Program Overview

Introduction to Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

The Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies program at Georgia State University contributes to the university's broader mission of encouraging critical thinking through a focus on feminist and womanist interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching, and community participation.

Graduate Program Overview

The M.A. program and Graduate Certificate in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies are path-breaking interdisciplinary approaches to the study of gender, sexuality, race, and class. The program interrogates and envisions alternatives to social structures, institutions, ideologies, and perceptions of gender in traditional academic disciplines.

Areas of Concentration

The program has three interrelated areas of concentration:

• Globalization
• Sexuality studies
• Social change

Research Areas

Faculty research projects include:

• Institutionalization of feminism and Women's Studies in post-dictatorship Chile
• Sexuality and gender within folk narratives and mass media representations of ghosts and spirits in Thailand
• Sexuality and gender within the African Diaspora

Curriculum

The sexuality studies curriculum stands out in its emphasis on race, ethnicity, and globalization, with a strong emphasis on queer theory and LGBTQ studies, as well as the theory and practice of activism and the study of gender and class.

Graduate Student Background

Graduate students come from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, including:

• Humanities (such as English and history)
• Social sciences (such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology)
• Professional fields (such as social work and education)

Thesis Options

Students may complete one of three different kinds of theses:

• Research Thesis: an originally researched topic that contributes to a new area of WGSS scholarship
• Creative Thesis: a creative project accompanied by a detailed, documented essay situating it within a women's, gender, and sexuality studies framework
• Action Research Thesis: an internship with a local social justice-oriented organization or other approved form of community and/or activist engagement, accompanied by a detailed, documented essay

Examples of Thesis Projects

• Research Thesis: Queer Feelings, Political Potential: Tracing Affect in Performance Spaces
• Creative Thesis: A Story of One's Own: Creative Narratives about Muslim Women in Turkey
• Action Research Thesis: A Feminist Action Research Project: Creating a Practical Support Program for the Georgia Reproductive Justice Access Network

Course Offerings

Courses are offered in the following areas:

Globalization

• Gender and Globalization
• Gender and Sexuality in the African Diaspora
• Gender, War, and Militarism in/and the Middle East
• Sexuality and Gender in Asia
• Africana Women and Sociopolitical Change

Sexuality Studies

• Feminism and Queer Theory
• Feminism and Foucault
• Youth and Sexualities
• Thinking the Body
• Sexuality and Nationalism
• Gender and Sexuality in the African Diaspora

Social Change

• Activism: History and Theory
• Class Matters
• Gender and Sexuality in the African Diaspora
• Black Feminist Thought

Degree Options

Graduate students can earn either an M.A. in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies or a Graduate Certificate in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.