Major

Each Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies student builds an individual program of study around a self-defined thematic focus that integrates courses from multiple departments.  Majors may declare either Humanities and the Arts; Technology, Medicine, and Science, Law and Social Sciences; or LGBTQ+ Studies as their subplan. Or students may design their own thematic focus as a subplan. Subplans are printed on the diploma; individual thematic foci are not printed on the diploma.The program also offers an interdisciplinary honors program that is open to undergraduates in all majors. 

The major in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies requires 63 units and may be taken as a single major, as one of multiple majors, or as a secondary major. FEMGEN core courses must be taken for a letter grade. A student wishing to major in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies should declare the major via Axess by autumn quarter of the junior year. If taken as one of multiple majors, none of the 63 units counted toward the major in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies may overlap with units counted toward the major in another department or program. If taken as a secondary major, the units counted toward the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major may also be counted as fulfilling the major requirements in another department or program if that department or program consents.

All Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies majors must complete the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major core requirements (4 courses), elective requirements (minimum 2 courses) and an additional five courses (minimum) constituting an area of focus. Those five courses should be chosen in consultation with the Associate Director. A maximum of 10 of the 63 units for the major may be taken on a credit/no credit or satisfactory/no credit basis; a maximum of 10 units may be taken as independent study or directed reading.

Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (FGSS) majors may fulfill their senior project requirement through a Capstone or apply to complete an Honors Thesis. Both options may take the form of a traditional research paper or a creative project, and both emphasize interdisciplinary inquiry, independent thinking, and engagement with feminist, gender, and sexuality studies theories.

Preparing for the Major

To declare the major, the student must first email the Assistant Director of Student Services, Winni Ni (winnini [at] stanford.edu (winnini[at]stanford[dot]edu)), who will guide the student through the steps of declaration. The student then must meet with the Associate Director, Dr. Halima Kazem (hkazem [at] stanford.edu (hkazem[at]stanford[dot]edu)), to develop and review their study plan. As the final step, the student declares the major on AXESS.

Download the FGSS Major Study Plan

The Double Major & Secondary Major

• If a student is a double major in FGSS, none of the 63 units counted toward the major in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies may overlap with units counted toward the major in another department or program.
• If a student is a secondary major in FGSS, all units counted toward the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major may also be counted as fulfilling the major requirements in another department or program with the consent of that department or program.

Find more information about University policy on the secondary major.

If you have questions about major requirements, contact Interim Associate Director Halima Kazem at hkazem [at] stanford.edu (hkazem[at]stanford[dot]edu) or our Assistant Director of Student Services.

NOTICE: This information pertains to students who declared after the start of the 2024-25 academic year. For students who declared before, please download the below study plan to view the old requirements. 

Download the old FGSS Major Study Plan

Requirements (as of Sept. 2024)

The Core:

• FEMGEN 101: Introduction to Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
• FEMGEN 103: Feminist and Sexuality Theories and Methods Across the Disciplines
• FEMGEN 104X
• FEMGEN 199A

• 1 WIM Course:

  FEMGEN 151 - Authoring Gender and the Body (highly recommended for FGSS majors and minors) or 

  AMSTUD 160, COMM 186W, LINGUIST 150

Capstone:

FGSS majors are required to complete a capstone, which integrates feminist, gender, and sexuality studies theories with community engagement, research, or creative expression. Students begin preparing for the capstone in FEMGEN 104X: Pre-Capstone and Honors Seminar (1–3 units), recommended for the Spring Quarter of the junior year. In this course, students develop their capstone project proposals.The course helps students design a research question, conduct a literature review, and design a project based on applied learning, such as  internships, community service, or research.

The capstone is completed in FEMGEN 199A: Capstone & Honors Workshop (2 units), taken in the Autumn Quarter of the senior year. Capstone projects may include academic writing or creative elements—such as visual art, poetry, video, audio, performance, or multimedia—paired with a critical written component.

Additional Requirements:

• Two FEMGEN courses not in your declared subplan
• Courses related to your subplan/thematic focus (total units to complete the major must be 63 or more)

Honors Option:

Students majoring or minoring in FGSS may pursue the FGSS Honors program by taking FEMGEN 104X and a year-long sequence: FEMGEN 199A, B, and C. Honors theses must be at least 15,000 words (excluding notes and figures) and demonstrate original, in-depth research. Creative Honors Projects are more extensive than Capstones and may include formats such as feature-length films, digital media, or curated exhibitions, also accompanied by a substantial written component.

All Honors proposals are reviewed and approved by the FEMGEN 199 instructor(s) and the student’s faculty advisor. Creative projects must meet scholarly standards and clearly articulate their research context, audience, and methodology. Units earned through the FEMGEN 199 series do not count toward the major’s unit requirement.

For more information visit FGSS Honors.

Note: Course offerings change annually. Consult ExploreCourses for current offerings and email the program with questions about applying course credits towards the major.

For more information about the Major and its requirements, please consult our bulletin entry.