Program Overview

Introduction to the Program

The University of British Columbia Okanagan campus offers a dynamic program in Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies, allowing students to develop integrative and finely-tuned perspectives on how gender and sexuality are central components of everyday life.

Program Overview

The program draws from across the humanities, social sciences, and cultural studies, exploring subjects such as experiences of embodiment and social recognition, histories of modernity and domination, global, social, and economic processes, cultural production and systems of representation, and social justice movements.

Degree Options

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) with a major in Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies
• Minor in Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies

Sample Courses

The following are examples of courses that can be enrolled in during the studies:

• Year 1:
  • GWST 100 - Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Power I: An Introduction
  • GWST 110 - Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Power II: Everyday Life
• Year 2:
  • GWST 215 - Gender and Popular Culture
  • GWST 216 - Critical Foundations: Feminism and Difference
  • GWST 223 - Critical Sexuality Studies
  • ANTH 205 - Gender, Sexuality, and the Body
  • SOCI 217 - Introduction to Sociology of Gender
• Year 3:
  • GWST 323 - Feminist Epistemologies: Gender, Science, and Knowledge
  • GWST 334 - Feminist Research Methodologies
  • GWST 335 - Feminist Theory in the Humanities
  • PHIL 373 - Feminist Philosophy
• Year 4:
  • GWST 419 - Gender, Dress, and Fashion: Histories and Theories
  • GWST 423 - Trans-(Gender) Feminisms
  • GWST 425 - Feminist Geographies of (Un)Belonging
  • GWST 429 - Sexuality and Space
  • GWST 430 - Femininities

Careers and Outcomes

Graduates of the program will have the skills to pursue a career in a variety of fields, including:

• Advocate
• Arts administrator
• Campaign organizer
• Civil servant
• Communications officer
• Community service worker
• Constituency assistant
• Consumer researcher
• Editor
• Equity policy analyst
• Equity educator
• Event coordinator
• Filmmaker
• First Nations Band project coordinator
• Fundraiser/development officer
• Gender development specialist
• Gender & women’s health researcher
• Gender & women’s services coordinator
• Government relations advisor
• Grant writer
• Hotline operator
• Housing or poverty analyst
• Human resources professional
• Impact assessment officer
• Investigative journalist
• Job coach/retention worker
• LBGTQ centre worker
• Law enforcement
• Legislative assistant
• Lobbyist/organizer
• Multiculturalism educator
• Non-profit worker
• Policy analyst
• Project manager
• Public administrator
• Public outreach coordinator
• Public relations advisor
• Publishing assistant
• Reproductive health support worker
• Settlement worker
• Strategic planner
• Women’s shelter worker

Experiential Learning

The program offers opportunities for experiential learning, including studying abroad, conducting meaningful research, or working in the community with UBC colleagues. Students can also complete directed studies, where they will conduct independent research and readings, culminating in a major term paper.

Global and Close-Knit

At UBC Okanagan, students gain all the benefits of attending a globally ranked, top 3% university while studying in a close-knit learning community. The Okanagan campus borders the dynamic city of Kelowna, a hub of economic development with a population of more than 150,000 people.

Related Programs

• Cultural Studies
• Sociology