rights (CMLT 233), Textuality and Sexuality (CMLT 132), and the Psychology of Sexual Orientation (PSYC 254) and others.
New courses are frequently added to the growing list of WGS-attributed courses. This happens especially frequently with special topics classes that previously may not have aligned with WGS but now do because of a change in topic. If you are taking or have taken a course that did not carry an attribute for your program but the content was relevant to Women’s and Gender Studies, talk to your faculty advisor.