Gender, Sexualities and Women's Studies

Admission Type
Open Enrolment - General Admission Requirements

Overview

Gender studies, sexuality studies and women’s studies are important parts of understanding the socio-cultural, economic and psychological inequities that happen around the world. The Associate of Arts degree in Gender, Sexualities and Women’s Studies offers an intersectional, collaborative and intellectually stimulating space where you can explore topics such as the contributions of women throughout history; feminism and social justice; the intersections of gender with sexualities, race, class and more.

 

What kind of job can you get with a Gender Studies degree?

An Associate Degree in Gender, Sexualities and Women’s Studies enhances your knowledge and allows you to bring a unique skill set to a wide variety of careers and further education including nursing, child and family services, youth justice, therapeutic recreation, social work, rehabilitation sciences, psychiatric nursing, psychology, policing, law, journalism, education and criminology.

 

What is an Associate of Arts Degree in Gender, Sexualities and Women’s studies?

Associate degrees are two-year programs that concentrate on one area of study, such as an Associate of Arts Degree in Gender, Sexualities and Women’s studies. They’re great if you’re planning on going to university because – if you plan your courses carefully with your university program in mind – you are guaranteed 60 credits that transfer. In most cases, an Associate Degree will allow you to enter the third year of a four-year bachelor's degree program. To make sure your courses transfer, use the BC Transfer Guide as it has all the up-to-date information you’ll need to plan your education.

Program Requirements

Curriculum Framework

Graduation Requirements:

  • Successful completion of 60 University Transfer credits as listed below
  • Require a minimum GPA of 2.00
  • All courses must be University Transferable - a University Transferable course is a course that transfers to one of the five Research Universities - SFU, UBCV, UBCO, UNBC, UVIC - according to the BC Transfer Guide
  • 50% (30 credits) of all coursework must be completed at Douglas College
  • Specializations are not noted on credentials but will be noted on the transcript

Course Requirements:

This program will allow students to graduate with a provincially-recognized two-year Associate Degree and to specialize in the area of gender, sexualities and women's studies (GSWS). Students must meet the general requirements for an Associate of Arts Degree at Douglas College and the following specific program requirements:

 

LIST A

Students must complete 2 of the following courses

Course Number

Course Title

Credits

GSWS 1100

Introduction to Feminisms: Silences, Voices and Experiences

3.00

GSWS 1101

Contemporary Issues in Gender, Sexualities, and Women's Studies

3.00

GSWS 1102

 Introduction to Contemporary Issues in Sexuality Studies

3.00

Students must complete the following course
Course Number Course Title Credits

GSWS 2101*

Gender Today: Exploring Gender in Contemporary Contexts

3.00

 Students must choose at least six courses from List B.

LIST B

Course Number

Course Title

Credits

ANTH 2240*

The Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality

3.00

CRIM 3356*

The Female Offender

3.00

ENGL lit course**

Designated sections of ENGL literature courses

3.00

GEOG 2213*

Social Geography

3.00

HIST 1160

History of Sexuality

3.00

HIST 2260*

Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Canada, 1600 to 1870

3.00

HIST 2261*

Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Canada, 1870 to the present

3.00

PHIL 2360*

Philosophy and Feminist Thought

3.00

PSYC 1110

Psychology of Women

3.00

PSYC 3120*

Gender Relations

3.00

SOCI 2240*

Women in Society

3.00

SOCI 2250*

Families and Social Change

3.00

*Course may have prerequisites. Please check the Program and Course Catalogue.

**For the relevant sections of English literature courses, please consult the English Department Chair.

Students are free to choose their remaining electives from any area but may want to consider that the following courses have some GSWS-related content:

The following are the general requirements for an Associate of Arts Degree at any BC college:

  • 6 credits first-year English* electives
  • 6 credits Humanities electives
  • 6 credits Social Sciences electives
  • 6 credits Arts** electives
  • 18 credits second-year Arts** electives in 2 or more subject areas
  • 3 credits Lab Science elective
  • 3 credits Math, Statistics or Computing Science elective
  • 3 credits Math, Statistics or Science elective
  • 9 credits other University Transfer electives

*English courses can include courses in written Communications (CMNS) and Creative Writing (CRWR) that transfer to one of the BC research universities (SFU, UBCV, UBCO, UVIC or UNBC) as English credit. A maximum of 3 credits can come from such an equivalent; at least 3 credits must be earned in an actual ENGL course, so-named. For purposes of the Associate of Arts degree, English courses cannot be counted as Humanities courses.

** Arts courses are available in the Faculty of Languages, Literature, and Performing Arts, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. To confirm whether a course is designated as "humanities" or "sccial sciences", check the Associate of Arts Degree Graduation Requirement Checklist. Economics courses are Arts courses. Arts courses may also include Mathematics courses.

Definitions:

A course is defined by the subject for which it is granted transfer credit at one of the research universities (SFU, UBCV, UBCO, UNBC, or UVIC).

  • An Arts course is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Arts Degree at one of the research universities.
  • A Science course is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Science Degree or Baccalaureate of Applied Science Degree at one of the research universities.
  • The requirements specified above are intended to provide breadth of exposure to a variety of disciplines in both Arts and Sciences. In some instances there may be some ambiguity as to whether a course is in the Humanities or Social Sciences and is an Arts course or a Science course. Most Physical Geography and Mathematics would be designated as Science courses.
  • A course in an "other" area is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate Degree other than in Arts, Science or Applied Science at one of the research universities.
  • A first-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 100-level at one of the research universities.
  • A second-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 200-level or higher level at one of the research universities.
  • A laboratory science course is one in which a substantial component of instruction involves the study of natural phenomena, either in the laboratory or in the field.

For detailed information you should meet with an Academic Advisor.

Co-operative Education Option:

Students enrolled in this program may be eligible for a Co-operative Education designation. Co-operative Education involves alternating full-time academic and work terms. For information contact the Co-operative Education Office.

Admissions Requirements

Cost

You can get an average cost for your program - tuition and student fees, books, uniforms, lab fees etc - on the Program Cost page. 

Only programs approved for student loan funding are listed on the Program Cost page. For all other programs, refer to the Tuition Fee page.

Program Guidelines

Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)