Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies: Social Justice and Policy, Associate in Arts
College(s):
Richard J. Daley Not accepting new students at Harold Washington Not accepting new students at Kennedy-King Malcolm X Not accepting new students at Olive-Harvey Not accepting new students at Harry S Truman Not accepting new students at Wilbur WrightProgram Code: 0210
Sample Transfer Pathway
Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) is a fascinating field that explores how people understand and express their identities. It looks at topics like gender, feminism, sexuality, and social justice, which have been part of human societies for a very long time. When you study GWSS, you'll learn about different ways people see themselves and others, and how these views have changed over time and across cultures. You'll explore the history of movements for equality and understand how people have worked to make society fairer for everyone.
One of the great things about GWSS is that it goes beyond the boundaries of other disciplines. You might study how gender and sexuality innovates with things like the environment, technology, healthcare, or even video games. This wide range of topics means that what you learn in GWSS can be useful in lots of different jobs. You could use your knowledge to become a lawyer or policymaker fighting for equal rights, a doctor who understands diverse patient needs, a teacher helping students find innovative solutions to the problems of the world around us, a gender doula supporting client’s empowerment, or even a leader in a company making sure everyone is treated fairly.
GWSS is all about understanding people better and working towards a world where everyone is respected and valued. You'll learn how to think critically about social issues and come up with creative solutions to problems. If you're interested in learning about different identities and want to help create positive change in the world, GWSS could be a great choice for you. It teaches important skills like empathy, critical thinking, and communication that can be useful in almost any career you choose.
Focused on social justice and policy, this pathway goes beyond understanding change – it prepares you to actively create change. You'll develop skills in policy analysis, advocacy, and community organizing that can help address systemic inequalities. This pathway equips you with the tools to not just understand social challenges, but to develop concrete strategies for creating more just and equitable systems at local, national, and global levels.
This is an example course sequence for students interested in pursuing Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies. This does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If this pathway is followed as outlined, you will earn an Associate in Arts (AA) degree.
Semester-by-Semester Example Program Plan for Full-Time Students
All plans can be modified to fit the needs of part-time students by adding more semesters.
| Semester 1 | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| GWSS 101 | Introduction to Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 2,3 | 3 |
| GWSS 103 | Introduction to Social Justice 1,2,3 | 3 |
| CRM JUS 102 | Administration of Criminal Justice 3 | 3 |
| ENGLISH 101 | Composition 1 | 3 |
| SPEECH 101 | Fundamentals of Speech Communication 1 | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| GWSS 201 | Abolitionist Feminism 2,3 | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 119 | Environmental Biology 1 | 4 |
| ENGLISH 102 | Composition 1 | 3 |
| HUM 212 | Non-Western Humanities 1,3 | 3 |
| SOC 207 | The Sociology Of Sex & Gender 1,3 | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Semester 3 | ||
| GWSS 202 | Abolitionist Feminism through Liberative Expressive Arts and Research 1,2,3 | 3 |
| GWSS 203 | Feminist and Queer Artivisms for Social Change 1,2,3 | 3 |
| MATH 125 or MATH 124 | Introductory Statistics 1 or Critical Mathematics | 4 |
| PHY SCI 107 | Current Public Issues in Physical Science 1,3 | 3 |
| POL SCI 201 | The National Government 1,3 | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Semester 4 | ||
| HUM 144 | Gender and Feminisms in the Arts 1,3 | 3 |
| Pathway Elective 3 | 3 | |
| Pathway Elective 3 | 3 | |
| Pathway Elective or other elective 3 | 3 | |
| Pathway Elective or other elective 3 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 62 | |
- 1
General Education Course
- 2
GWSS Pathway Core Course
- 3
PATHWAY ELECTIVES
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 202 | Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 113 | The Biology Of Women | 3 |
| CRM JUS 102 | Administration of Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRM JUS 202 | Issues In Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRM JUS 250 | Introduction To Criminology | 3 |
| GWSS 101 | Introduction to Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies | 3 |
| GWSS 102 | Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Diversity | 3 |
| GWSS 103 | Introduction to Social Justice | 3 |
| GWSS 201 | Abolitionist Feminism | 3 |
| GWSS 202 | Abolitionist Feminism through Liberative Expressive Arts and Research | 3 |
| GWSS 203 | Feminist and Queer Artivisms for Social Change | 3 |
| GWSS 204 | Pleasure Activism, Body Politics, and Translating Sexualities | 3 |
| GWSS 210 | Ecofeminism | 3 |
| GWSS 220 | Queer Theory | 3 |
| GWSS 222 | Queer Feminist Ethno-STEM Theory | 3 |
| HISTORY 114 | The Afro-American In American History | 3 |
| HISTORY 118 | Women In American History | 3 |
| HUM 143 | Intro to Latin American/Latino Studies | 3 |
| HUM 144 | Gender and Feminisms in the Arts | 3 |
| HUM 145 | Intro to Diversity/Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| HUM 146 | Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender | 3 |
| HUM 208 | Women In Creative-Performing Arts | 3 |
| HUM 210 | Comparative Mythology | 3 |
| HUM 212 | Non-Western Humanities | 3 |
| LIT 137 | The Black Woman In Black Fiction | 3 |
| LIT 150 | Women's Literature | 3 |
| LIT 153 | Gay and Lesbian Literature | 3 |
| MATH 124 | Critical Mathematics | 4 |
| PHIL 110 | Social/Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PHY SCI 107 | Current Public Issues in Physical Science | 3 |
| POL SCI 201 | The National Government | 3 |
| PSYCH 203 | The Psychology of Women | 3 |
| SOC 203 | Sociology of Families and Intimate Relationships | 3 |
| SOC 207 | The Sociology Of Sex & Gender | 3 |
| SOC 211 | Race & Ethnic Relations | 3 |
| SOC 241 | Institutional Racism | 3 |
Recommended electives may vary by transfer institution. Choose your courses with your College Advisor.
Institution-specific transfer guides and agreements can be found on CCC's transfer site.