Gender, Sexualities and Women's Studies (Associate Degree)

DOMESTIC APPLICATIONS

Summer 2025: Apply Now!

Winter 2025: Apply Now!

Fall 2025: Apply Now!

On Education Planner BC select the program "Arts - Gender, Sexualities & Women's Studies - Associate Degree"

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 degree?

Associate degrees take two years to complete and concentrate on one area of study. If you plan your courses carefully with a university program in mind, you’ll be able to transfer all 60 credits to university. In most cases, an associate degree will allow you to enter the third year of a four-year bachelor's degree program. To ensure your courses transfer, see the BC Transfer Guide.

Get paid, full-time work experience during your studies

Put your skills to work by joining the optional Co-operative Education Program, which alternates semesters of study with paid, full-time work in your field. You’ll earn money while gaining experience, building your resume and getting an employer reference, all before you graduate. To participate in Co-op you need to plan two semesters in advance, so we strongly recommend contacting the Co-op Office at the start of your program.

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 Research Universities - SFU, UBC (UBCV or UBCO), UNBC, or UVIC in 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
Time limit to complete program graduation requirements: seven (7) years

Course Requirements:

This program will allow students to graduate with a provincially-recognized two-year Associate Degree with a thematic focus 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
GSWS 3101*	Reproductive Justice	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
SOCI 3375*	Masculinities and Society	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:

HIST 2270 History of Indigenous Peoples in Canada
SOCI 2255 The Sociology of Popular Culture
SOCI 2230 Race and Ethnicity
HIST 2231 History of Childhood and the Family

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 a Student Success 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.

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.

May 2022 (Current)