Women's Studies (BA Program)

Jacqueline Holler, Associate Professor and Coordinator
Maryna Romanets, Professor
Theresa Healy, Adjunct Professor

Website:  http://www.unbc.ca/gender-studies

Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to studying the historical, cultural, literary, and societal role of women and gender.  UNBC's program has strengths in areas such as women's and gender history; gender, literature, and literary theory; gender, colonialism, and postcolonialism; gender and globalization; feminism, justice, and ethics; gender and health; and gender and international studies.

The Women's Studies program offers majors and minors in Women's Studies and, in cooperation with other programs, four joint majors.  At the graduate level, the program offers a Master's degree in Gender Studies.


Major in Women's Studies (BA)
Joint Major in English and Women's Studies (BA)
Joint Major in First Nations Studies and Women's Studies (BA)
Joint Major in History and Women's Studies (BA)
Joint Major in Political Science and Women's Studies (BA)
Minor in Women's Studies


Major in Women's Studies

A major in Women's Studies requires students to take 48 credit hours of Women's Studies (16 courses), at least 36 credit hours of which must be upper division courses either in Women's Studies or from the gender-and/or women related offerings of other programs.

The minimum requirement for completion of a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Women's Studies is 120 credit hours.

Program Requirements

Lower Division Requirement
WMST 100-3 Introduction to Women's Studies
Three additional Women's Studies courses at the 100 or 200 Level.

Upper Division Requirement
WMST 302-3 Women and the Contemporary World
WMST 307-3 Qualitative Research Methods
Three of the following: 
Indigenous Women:  Perspectives 
History of Feminism
Introduction to the History of Gender
Topics in Aboriginal Women's Studies
Contemporary Women's Literature
Additional Requirement

Seven courses (21 credits) selected from the following:
Lesbian and Bisexual Lives 
Contemporary Feminist Theories
Selected Topics
Anthropological Perspectives on Inequality 
ANTH 406-3 Feminist Perspectives in Anthropology
ECON 301-3 Women and the Economy
ENVS 309-3 Women and Environmental Issues
First Nations Perspectives on Race, Class, Gender, and Power 
HIST 309-3 Women in Canada
HIST 453-3 Topics in the History of Gender
HIST 454-3 Topics in Women's History
INTS 308-3 Gender and International Studies
Women and Health 
Alternative courses related to women and/or gender may be substituted with the written permission of the Program Coordinator.


Elective and Academic Breadth Requirement

Electives to ensure completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours, including any additional credits necessary to meet the Academic Breadth requirement of the University (see Academic Regulation 15).


Joint Major in English and Women's Studies (BA)


Joint Major in First Nations Studies and Women's Studies (BA)


Joint Major in History and Women's Studies (BA)


Joint Major in Political Science and Women's Studies (BA)


Minor in Women's Studies

In conjunction with a major in another program, students may pursue a minor in Women's Studies. A minor in Women's Studies requires 18 credit hours of Women's Studies courses, 12 of which must be upper division courses. Courses used to fulfill program requirements for a major (or another minor) may not be used toward a minor in Women's Studies.

Updated: June 7, 2022