WGST Program

The Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST) program at Acadia emphasizes the importance of gender as a category of critical analysis in areas such as scholarly activity, education, social relationships, cultural expression, and politics. Women’s and Gender Studies is offered as a major and honours in the Faculty of Arts, and students from all faculties can minor in WGST or pursue it as a second major.

There are four core courses, with the rest of the program chosen from cross-listed courses offered in all three faculties on a rotational basis. This means that you will have the opportunity of taking courses from a range of different disciplines, all chosen for their inclusion of themes and issues related to women and/or gender.

 

Honours in Women's and Gender Studies

Graduation Requirements
In addition to the Program Requirements listed below, students must also satisfy the Bachelor of Arts with Honours requirements outlined in the Acadia Academic Calendar. 

Program Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 48h in the Honours program as follows:

  1. WGST 1413 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
  2. WGST 2913 Global Women's Movements
  3. WGST 3023 Feminist Theory
  4. WGST 4913 Women of the African Diaspora or WGST 4923 Contemporary Feminist Issues
  5. 6h in Research Methods from: SOCI 2003, CREL 3123, CREL 3693, POLS 3033, or similar research methods course by permission
  6. WGST 4996 Honours Thesis
  7. 24h in WGST or cross-listed courses, with a minimum of 12h at the 3000/4000 level

Honours theses completed since 2013 are available online through Acadia Library's institutional database, Acadia Scholar. To explore theses from Women's and Gender Studies, go HERE.

 

Major in Women's and Gender Studies

Graduation Requirements
In addition to the Program Requirements listed below, students must also satisfy the Bachelor of Arts (Major) requirements outlined in the Acadia Academic Calendar 

Program Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 42h in the Major program as follows:

  1. WGST 1413 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
  2. WGST 2913 Global Women's Movements
  3. WGST 3023 Feminist Theory
  4. WGST 4913 Women of the African Diaspora or WGST 4923 Contemporary Feminist Issues
  5. 6h in Research Methods from: SOCI 2003, CREL 3123, CREL 3693, POLS 3033, or similar research methods course by permission
  6. 27h in WGST or cross-listed courses, with a minimum of 12h at the 3000/4000 level
Second Major in Women's and Gender Studies

Graduation Requirements
In addition to the Program Requirements listed below, students must also satisfy the Bachelor of Arts (Double Major) requirements outlined in the previous section of this calendar. 

Program Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 36h in the Double Major program as follows:

  1. WGST 1413 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
  2. WGST 2913 Global Women's Movements
  3. WGST 3023 Feminist Theory
  4. WGST 4913 Women of the African Diaspora or WGST 4923 Contemporary Feminist Issues
  5. 3h in Research Methods from: SOCI 2003, CREL 3123, CREL 3693, POLS 3033, or similar research methods course by permission
  6. 21h from the Women’s and Gender Studies courses, with a minimum of 12h at the 3000/4000 level

 

Minor in Women's and Gender Studies

Multidisciplinary Minors offer an alternative to completing the Minor requirements for a degree program in a single discipline. The requirements for a Minor vary by faculty and program(s) of study. BA students are required to complete a minimum of 24h in the Minor program, while BSc students completing a multidisciplinary Minor are required to complete a minimum of 18h in the Minor program. Students pursuing a Minor should consult with their Academic Advisor to ensure that they will meet the requirements for their specific program of study.

A minor in Women’s and Gender Studies requires completion of at least 9 credit hours in WGST as follows:

  • WGST 1413 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
  • WGST 2913 Global Women's Movements
  • WGST 3023 Feminist Theory

The balance of the minor is to be chosen from the WGST cross-listed courses. With the exception of WGST and IDST courses, no more than 12h can be in a single discipline. All courses offered towards this minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

 

Co-op Option

Acadia's Co-op Program integrates study terms with paid, discipline-related work terms allowing students the opportunity to enhance their skills, create contacts in industry, and gain a better understanding of their strengths and interests while exploring different work environments and potential careers. 

Co-op requires three work terms, two of which normally take place in the spring/summer and one is conducted during the regular academic year which means that graduation is usually delayed for one term. Students receive pay to offset costs during a co-op work term.

Each work term is considered an academic course and is noted on a student’s transcript with a Pass or Fail grade. Undergraduate students starting their first co-op work term during or after the summer of 2020 will receive 2 credit hours for each co-op course completed (up to a total of 6 credit hours, counting as two elective courses towards graduation requirements). Undergraduate students who have started their first co-op work term prior to the summer 2020 term, will receive 3 credit hours upon completion of their third co-op work term (counting as one elective course towards graduation requirements).

To learn more about the Co-op option for WGST students, go HERE.