Courses

The Department of Gender and Women's Studies at Western Michigan University offers a diverse array of courses.

Gender and Women's Studies courses

Upcoming course offerings for students pursuing a gender and women's studies major or minor:


Spring 2021 classes

  •  GWS 1000    Media And The Sexes

  • GWS 2000     Intro Gender & Women's Studies

  • GWS 2010    LGBT Studies

  • GWS 3200    Women, Global & Social Change

  • GWS 3400    Race, Gender and Science

  • GWS 3480    Gender & Plastic Bodies

  • GWS 3500    Psych Perspectives on Gender

  • GWS 3700    Queer History

  • GWS 3700    Women Writers Contemporary Black Lit

  • GWS 3700 / LANG 3750    Gender in Chinese Lit

  • GWS 3700 / ENGL 3170    Stories of the Other

  • GWS 4100    Constructing Girls in Media

  • GWS 4100 / PSCI 4210    Gender and Law

  • GWS 5980    Readings in Women's Studies

  • GWS 4400    Internship (contact department)

  • GWS 4980/5980    Independent Study (contact department)

Summer I & II classes

  • GWS 1000    Media and The Sexes

  • GWS 2000    Intro Gender & Women's Studies

  • GWS 3200    Women, Global & Social Change

  • GWS 3400    Race, Gender and Science

  • GWS 3480    Gender & Plastic Bodies

  • GWS 4400    Internship (contact department)

  • GWS 4980/5980    Independent Study (contact department)



WMU courses

WMU course offerings provides a full listing of course offerings organized by department and semester.

view course offerings

WMU course catalog

WMU's course catalog allows you to explore undergraduate programs and view course descriptions.

View course catalog

General education and essential studies 

Students in catalog years up to and including 2019-20 will need to follow the general education guidelines, and those starting in 2020-21 will be adhering to essential studies guidelines.

GENERAL EDUCATION           ESSENTIAL STUDIES


Special topics

The department offers variable topics courses at the 3000- and 4000-level, all of which count toward the GWS major and minor. Graduate students sometimes enroll in topics courses under GWS 5980: Readings in Gender and Women's Studies. Contact the department for more information.


GWS 3700: Special Topics

 Recent topics have included women of color in media; witch and princess stories; gender and sexuality in modern China; and queer history.


GWS 4100: Special Topics

 Recent offerings have included narratives of queerness; gender and law; race, class, motherhood; black feminisms.