Major & Minor Requirements

Exterior shot of the GSF office front door

Requirements for the Major in GSF Studies: 10 Courses

  • GSF 199S—Thinking Gender: Introduction to Feminist Theory (typically but not always offered both terms; majors are expected to complete the course no later than spring of junior year)
  • Four 300-level GSF-Housed Courses from this list (offerings vary each term)
  • Four elective courses from among GSF-Housed Courses (89-599) or GSF Cross-Listed Courses, two of which may be numbered 89-198
  • GSF 499S—Capstone Senior Seminar (only offered fall term); completion of GSF 199S is a prerequisite for enrollment

A student may apply to count toward the major a transfer course by submitting a syllabus to the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), who will evaluate it against department criteria.

A student may apply to count toward elective credit in the major a course offered in another department by submitting a syllabus to the DUS, who will evaluate it against department criteria.

Download, complete, save, and submit by email to jeremy.boomhower@duke.edu the GSF Major Form (docx, 85 kB) to start the process of declaring intention to major in GSF and to be assigned a faculty advisor.

Requirements for the Minor in GSF Studies: 5 Courses

  • GSF 199S—Thinking Gender: An Introduction to Feminist Theory (typically but not always offered both terms; minors are expected to complete the course no later than spring of junior year)
  • Two 300-level GSF-Housed Courses from this list (the offerings vary each term)
  • Two elective courses from among GSF-Housed Courses (89-599) or GSF Cross-Listed Courses, one of which may be numbered 89-198

A student may apply to count toward elective credit in the minor a course offered in another department by submitting a syllabus to the Assistant to the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUSA), who will evaluate it against department criteria.

Download, complete, save, and submit by email to jeremy.boomhower@duke.edu the GSF Minor Form (docx, 83 kB) to start the process of declaring intention to minor in GSF.

Minor in Sexuality Studies (SXL)

logo of minor in SXL

Our required, introductory course, which is ideally taken by your sophomore year:

  • SXL 199S/GSF 202—Introduction to Sexuality Studies

Four SXL elective courses:

  • One of these four electives must be a seminar (S) at the 300 level or above.
  • From Fall 2016 to Spring 2018, courses below the 100 level, Focus courses, and First Year Seminars can count towards the minor, as long as they represent sexuality-studies content and are approved by the DUS.
  • One of the following can serve as an elective, with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies:
    • An independent study, including thesis writing or research, on a topic focused on sexuality studies;
    • A study abroad course with 50% or more focus on sexuality-studies themes;
    • A relevant course offered by another unit (not cross-listed with SXL), with clear documentation of its intellectual value to the overall goals of the minor.

Students are encouraged to pursue original research as part of their minor, for example through an approved faculty-guided independent study or an honor's thesis. GSF faculty can guide students to potential advisors and projects.