Women's Studies Institute

Master of Arts

Master of Arts | Graduate Certificate

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Women’s Studies prepares students for doctoral work in Women’s Studies or in a related discipline and enhances careers relating to women’s or gender issues. As the interdisciplinary practice of feminist scholarship, Women’s Studies interrogates and envisions alternatives to social structures, institutions, ideologies, relationships, and perceptions of gender in traditional academic disciplines.

Master of Arts Degree Requirements

  1. Thirty hours of graduate coursework, 12 hours of which are required (WSt 8001 and WSt 8002, followed by WSt 8003 and WSt 8004) and 18 hours of coursework that may be chosen from Women’s Studies Institute courses or from approved courses in other departments.
  2. Proficiency in a foreign language or in an approved alternative research skill.
  3. The written comprehensive examination.
  4. A minimum of six hours of Thesis Research (WSt 8999).
  5. A thesis, approved by a thesis committee.

Course Descriptions: Core Courses

WSt 8001. History and Theory of European and U.S. Feminisms. (3 hours)

Presentation of a genealogy of some of the key strains of European and U.S. feminist theory such as liberal feminism, Marxist/socialist feminism, radical feminism, Black feminist thought, cultural or "difference" feminism, lesbian feminism, queer theory, and post-structural/post-modernist feminist thought. Investigation will be framed and complemented by readings that provide an overview of feminist activism of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

WSt 8002. Globalization and Gender. (3 hours)

Introduction to theories in feminism, such as third world feminisms, post-colonial theory, and post-structuralism, that analyze the impact of global processes on the study of gender. Includes historical discussions of social, political and economic arrangements as they intersect with racial and gender hierarchies, identities, and practices.

WSt 8003. New Directions in Feminism. (3 hours)

New perspectives in feminist theory and activism, and emerging issues in Women’s Studies.

WSt 8004. Feminist Methodologies. (3 hours)

Introduction to selected research methods from the humanities and the social sciences. Emphasizing use of particular research methods as well as questions of epistemology and ethics relevant to scholarly research. Students will be guided through the writing of a research proposal which can serve as a first draft of the M.A. proposal for Women’s Studies.

In addition to our regular course offerings, we frequently offer “Special Topics” courses. Here are some examples of special topics courses recently or currently offered:

  • Arab and Islamic Feminisms (will be in regular curriculum in 2008)
  • U.S. Social Forum
  • International Women's Suffrage Movement in Historical Perspective

For a listing of currently offered WS courses, visit GoSOLAR.

For a complete list of graduate courses offered by the WSI, visit the Georgia State University Graduate Catalog.

Please note that in the case of any conflict of information, the Graduate Catalog supersedes the Women’s Studies website.