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Course Catalog

Department Website

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Chair: Sara Diaz
Associate Professors: S. Diaz, N. Rodriguez-Coss
Lecturer: A. Dame-Griff 

The department offers one major and one minor:

Major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 

Minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 

Gonzaga’s Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department is an inter- and multi- disciplinary program that employs critical feminist theories and methodologies to foster transformative understanding of the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and class among other socially defined identities. Using gender as a central analytic, we examine and question systems of power, inequality, and injustice and their role in shaping lived experiences of persons, locally, nationally, and transnationally. We foster an ethical and intellectual commitment to dismantle sexism, heterosexism, and other dimensions of intersecting oppressions such as racism and classism. Our faculty empower students to imagine a more just future and equip them with the tools to collectively enact it.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies offers stand-alone interdisciplinary courses and cross-listed elective courses in many different disciplines (Sociology, English, Philosophy, History, and many others). Faculty members trained in feminist scholarship and pedagogy teach WGST courses, and they seek to create a community of learners in which both professors and students take responsibility for the educational experience. Many courses use projects that invite students to put their knowledge to practical use solving problems, promoting social justice, lifting up the poor and vulnerable or otherwise serving the common good. 

Students studying WGST learn about a host of gender-based social inequalities as well as the history of feminist movements for justice. In particular, students will develop their ability to think critically, intersectionally, and transnationally about gender and power in relation to both theory and practice. The skills developed in WGST coursework are applicable to many careers. Gonzaga WGST graduates work in business, education, journalism, government, international development, law, public relations, social services, and research. WGST graduates have also entered graduate programs in art history, counseling, critical race and ethnic studies, literature, media studies, political science, social work, sociology, theology and women’s and gender studies.

The department offers a thirty-three credit major in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies which consists of a sequence of five, three-credit required courses, including a capstone. To encourage students to self-direct their study, elective options making up the remaining 18 credits may be chosen from our large list of cross-listed and standalone courses. With the exception of your theory course, a maximum of nine credits may be taken in any one discipline outside of WGST.

The department also offers a twenty-one credit minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. There are three required standalone courses. The remaining 12 credits may be chosen from our large list of cross-listed and standalone courses. With the exception of your theory course, a maximum of nine credits may be taken in any one discipline outside of WGST.

Major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: 33 credits

Lower Division

WGST100 Intro to WGST

3 credits

WGST 200 Gender, Difference, & Power

3 credits

Upper Division

WGST 300 Feminism & Intersectionality

3 credits

One of the following Theory courses:

3 credits

WGST 401 Feminist Political Thought

 

WGST 402 Feminist Geneaolgies

 

WGST 403 Crit Theory: Lit & Cltrl Stdy

Electives*

18 credits

WGST 499 Capstone

3 credits

*6 other 3 credit elective WGST classes (standalone or cross-listed) of the student's choice. With the exception of your theory course, a maximum of nine credits may be taken in any one discipline outside of WGST. 

Minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: 21 credits
Lower Division
WGST 100 Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 3 credits
200 or 300-level required course  
Select one of the following two courses
 3 credits
WGST 200 Gender, Difference, and Power
  
WGST 300 Feminism & Intersectionality 
  
Theory Course
  
Select one of the following theory courses:
 3 credits
WGST 401 Feminist Political Thought
  
WGST 402 Feminist Genealogies
  
WGST 403 Crit Theory: Lit & Cltrl Stdy
  
Electives^
 12 credits

 

 

^4 other 3 cr. elective WGST classes (standalone OR cross-listed) of the student's choice. With the exception of your theory course, a maximum of nine credits may be taken in any one discipline outside of WGST. 

 

 

Lower Division
WGST 100 Introduction to WGST
3.00 credits
This course introduces students to key concepts and foundational research that shapes the interdisciplinary study of women, gender, and sexuality in the contemporary moment. Students will use an intersectional lens to explore the social construction of gender and sexuality, hegemonic gender norms, and feminist movements.
WGST 193 FYS:
3.00 credits
The First-Year Seminar (FYS) introduces new Gonzaga students to the University, the Core Curriculum, and Gonzaga’s Jesuit mission and heritage. While the seminars will be taught by faculty with expertise in particular disciplines, topics will be addressed in a way that illustrates approaches and methods of different academic disciplines. The seminar format of the course highlights the participatory character of university life, emphasizing that learning is an active, collegial process.
WGST 200 Gender, Difference & Power
3.00 credits
In this course students will learn about how feminist interdisciplinary scholars study the construction and practice of gender in various contexts, with an emphasis on the intersections of gender, race, class, sexuality, nation, and disability. Students will deepen their knowledge of basic women, gender, and sexuality studies concepts and theories, and issues of interest in relation to family life, work, sexuality, health, militarism, immigration, globalization, the environment, and social change.
Equivalent:
WGST 202 - Taken before Fall 2023
WGST 205 Gender and Pop Culture
3.00 credits
In the digital media age popular culture saturates many aspects of everyday life. This course is a critical examination of the ways popular culture generates and shapes images of gender, race/-ethnicity, class, and sexuality. In order to understand how popular cultural shapes understandings of and attitudes towards gender, the course will pay special attention to the ways femininity and masculinity are represented and contested in multiple forms of commercial media and independent popular culture including music, film, television, print media, video games, news, sports, social media, and various "objects" of material culture, such as food, toys, and clothing. The course uses cultural studies methods to examine the production, meanings, and social uses of popular culture by multiple communities in local and global contexts.
WGST 219 Introduction to Literature
3.00 credits
This course introduces student to literacy study through the exploration of gender in the major genres of literature (poetry, fiction, and drama).
WGST 220 Studies in Literature & Gender
3.00 credits
This course examines gender issues in various literary texts. Course may focus on only one genre or may include several genres.
WGST 222 Multicultural Literature
3.00 credits
This course introduces students to the diverse nature of multicultural literature while helping them develop increasingly complex understandings of the continually evolving issues connected to national and international discourses on race and ethnicity, as well as gender and sexuality. We explore the ways in which literature contributes to the definition and redefinition of individual and collective identities from multiple perspectives.
WGST 251 Fem Interpr of Hebrew Bible
3.00 credits
This course introduces students to the Hebrew Bible with special attention given to texts dealing with women.
Equivalent:
RELI 203 - OK if taken since Fall 2020
WGST 252 Feminism and Christianity
3.00 credits
An introduction to the academic discipline of Christian theology, and the way in which the Christian community makes believing possible and meaningful for contemporary people of faith. Particular attention is given to the impact of feminist scholarship on the doing of Christian theology. Offered every other semester.
Equivalent:
RELI 234 - OK if taken since Fall 2022
WGST 255 Women in Catholicism
3.00 credits
The focus of this course is to examine the identity and mission of the church as an institution and a community of faith emerging from Vatican Council II. Feminist theology will provide the lens for examining the role of women in the church in both historical and contemporary situations.
Equivalent:
RELI 231 - OK if taken since Fall 2022
WGST 260 Sex, Gender, and Society
3.00 credits
This course is an introduction to the sociological study of gender. From the moment of birth (and sometimes even before birth) gender shapes how people are treated. Gender structures the experiences of people in all major social institutions, including the family, the workplace, and schools. Yet gender is so taken for granted as a basis for differences among people that it can be difficult to see the underlying social structures and cultural forces that reinforce or weaken the social boundaries that define gender. A sociological view of gender emphasizes how gender is socially constructed and how structural constraints limit choice. Thus, this course examines how differences based on gender are created and sustained; gendered experiences on campus and at work; and the relationship between gender, power, and social inequality. We will pay particular attention to how other important bases of personal identity and social inequality—race and class—interact with patterns of gender relations.
Equivalent:
SOCI 244 - OK if taken since Fall 2023
WGST 261 Sociology of Health & Medicine
3.00 credits
This course examines the social context of health, illness and health care. Particular attention will be paid to the effects of culture and social inequality on health, the interaction of various health care professionals, and political debates about the health care system.
Equivalent:
HEAL 201 - OK if taken since Fall 2023
SOCI 283 - OK if taken since Fall 2023
SOSJ 221 - OK if taken since Fall 2023
WGST 280 Special Topics
1.00- 3.00 credits
Topic to be determined by faculty.
Upper Division
WGST 300 Feminism and Intersectionality
3.00 credits
In this course students will learn about how the feminist framework of intersectionality is employed within the fields of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies to study a wide range of issues in the context of US imperialism. Specifically, students will study the interlocking nature of systems of oppression, including by not limited to racism, classism, and sexism, by applying intersectionality to the study of identities, institutions, and ideologies from a transnational feminist perspective. Pre-requisites: ANY 100 or 200 level WGST course, or by instructor permission.
WGST 304 Feminism and Science
3.00 credits
This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Feminist Science and Technology Studies. Students will learn what the field of FSTS has to say about various social justice issues, such as equity for women in science, the history of the science of human difference, how human values shape science in action for better or worse, and what feminism has to offer the scientific endeavor The course will explore a series of interrelated questions: How do scientific understandings of human difference (gender, race, sexuality, etc.) shape who participates in science, historically and in the present moment? What is the relationship between politics, culture, and science? What are some of the experiences of women and other minoritized people in science fields? How have the sciences been used to perpetuate injustice (war, environment, unethical human subjects, research)? Can the sciences be used to advance social Justice? How can feminism shape the culture and practice of science? And, what do the sciences have to offer feminist thought?
Equivalent:
HEAL 304 - OK if taken since Fall 2022
WGST 305 Transnational Feminisms
3.00 credits
This course explores key feminist debates from a global perspective focusing on collaborations and activist efforts across geographical and cultural borders. We will examine how those collaborations work to eradicate a variety of social inequalities targeting women and other historically marginalized groups. Among the issues to be discussed are reproductive rights, feminicides, sex trafficking, armed conflicts, and environmental protection.
WGST 327 Shakespeare
3.00 credits
Selected plays and poetry.
Equivalent:
ENGL 330 - OK if taken since Fall 2023
WGST 330 Women in U.S. History
3.00 credits
This course explores the history of American women from the colonial era to the present using a women and gender studies framework. The class investigates gender roles and the ways that race, class, politics, national origin, colonization, and the passage of time alter those expectations. This seminar style course investigates women’s economic and political lives and social contributions through suffrage, reform, civil rights, feminism, and more.
Equivalent:
HIST 363 - OK if taken since Fall 2023
WGST 331 Women in Colonial Latin Amer
3.00 credits
This course will investigate the lives of women in both the pre-contact and post-conquest societies. The first part of the course concentrates on the activities of women, and their role in society, among the Aztecs, Inca, and Pueblo civilizations. The course will follow with the study of their experiences after the Spanish Conquest. The final section of the course will cover the variety of women, ranging from wealthy Spanish women, established nuns, marginal mystics, Indian leaders, and African women, and their experiences in the Spanish colonies. Students will learn about and discuss the various gender systems which operated in different periods, and how these systems shaped women's lives as women shaped the systems themselves.
Equivalent:
HIST 384 - OK if taken since Fall 2017
WGST 340 Gender, Sexuality, & Politics
3.00 credits
Investigates the roles of gender and sexuality in American politics through examination of the wide array of goals, strategies, and tactics embraced by women and LGBTQ+ political movements as well as the agendas and actions of women and LGBTQ+ governmental actors. Special attention is paid to recognizing and understanding gender and sexuality-based distinctions in political participation, opinion formation, electoral success and representation. Spring semesters.
Equivalent:
POLS 322 - Successful completion
SOSJ 342 - OK if taken since Fall 2015
WGST 342 Global Gender Regimes
3.00 credits
Compares the lives of women around the world; their public and private roles and responsibilities, positions in government, the economy, and the private sphere. This course seeks to explain women's status differences in various regions and societies by looking at the influence of culture, religion, economics, and politics.
Equivalent:
INST 326 - Successful completion
POLS 363 - Successful completion
WGST 343 Constitutn Law,Civl Libty,Rgts
3.00 credits
A case-based examination of Supreme Court decisions treating aspects of the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment. These decisions cover topics such as freedom of speech, freedom of press, religious freedoms, the right to privacy, and questions of discrimination in its many forms including racial, sexual, and voting rights.
Equivalent:
POLS 303 - Successful completion
WGST 344 American Social Policy
3.00 credits
This course examines the origins, patterns, reforms, and criticisms of American social policy. Consideration of ties between knowledge and social policy, and the particular impact of education, health care, and welfare policies on women, children, different racial and ethnic groups, and the middle class. A review of normative claims for the proper role of the state and capitalism, as well as comparisons with other western, capitalist societies and their policy regimes. Upon sufficient demand.
Equivalent:
POLS 327 - Successful completion
WGST 350 Women Artists
3.00 credits
An introduction to women as creators of fine and decorative art within North America and Europe from the late 18th C. to today. The course also addresses how women have been represented in art by men and other women.
Equivalent:
VART 407 - OK if taken since Fall 2015
WGST 352 Psychology of Gender
3.00 credits
A review of both the theory and empirical literature investigating the psychology of gender (including biological cognitive, developmental, and psychosocial models).
Equivalent:
PSYC 416 - OK if taken since Fall 2009
WGST 353 Christian Sexual Ethics
3.00 credits
Explore Christian perspectives on the ethical dimensions of human sexuality and issues of gender. Offered every semester.
Equivalent:
CATH 357 - OK if taken since Fall 2024
RELI 376 - OK if taken since Fall 2023
WGST 354 Women in the Jewish Tradition
3.00 credits
This course examines the role of women in the sacred texts of the Jewish tradition. Particular attention is given to the legal status of women, complex issues of identity, tradition, and family, and the geographic diversity of Judaism in history and today. Offered every other semester.
Equivalent:
RELI 328 - OK if taken since Fall 2023
WGST 360 Sociology of Family
3.00 credits
Examines images and practices of family life in American society. Uses historical material to show how ideals about family life have developed. Discusses definitions of "family" as political, with a special emphasis on the politics of gender. Connects debates over how to define and understand family with decisions about social policies.
Equivalent:
SOCI 342 - Successful completion
WGST 380 Special Topics
1.00- 3.00 credits
Topic to be determined by instructor.
WGST 390 Independent Study
.00- 6.00 credits
Supervised reading in one of the previously mentioned areas of study, not to replace existing courses but to provide an opportunity for advanced study not available within the regular curriculum. Directed reading requires completion of a form, WGST Department Chair permission, and cannot be registered for via Zagweb.
WGST 401 Feminist Political Thought
3.00 credits
Analyzes several varieties of feminist theory to explore how conceptions of women, gender and feminism have changed and have structured women’s opportunities to participate fully in politics and the economy. Central questions include: the nature of sex/gender and sex/gender difference; what is feminism; who identifies as a feminist; and how gender identities are mediated by our class, race, and ethnic identities. Meets WGST Feminist Theory Requirement. Fall.
Prerequisite:
WGST 200 Minimum Grade: D or WGST 300 Minimum Grade: D
Equivalent:
POLS 341 - OK if taken between Fall 2011 and Spring 2014
WGST 402 Feminist Genealogies
3.00 credits
This course focuses on feminist and queer theories produced by and centered on historically marginalized communities by gender, race, sexuality, class, ability, citizenship, and location categories. The theories are purposely selected to explore genealogical analyses of power, transnational activism, and decolonial knowledge, among other themes. An overview of the development and foundational approaches to feminist and queer theorizing explored in this course allows students to apply these theories to contemporary issues and experiences. Pre-requisites: WGST 200 OR WGST 300
Prerequisite:
WGST 200 Minimum Grade: D or WGST 300 Minimum Grade: D
WGST 403 Crit Theory:Lit & Cltrl Stdy
3.00 credits
This course examines various theories for interpreting literature and culture.
Equivalent:
ENGL 480 - OK if taken since Spring 2010
WGST 417 Tudor & Stuart Drama
3.00 credits
Focuses on the varied dramatic traditions of Tudor and Stuart London besides Shakespeare. This is a period in which questions about gender roles were being openly debated, and in which literary and otherwise discursive interrogations of social roles, particularly the role of women, pervaded genres but were most vivid on stage.
Equivalent:
ENGL 434 - Successful completion
WGST 419 Renaissance Literature
3.00 credits
A study of the literature of the English Early Modern period ranging from More to Milton and including the emerging literary voice of women writers. British literature covering the period 1500-1700, excluding drama.
Equivalent:
ENGL 331 - OK if taken since Spring 2011
WGST 432 CIS:
3.00 credits
The Core Integration Seminar (CIS) engages the Year Four Question: “Imagining the possible: What is our role in the world?” by offering students a culminating seminar experience in which students integrate the principles of Jesuit education, prior components of the Core, and their disciplinary expertise. Each section of the course will focus on a problem or issue raised by the contemporary world that encourages integration, collaboration, and problem solving. The topic for each section of the course will be proposed and developed by each faculty member in a way that clearly connects to the Jesuit Mission, to multiple disciplinary perspectives, and to our students’ future role in the world.
WGST 434 Philosophy of Sex & Gender
3.00 credits
Analyzes the concepts of sex, sexuality, and gender by working with authors across traditions and disciplines. We will be particularly concerned with the role of sex, sexuality, and gender may have on identity formation/subversion, questioning whether some or all of these concepts are essential/natural or socially constructed.
Equivalent:
PHIL 442 - OK if taken since Fall 2016
WGST 435 Feminist Ethics
3.00 credits
Explores women's experiences of oppression and some of the ways in which this has marginalized their concerns and their perceptions of the moral dimension. Feminist contributions to re-thinking the concept of moral agency, the traditionally sharp distinction between the public and private domains, the relevance of personal relationships to ethics, and the process of moral development and moral decision-making are considered. Spring, odd years.
Equivalent:
PHIL 456 - Successful completion
WGST 460 Studies in Women Writers
3.00 credits
This course provides an in-depth study of literary works written by women. May cover a variety of genres, time periods, and cultures or may be genre, period, or culture specific.
Equivalent:
ENGL 460 - Successful completion
WGST 480 Special Topics
3.00 credits
WGST 490 Directed Reading
1.00- 3.00 credits
Supervised reading in one of the previously mentioned areas of study, not to replace existing courses but to provide an opportunity for advanced study not available within the regular curriculum. Directed reading requires completion of a form, WGST Department Chair permission, and cannot be registered for via Zagweb.
WGST 491 Directed Study-Women's Study
1.00- 3.00 credits
Specialized research into a topic of feminist scholarship. Directed study requires completion of a form, WGST Department Chair permission, and cannot be registered for via Zagweb.
Prerequisite:
(WGST 201 Minimum Grade: D or WGST 202 Minimum Grade: D) and WGST 401 Minimum Grade: D (WOMS 201 Minimum Grade: D
WGST 497 Women & Gender Studies Intern
.00- 6.00 credits
Opportunities to work as an intern with various agencies that assist women in Spokane. Students must take the initiative to contact an agency and a faculty supervisor. Students meet with a member of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies faculty to discuss their experiences and write a paper integrating their internship experience with their WGST coursework. Fall and Spring.
WGST 499 Capstone
3.00 credits
The capstone course in the women's studies concentration provides an opportunity for a special kind of faculty and student conversation. Responsibility for organizing and structuring this course will rotate among women's studies faculty. Topics will vary. Regardless of the texts or topics, the goal will be to create a conversation in which students assume significant responsibilities. All students are expected to complete a major research project using the concepts and perspectives of feminist scholarship, and to present their work to the class and faculty evaluators. Spring only.
Prerequisite:
WGST 300 Minimum Grade: D and (WGST 401 Minimum Grade: D or WGST 402 Minimum Grade: D or POLS 341 Minimum Grade: D or WGST 403 Minimum Grade: D or ENGL 480 Minimum Grade: D)
 

In addition to their major and minor areas of study, all undergraduate students follow a common program designed to complete their education in those areas that the University considers essential for a Catholic, Jesuit, liberal, and humanistic education. The University Core Curriculum consists of forty-five credits of course work, with additional designation requirements that can be met through core, major, or elective courses.

The University Core Curriculum is a four-year program, organized around one overarching question, which is progressively addressed through yearly themes and questions. Hence, core courses are best taken within the year for which they are designated. First year core courses encourage intellectual engagement and provide a broad foundation of fundamental skills. Second and third year courses examine central issues and questions in philosophy and religious studies. The fourth year course, the Core Integration Seminar, offers a culminating core experience. Taken at any time throughout the four years, broadening courses intersect with the core themes and extend students’ appreciation for the humanities, arts, and social and behavioral sciences. Finally, the designation requirements (writing enriched, global studies, and social justice) reflect important values and reinforce students’ knowledge and competencies.

Overarching Core Question: As students of a Catholic, Jesuit, and Humanistic University, how do we educate ourselves to become women and men for a more just and humane global community?
Year 1 Theme and Question: Understanding and Creating: How do we pursue knowledge and cultivate understanding?

  • The First-Year Seminar (DEPT 193, 3 credits): The First-Year Seminar (FYS), taken in the fall or spring of the first year, is designed to promote an intellectual shift in students as they transition to college academic life. Each small seminar is organized around an engaging topic, which students explore from multiple perspectives. The FYS is offered by many departments across the University (click here [PDF] for list of FYS courses).  
  • Writing (ENGL 101, 3 credits) and Reasoning (PHIL 101, 3 credits): The Writing and Reasoning courses are designed to help students develop the foundational skills of critical reading, thinking, analysis, and writing. They may be taken as linked sections. Writing (ENGL 101) carries one of the three required writing-enriched designations (see below).
  • Communication & Speech (COMM 100, 3 credits): This course introduces students to interpersonal and small group communication and requires the application of critical thinking, reasoning, and research skills necessary to organize, write, and present several speeches.
  • Scientific Inquiry (BIOL 104/104L, CHEM 104/104L, or PHYS 104/104L, 3 credits): This course explores the scientific process in the natural world through evidence-based logic and includes significant laboratory experience. Students pursuing majors that require science courses will satisfy this requirement through their major.
  • Mathematics (above Math 100, 3 credits): Mathematics courses promote thinking according to the modes of the discipline—abstractly, symbolically, logically, and computationally. One course in mathematics, above Math 100, including any math course required for a major or minor, will fulfill this requirement. MATH 100 (College Algebra) and courses without the MATH prefix do not fulfill this requirement.

Year 2 Theme and Question: Being and Becoming: Who are we and what does it mean to be human?

  • Philosophy of Human Nature (PHIL 201, 3 credits): This course provides students with a philosophical study of key figures, theories, and intellectual traditions that contribute to understanding the human condition; the meaning and dignity of human life; and the human relationship to ultimate reality.
  • Christianity and Catholic Traditions (RELI, 3 credits). Religious Studies core courses approved for this requirement explore diverse topics including Christian scriptures, history, theology, and practices as well as major contributions from the Catholic intellectual and theological traditions (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses) .

Year 3 Theme and Question: Caring and Doing: What principles characterize a well lived life?

  • Ethics (PHIL 301 or RELI, 3 credits): The Ethics courses are designed to help students develop their moral imagination by exploring and explaining the reasons humans should care about the needs and interests of others. This requirement is satisfied by an approved ethics course in either Philosophy (PHIL 301) or Religious Studies (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
  • World/Comparative Religion (RELI, 3 credits): Religious Studies courses approved for this core requirement draw attention to the diversity that exists within and among traditions and encourage students to bring critical, analytical thinking to bear on the traditions and questions considered. These courses carries one of the required two global-studies designations (see below) (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).

Year 4 Theme and Question: Imagining the Possible: What is our role in the world?” 

  • Core Integration Seminar (DEPT 432, 3 credits). The Core Integration Seminar (CIS) offers students a culminating core experience in which they integrate the principles of Jesuit education, prior components of the core, and their disciplinary expertise. Some CIS courses may also count toward a student’s major or minor. The CIS is offered by several departments across the University (click here [PDF] for list of CIS courses).

The Broadening Courses

  • Fine Arts & Design (VART, MUSC, THEA, 3 credits): Arts courses explore multiple ways the human experience can be expressed through creativity, including across different cultures and societies. One approved course in fine arts, music, theatre, or dance will fulfill this requirement (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
  • History (HIST, 3 credits): History courses are intended to develop students’ awareness of the historical context of both the individual and the collective human experience. One course in History (HIST 101, HIST 102, HIST 112, HIST 201, HIST 202) will fulfill this requirement.
  • Literature (3 credits): Literature courses foster reflection on how literature engages with a range of human experience. One approved course in Literature (offered by English, Classics, or Modern Languages) will fulfill this requirement (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
  • Social & Behavioral Sciences (3 credits): Courses in the social and behavioral sciences engage students in studying human behavior, social systems, and social issues. One approved course offered by Criminal Justice, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Women and Gender Studies will fulfill this requirement (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).

The Designations
Designations are embedded within already existing core, major, minor, and elective courses. Students are encouraged to meet designation requirements within elective courses as their schedule allows; however, with careful planning students should be able to complete most of the designation requirements within other core, major, or minor courses.

  • Writing Enriched (WE; 3 courses meeting this designation): Courses carrying the WE designation are designed to promote the humanistic and Jesuit pedagogical ideal of clear, effective communication. In addition to the required core course, Writing (ENGL 101), which carries one of the WE designations, students must take two other WE-designated courses (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
  • Global-Studies (GS; 2 courses meeting this designation): Courses carrying the GS designation are designed to challenge students to perceive and understand human diversity by exploring diversity within a context of constantly changing global systems. In addition to the required core course, World/Comparative Religion (RELI 300-level), which carries one of the GS designations, students must take one other GS-designated course (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).
  • Social-Justice (SJ; 1 course meeting this designation): Courses carrying the SJ designation are designed to introduce students to one or more social justice concerns. Students must take one course that meets the SJ designation (click here [PDF] for a list of approved courses).

Major-specific adaptations to the University Core Curriculum

All Gonzaga students, regardless of their major, will complete the University Core Curriculum requirements. However some Gonzaga students will satisfy certain core requirements through major-specific programs or courses. Any major-specific adaptations to the core are described with the requirements for the majors to which they apply.