Our Gender and Sexuality Studies program offers a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the complexities of gender and sexuality in contemporary society. With passionate faculty, engaging coursework and a welcoming community, you'll have the opportunity to explore your interests, develop critical thinking skills and make a positive impact in the world.
Gender and Sexuality Studies - B.A.
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Bachelor's Degree in Gender and Sexuality Studies
Kent State University’s Bachelor of Arts degree in Gender and Sexuality Studies offers students an interdisciplinary education that explores the complexities of gender, sexuality, and identity. The program examines how these concepts intersect with race, class, and culture, fostering critical thinking and a deeper understanding of social justice issues. Students gain insights into historical and contemporary perspectives on gender and sexuality, preparing them for careers in advocacy, education, public policy, and more. The degree equips graduates with the analytical tools needed to challenge societal norms and contribute to meaningful change in various professional and academic settings.
Program Information for Gender and Sexuality Studies - B.A.
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Program Description
Full Description
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Gender and Sexuality Studies takes a multidisciplinary and intersectional approach to examining ideas and processes that shape people's understanding about gender, sexualities and bodies throughout space and time. Scholarly investigation and production in this discipline emerged from sociological inquiry on human sexuality as well as from feminist, LGBTQ and anti-racist histories and activism to combat social inequality. This program skillfully provides both the theoretical and the praxis of the field while integrating these different and contributing perspectives regarding gender and sexuality.
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Admissions
for Gender and Sexuality Studies - B.A.
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning a minimum 525 TOEFL score (71 on the Internet-based version), minimum 75 MELAB score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score or minimum 48 PTE Academic score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive Program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.
Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the program's Coursework tab.
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Learning Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Identify key terms, theories and conceptual frameworks in the analysis of gender and sexuality.
- Examine the multiple and complex ways gender and sexuality are constructed through, and across, different identities, discourses and systems of power.
- Think critically about contemporary debates and issues related to gender and sexuality and devise policy interventions to address them.
- Apply multiple thematic areas in analyzing questions, dynamics and issues surrounding gender and sexuality and contribute with agency in social discourse.
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Coursework
On This Page
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
Course List Code Title Credit Hours Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) GSS 10100 INTRODUCTION TO GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES 3 GSS 30500 METHODOLOGIES AND PRAXIS IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES 3 GSS 40450 GENDER AND SEXUALITY ROUNDTABLE 3 GSS 40591 SEMINAR IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES 3 Discourse, Identity and Human Dynamics Elective, choose from the following: 3 ENG 31012GENDER AND LANGUAGE ENG 33013AFRICANA WOMEN'S LITERATURE (DIVG) ENG 34021WOMEN'S LITERATURE (DIVD) HIST 31075HISTORY OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES LGBT 40201TRANSGENDER STUDIES PACS 31002GENDER, POWER AND CONFLICT POL 40470WOMEN, POLITICS AND POLICY (DIVD) WMST 30202FEMINIST HUMOR: DISARMING LAUGHTER, DISRUPTIVE DISCOURSE Thematic Elective, choose from the following: 3 AFS 33110BLACK WOMEN, CULTURE AND SOCIETY: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES (DIVD) AFS 33120THE BLACK MAN: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AFS 33130GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA HIST 31077HISTORY OF SEXUALITY IN THE UNITED STATES LGBT 30120LGBTQ RIGHTS AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES WMST 30201WITCHES: THE MONSTROUS FEMININE WMST 30302GLOBAL FEMINISMS: A WORLD AND CENTURY OF WOMEN'S ACTIVISM WMST 32323RAPE CULTURE: RETHINKING DANGER, POWER, SEX AND FEMINIST FRAMINGS Theory and Thought Elective, choose from the following: 3 AFS 43100RACE, CLASS AND FEMINIST THOUGHT LGBT 40202QUEER THEORY PHIL 31040FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY (DIVD) WMST 30001ARENAS FOR FEMINIST THOUGHT: TOUCHY SUBJECTS, UNSETTLED MATTERS AND FEMINIST RESPONSE-ABILITY Major Electives, choose from the following: 9 AFS 33100THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES (DIVD) AFS 33120THE BLACK MAN: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AFS 33130GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA AFS 43100RACE, CLASS AND FEMINIST THOUGHT BSCI 10001HUMAN BIOLOGY (KBS) COMM 35912GENDER AND COMMUNICATION (DIVD) CRIM 36800LGBTQ POPULATIONS IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM (DIVD) CRIM 37411WOMEN IN CRIME AND JUSTICE (DIVD) ENG 31012GENDER AND LANGUAGE ENG 33013AFRICANA WOMEN'S LITERATURE (DIVG) ENG 34021WOMEN'S LITERATURE (DIVD) HED 32544HUMAN SEXUALITY HED 44025WOMEN'S HEALTH ISSUES HED 44544SEXUALITY EDUCATION PROGRAMS HED 46057ADVANCED HUMAN SEXUALITY HIST 31033WITCHES AND EUROPEAN HISTORY, 1500-1800 HIST 31075HISTORY OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES HIST 31077HISTORY OF SEXUALITY IN THE UNITED STATES JWST 30100JEWISH WOMEN IN THE MODERN WORLD LGBT 30120LGBTQ RIGHTS AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES LGBT 40201TRANSGENDER STUDIES LGBT 40202QUEER THEORY PACS 31002GENDER, POWER AND CONFLICT PHIL 31040FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY (DIVD) POL 40470WOMEN, POLITICS AND POLICY (DIVD) SOC 32565SOCIOLOGY OF SEXUALITIES (DIVD) SOC 42315SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER (DIVD) THEA 41115LGBTQ THEATRE (DIVD) WMST 30001ARENAS FOR FEMINIST THOUGHT: TOUCHY SUBJECTS, UNSETTLED MATTERS AND FEMINIST RESPONSE-ABILITY WMST 30091KEY CONVERSATIONS THROUGH WOMEN'S STUDIES (DIVD) WMST 30201WITCHES: THE MONSTROUS FEMININE WMST 30202FEMINIST HUMOR: DISARMING LAUGHTER, DISRUPTIVE DISCOURSE WMST 30302GLOBAL FEMINISMS: A WORLD AND CENTURY OF WOMEN'S ACTIVISM WMST 32323RAPE CULTURE: RETHINKING DANGER, POWER, SEX AND FEMINIST FRAMINGS WMST 44321PIVOTAL PRAXIS: EXPERIMENTS IN ACTIONABLE FEMINISM Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1 Foreign Language (see Foreign Language College Requirement below) 14-16 Kent Core Composition 6 Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning 3 Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) 9 Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) 6 Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory) 6-7 Kent Core Additional 6 General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) 39 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120 Graduation Requirements
Graduation Requirements Summary Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA 2.000 2.000 Foreign Language College Requirement, B.A.
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete 14-16 credit hours of foreign language.1
To complete the requirement, students need the equivalent of Elementary I and II in any language, plus one of the following options2:- Intermediate I and II of the same language
- Elementary I and II of a second language
- Any combination of two courses from the following list:
- Intermediate I of the same language
- ARAB 21401
- ASL 19401
- CHIN 25421
- MCLS 10001
- MCLS 20001
- MCLS 20091
- MCLS 21417
- MCLS 21420
- MCLS 22217
- MCLS 28403
- MCLS 28404
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All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer credit hours and fewer courses. This may be accomplished by (1) passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level; (2) receiving credit through one of the alternative credit programs offered by Kent State University; or (3) demonstrating language proficiency comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language. When students complete the requirement with fewer than 14 credit hours and four courses, they will complete remaining credit hours with general electives.
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Certain majors, concentrations and minors may require specific languages, limit the languages from which a student may choose or require coursework through Intermediate II. Students who plan to pursue graduate study may need particular language coursework.
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Roadmap
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Plan of Study Grid Semester One Credits GSS 10100 INTRODUCTION TO GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES 3 UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1 Foreign Language Requirement 4 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 14 Semester Two Theory and Thought Elective 3 Foreign Language Requirement 4 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Credit Hours 16 Semester Three Thematic Elective 3 Foreign Language Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 General Elective 3 Credit Hours 15 Semester Four GSS 30500 METHODOLOGIES AND PRAXIS IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES 3 Discourse, Identity and Human Dynamics Elective 3 Foreign Language Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 General Elective 3 Credit Hours 15 Semester Five GSS 40450 GENDER AND SEXUALITY ROUNDTABLE 3 Major Elective 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 General Elective 3 Credit Hours 15 Semester Six Major Elective 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 Kent Core Requirement 3 General Electives 6 Credit Hours 15 Semester Seven Major Elective 3 General Electives 12 Credit Hours 15 Semester Eight GSS 40591 SEMINAR IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES 3 General Electives 12 Credit Hours 15 Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120 -
Program Delivery
- Delivery:
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
- Delivery:
Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Gender and Sexuality Studies - B.A.
Graduates of Kent State University’s B.A. Degree in Gender and Sexuality Studies are prepared for a range of impactful careers in fields such as social services, advocacy, education, and public policy. They can pursue roles as community organizers, diversity and inclusion specialists, human rights advocates, and educators. With their expertise in critical thinking and understanding of social justice issues, graduates are also well-suited for careers in non-profit organizations, government agencies, healthcare, and media, where they can influence policy, promote equality, and drive social change.
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General and operations managers
5.8%
faster than the average
2,486,400
number of jobs
$103,650
potential earnings
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Human resources specialists
7.0%
faster than the average
666,500
number of jobs
$63,490
potential earnings
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Lawyers
4.0%
about as fast as the average
813,900
number of jobs
$126,930
potential earnings
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Legal support workers, all other
-1.2%
decline
50,400
number of jobs
$59,540
potential earnings
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Management analysts
10.7%
much faster than the average
876,300
number of jobs
$87,660
potential earnings
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Office and administrative support workers, all other
4.0%
about as fast as the average
220,800
number of jobs
$35,890
potential earnings
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Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.