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4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016 United StatesWomen's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
The Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program (WGSS) is an interdisciplinary program that encompasses feminist, gender, sexuality, and masculinity studies. The program is committed to an intersectional curriculum that sustains and integrates diverse perspectives and centers social justice. WGSS courses emphasize participatory education in which student involvement, critical thinking, and personal insight are encouraged and made relevant in the learning process.
Students who major or minor in WGSS have the option of gaining experience off-campus in the nation's capital through an internship at an organization or agency whose mission embraces some aspect of women's/gender/sexuality studies. The curriculum prepares students for graduate study in the fields of women's/gender/sexuality studies or for advanced study in traditional disciplines and professional fields. A degree in WGSS also equips students with a range of skills that are highly valued in the contemporary labor force and opens the door to a variety of challenging careers in a wide spectrum of occupations.
Bulletins
View the CRGC Newsletter for news and events.
WGSS adjunct professor Bob Connelly discussed a class visit from gay rights activist Frank Kameny in the Washingtonian.
In conversation: Sara Clarke Kaplan and Mali Collins discussed Collins' new book Scrap Theory: Reproductive Justice in the Black Feminist Imagination. Collins also spoke about her book at Red Emma's and the Clifton House.
Suzanne C. Persard was one of the featured scholars invited to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Gayatri Gopinath's groundbreaking publication, Impossible Desires: Queer Diasporas and South Asian Public Cultures in New York City, an event hosted by the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality at New York University.
Graduating senior Avery Gilliam has been awarded the CRGC Feminist Scholar Activism Prize, which recognizes a graduating senior who has demonstrated significant achievement integrating academic studies with social justice activism, leadership and community engagement.
WGSS minor and CLEG major Eli Givens received the Youth Spirit Award for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Well Within Awards in Tennessee. In their work with these organizations, Eli has had a singular focus which is to ensure that every young person in Tennessee feels seen, valued, and fought for. As a non-binary young person, Eli is keenly aware of the challenges faced by young people in the midst of legislative hate. Over the course of their work, they have testified in front of the House Subcommittee defending transgender health care, they have worked to organize a queer prom for LGBTQ+ youth, and have connected with leaders, teachers, and healthcare providers across the state to help construct safe spaces.
Maximilian Leete, a queer Latinx man and AU wrestling team captain, won a silver and a gold medal in the Dominican Republic’s national competitions. He will be going on to represent the Dominican Republic’s senior national team in Acapulco Mexico in freestyle wrestling. Maximilian has spent his four years at AU educating his teammates and coaches about what it means to be a queer, Latinx man in a sport known for its toxic masculinity.
More bulletins
On October 8, CRGC hosted Prof. Jordache Ellapen (University of Rochester) in conversation with Prof. Suzanne C. Perard (American University) about Indenture Aesthetics, queer and feminist visual practices in post-apartheid South Africa.
Alumnus Lee Mariño Clyne has created a video based on their senior capstone research about young transgender people’s struggles accessing healthcare. The most recent version was screened at the 2023 UCSF National Transgender Health Summit. You can watch a slightly longer version of Clyne's video on youtube.
Professor Christina Riley, a specialist in feminist digital media, was quoted in the article, "The Unsettling Rise of the Anti-Pick Me Girl".
Professor Tyler Christensen discusses the history and significance of Pride Month.
Professor Toby Aho discusses how their disability justice pedagogy informs their ideas on wellness within the classroom.
Student Spotlight: Sensi Messner-Baker
I study WGSS with a minor in DIST. I became interested in the field because I wanted to understand how gender, sexuality, disability, race, culture, and power shape people’s everyday experiences. I'm interested in the systems that determine whose experiences are recognized or valued.
—Sensi Messner-Baker (CAS BA/’26)
WGSS Program Director