Mission and Vision

Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies is a field dedicated to scholarship and research that creates a critical dialogue on the production of knowledge about and related to all women, genders, and sexual orientations, and the application of such knowledge to social and political practices and processes. It is an academic field that incorporates disciplinary, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, multicultural, and/or global perspectives to advance the study and knowledge of women, gender, and sexuality. The program recognizes the integral connection between scholarship, activism, and teaching.

Students pursuing a major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies must complete a minimum of 120 semester credit hours; a total of 39 hours must be at the upper-division level. Students earning a minor in Women’s Studies are required to complete 18 semester credit hours; a total of 6 hours must be at the upper-division level. Internships and other experiential learning projects are also an integral part of the Women’s Studies Program.

C. Alejandra Elenes, Ph.D.

Contact

C. Alejandra Elenes, Ph.D.

Department Chair and Professor, Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies

alejandra.elenes@utsa.edu

Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program

B.A. in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies 

The major in Women’s Studies provides students with the opportunity to examine the social, historical, political, and cultural experiences of women and men from an interdisciplinary perspective. Emphasis on cross-disciplinary research methods enables students to pursue a theoretically-informed understanding of women and issues of gender and sexuality in diverse U.S. and global cultures and across time.

The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree, including the Core Curriculum requirements, is 120. Thirty-nine of the total semester credit hours required for the degree must be at the upper-division level.

Minor in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies 

All students pursuing a Minor in Women’s Studies (WS) must complete 18 semester credit hours (6 of which must be upper-division, 3000-4000 level).

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Honors in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies 

Students whose grade point average in Women's Studies major coursework before the start of their final year at UTSA is 3.25 or above, and whose overall grade point average is 3.00, may earn Honors in Women's Studies. Students must complete 6 semester credit hours of WS 4993 Honors Thesis, complete a substantial research paper approved by the Women's Studies Program Scholarship and Honors Committee, and maintain a 3.25 grade point average in the major. The grade point average requirements apply to all transfer work and all courses taken at UTSA. Students are advised to consult the Undergraduate Advisor of Record for the Women's Studies Program regarding requirements and appropriate deadlines.

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