Department of Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies engages students in the interdisciplinary study of gender and sexuality as interwoven with race, ethnicity, colonization, class, nation, and ability. We employ intersectional feminist and LGBTSTGNC frameworks to explore hidden histories, understand complex social structures, confront injustice and oppression, and imagine more liberatory futures.

Interdisciplinary: WGSS courses and faculty expertise integrate the humanities and social sciences, centering feminist, queer, and trans frameworks in critical ethnic studies, literary and performance studies, social movement histories, migration studies, popular culture studies, feminist science studies, working-class and labor studies, critical pedagogy, among others.  

Community-Engaged and Social Justice-Focused: The Department of WGSS centers the voices and agendas of marginalized communities in all that we do. Students and faculty collaborate with community partners on research action projects that advance social justice. WGSS majors have contributed as interns with community-based and non-profit organizations, working on issues as diverse as reproductive justice, trans rights, immigrant rights, anti-violence work, LGBTQ+ historical archival and curatorial work, critical media literacy for girls of color, and equity and inclusion for women in film.

Collaborative and Experiential Learning: Our classes invite passionate dialogue and hands-on learning, where students build exceptional skills in verbal, written, and visual communication, critical thinking, rigorous research, and team-based problem-solving.

Public Humanities: WGSS is grounded in humanities approaches that emphasize the importance of language, storytelling, cultural representation, history, and creative arts in understanding and transforming the world. Projects undertaken by WGSS students connect their research and classroom learning to diverse publics through the creation of social media, podcasts, zines, public art, and performance, curriculum for K-12 education, and public archives. WGSS faculty create and contribute to documentary film and television, podcasts, public archives, community arts, journalism, and other public media. Through public storytelling that centers the voices and knowledge of women of color and LGBTSTGNC people of color, we seek to imagine and advance alternative liberatory futures for the communities that Cal State LA serves and beyond.