Social Justice Studies Degrees

Associate of Arts Degree for Transfer in Social Justice Studies

Students must complete the following requirements:

• 60 semester or 90 quarter CSU-transferable units
• the California State University-General Education-Breadth pattern (CSU GE-Breadth); OR the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) pattern.
• a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in the major or area of emphasis as determined by the community college district.
• obtainment of a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.
• earn a grade of C or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis

Students are not required to complete the information competency requirements, PE requirements or cultural diversity requirements found in other degrees at the College.

Required Core Courses (9 units)

Course Number	Course Title	Units
SOCI 20	Sociology of Race and Ethnicity	3 units

Select one course from the following:

Course Number	Course Title	Units
WGQS 1	Introduction to Women’s Studies	4 units
WGQS 3	Introduction to Gender Studies	3 units
SOCI 28	Sociology of Gender	3 units

Any Required Core Course above not already used OR one of the following:

Course Number	Course Title	Units
ARTS 7	The Art of Asia	3 units
ARTS 1J	Survey of Non-Western Art: Africa Oceania, and Indigenous North Americas	3 units
WGQS 1	Introduction to Women’s Studies	4 units
ENGL 12	African-American Literature	3 units
ENGL 18	Asian American Literature	3 units
HIST 5B	World History From 1500	units
HUMN 1B	Human Values in and from the Arts	3 units
PHIL 1	Introduction to Philosophy	3 units
PSYC 1	General Psychology	3 units
SOCI 1	Introduction to Sociology	3 units
FRNC 1A	Beginning French	5 units
JPNS 1A	Beginning Japanese	5 units
RUSS 1A	Beginning Russian	5 units
SPAN 1A	Beginning Spanish	5 units

List A: Select three course from at least two of the following areas (9 units)

Area 1: History or Government

Course Number	Course Title	Units
HIST 12	African American History	3 units
HIST 14	History of the Native North American	3 units
HIST 16	Mexican-American History	3 units

Area 2: Arts and Humanities

Course Number	Course Title	Units
ARTS 7	The Art of Asia	3 units
ARTS 10	American Art: A Multicultural Approach	3 units
ARTS 13	African-American Art History	3 units
ARTS 14	Women in Art History	3 units
WGQS 2	Women in The Arts: Multicultural Perspectives	3 units
WGQS 3	Introduction to Gender Studies	3 units
WGQS 4A	Women in World Cultures from Prehistory to 1500 CE	3 units

Area 3: Social Science

Course Number	Course Title	Units
ANTH 3/H	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology or Honors	3 units
GEOG 2	Introduction to Cultural Geography	3 units
SOCI 28	Sociology of Gender	3 units
POLI 3	Introduction to Political Science	3 units
ECON 1A	Principles of Macroeconomics	3 units
ECON 1B	Principles of Microeconomics	3 units

Area 4: Quantitative Reasoning and Research Methods

Course Number	Course Title	Units
MATH 10/H	Elementary Statistics or Honors	4 units
PSYC 002/H	Experimental Psychophysiology or Honors	4 units

Area 5: Additional Options

Course Number	Course Title	Units
ARTS 7	Art of Asia	3 units
ARTS 1J	Survey of Non-Western Art: Africa, Oceania, and Indigenous North Americas	3 units
WGQS 1	Introduction to Women’s Studies	4 units
ENGL 12	African-American Literature	3 units
ENGL 18	Asian American Literature	3 units
HIST 5B	World History From 1500	3 units
HUMN 1B	Human Values in and from the Arts	3 units
PHIL 1	Introduction to Philosophy	3 units
PSYC 1	General Psychology	3 units
SOCI 1	Introduction to Sociology	3 units
FRNC 1A	Beginning French	5 units
JPNS 1A	Beginning Japanese	5 units
RUSS 1A	Beginning Russian	5 units
SPAN 1A	Beginning Spanish	5 units

Major Requirements: 18 – 26 units

CSU GE Breadth or IGETC for CSU Requirements: 37 – 39 units

Elective Units As Needed To Total 60 CSU Transferable Units

Associate of Arts Degree in Women, Gender and Queer Studies

The Women, Gender and Queer Studies Associate in Arts degree, which requires 22 units in the major, offers students an interdisciplinary, social justice approach to examining the complex ways that gender informs identity, with an emphasis on the intersection of gender with other identity markers such as race, class, sexuality, ability, ethnicity, nation, and religion, in cultures around the world. A field at the forefront of multicultural and transnational scholarship, Women, Gender and Queer Studies is dynamic and constantly evolving.

In WGQS core courses, students have the opportunity to study the history of women in various world cultures through the millennia, as well as historical changes in Western culture forged by the suffrage, civil rights, gay liberation, and labor movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. Students also have the opportunity to examine contemporary social justice movements and activism in their local communities and around the globe on topics ranging from voting rights to representation in government, from sex work to human trafficking, and from the wage and education gaps to the division of labor.

Drawing on concepts from Global Feminist Studies and Queer Theory, WGQS courses prepare students to analyze gender and sexuality as social constructs both performative and fluid; to think critically about power dynamics based on race, gender, sexuality, social class, ability, and nation; and to develop global perspectives on inequality, development, and human rights issues. The A.A. degree in Women, Gender and Queer Studies also prepares students to contribute to dialogue on issues of fairness and justice locally, nationally, and globally.

The WGQS AA program of study offers lower division courses that help students prepare for transfer to four-year institutions where students have opportunities to engage in advanced scholarship in the vibrant, expanding fields of Social Justice, Gender, Ethnic, and Global Studies leading to careers in professional fields such as humanities, law, education, psychology, administration of justice, and social work; for positions in government agencies and non-governmental organizations focused on human rights and social justice. After completing the Women, Gender and Queer Studies AA, students will be able to:

• Examine women’s access to political, social, and economic power throughout history and across cultures.
• Analyze gender roles using intersectional analysis, via lenses of race, ethnicity, sex identity, gender, sexuality, social class, and ability, in various cultural and historical contexts.
• Compare the social construction of gender, race, class, sexuality, and disabilities in different cultures and historical periods; analyze the intersection of these social constructs in the lives of women, men, and gender variant individuals in different global societies.
• Describe gender and sexuality as existing on a continuum rather than as static identities, using historical, psychological, sociological, and semantical language analysis as evidence.
• Analyze cultural attitudes about sexuality using intersectional, feminist, and historical perspectives.
• Analyze and critique the social construction of sexuality and gender categories such as woman, man, non-binary, lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual, trans, and queer.
• Analyze and critique gender images in literature, visual and performing arts, media, and popular culture.
• Participate in dialogue about fairness and justice in matters related to sex identity, gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, ability, culture and religion.

Required Core Courses: 10 units

Course Number	Course Title	Units
WGQS 1	Introduction to Women’s Studies	4 units
WGQS 2	Women in the Arts: Multicultural Perspectives	3 units
WGQS 3	Introduction to Gender Studies	3 units
WGQS 4A	Women in World Cultures from Prehistory to 1500 CE	3 units

Complete at least 9 units from the following:

Course Number	Course Title	Units
ARTS 14	Women in Art History	3 units
BIOL 55	Biology of Sex	3 units
HEDU 10	Human Sexuality	3 units
PSYC 9	Psychology Women: A Multicultural	3 units
WGQS 4A	Women in World Cultures from Prehistory to 1500 CE	3 units
WGQS 2	Women in the Arts: Multicultural Perspectives	3 units
ANTH 3	Introduction to Cultural Anthropology	3 units
ANTH 3H	General Psychology	3 units
PSYC 1	English Composition	3 units
SOCI 2	Social Problems	3 units
ENGL 1B	English Composition	3 units
ENGL 41	Literature and Film	3 units
ENGL 43	Classical Mythology	3 units
ENGL 43H	Honors Classical Mythology	3 units
ENGL 46	Contemporary American MultiCultural Literature	3 units
ENGL 46H	Honors Contemporary American Multi-Cultural	3 units
ENGL 49	Modern Fiction	3 units
ENGL 49H	Honors Modern Fiction	3 units
ENGL 1A	English Composition	3 units
ENGL 1C	Critical Thinking and Writing	3 units
ENGL 1CH	Honors Critical Thinking and Writing	3 units
CHST 5	Diversity: Childhood and Culture	3 units
SOCI 28	Sociology of Gender	3 units

OR

Complete other English courses identified in the Schedule of 3 Classes as having a Women’s Studies, Gender Studies, or Queer Studies emphasis. Students should consult with the Chair of WGQS to determine which courses qualify in a given semester.

Total Major Units: 22 units

To be awarded an A.A. Degree, a student must complete:

1. All the major requirements
2. Additional units to meet the college graduation requirement