Queen's University

Gender Studies

The undergraduate program in Gender Studies at Queen’s offers courses in politics, feminist, queer and gender theory, anti-racism, transgender studies, settler-colonial studies, social justice, popular culture and the critical analysis of everyday events. From theatre and presentations to essays and blogs, we work with students on high-quality public speaking, meticulous research and clear, thoughtful writing. We work across the arts and social sciences to produce a truly interdisciplinary program, one that prepares students for a broad range of careers, including law, academia, medicine, public service, media and activism.

Whether in our international exchange program in Oslo, Norway, or in our local community-based activism practicum, we prepare our students to be global citizens. With a strong core and over 35 cross-appointed faculty from 21 different departments, Gender Studies provides breadth, depth and challenge. GNDS also administers a Certificate Program in Sexual and Gender Diversity (SXGD) open to students in all degree plans.

See our Major Map to learn more

Location: 
Mackintosh-Corry Hall
Room number: 
D504
Telephone: 
613-533-6318
Email: 
kathy.baer@queensu.ca
URL: 
http://www.queensu.ca/gnds/
Department Head: 
Samantha King
Acting Undergraduate Chair: 
Melissa Houghtaling
Graduate Director: 
Scott Morgensen
Administrative/Graduate Assistant: 
T. Easter Sheen

Degree Options

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - BAH

Major in Gender Studies
A major is an intensive course of study in one discipline, with approximately half of your courses within the discipline with room for an optional minor in any other Arts and Science discipline.

Medial in Gender Studies
A dual course of study in Gender Studies and any other Arts discipline.

Minor in Gender Studies
A minor is a less intensive course of study in the discipline that must be combined with a major in another discipline.

Internship option available

For a full list of Degree Plans, see the Academic Calendar

Graduate Degree Options

Gender Studies - MA

Job and Career Opportunities for Gender Studies Grads

Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program combining the arts and social sciences and working with both historical and contemporary materials. The field is attentive to the sex-gender spectrum, to anti-racism, and to decolonization, as well as to critical thinking, and to creative and professional self-expression. Our job placement is outstanding and our graduates work in some of the following areas:

Where could Genders students go after graduation?

  • Activism (including anti-racist, trans-inclusive and feminist)
  • Advertising
  • Arts administration
  • Arts and theatre
  • Communications and media
  • Community organizing
  • Counselling 
  • Cultural affairs
  • Editing
  • Education
  • Ethics
  • Events and festival management
  • Health and medicine
  • Human resources
  • Human rights
  • Immigration services
  • International development
  • Labour and industrial relations
  • Law
  • Marketing and promotions
  • Media and film
  • Museum studies and curation
  • NGOs
  • Patient Advocacy
  • Planning
  • Politics
  • Public health
  • Public relations
  • Public service and public policy
  • Social work
  • Student affairs

Note: Some of these careers may require additional training.

Certificate in Sexual and Gender Diversity

The Sexual and Gender Diversity Certificate Program offers you the opportunity to think through and engage with your particular scholarly interests — from nursing, art history, law, political and religious studies to music, kinesiology or languages from the vantage point of sexualities or queer/trans gender issues. At a time when sexual minority concerns are on the public agenda, the Certificate Program provides an academic context for you to participate in these discussions. More now than ever, a certificate in SXGD can provide you with knowledge and skills you can take to careers such as journalism, family planning, mediation, counseling, social work, adult education, arts administration, writing, publishing, politics, social policy, law, medicine, engineering, human rights, or advanced studies in your disciplinary concentration. This Certificate is available to all undergraduate students regardless of their degree concentration.

Delivery Mode: On-campus

Number of Units: 30 units (5-10 courses)

Open to:

  • Current Arts and Science students (online or on-campus)
  • Current Engineering, Business, Health Science students
Courses:
  • GNDS 215/3.0
  • 3.0 units in any course in any department that has a major written assignment or two minor written assignments on the intersection of race and sexual and/or gender diversity.
  • 24.0 unites in any course in any department that has a major written assignment or two minor written assignments on the subject of sexual and/or gender diversity.
NOTES:
  1. All courses must be approved by the Certificate Coordinator.
  2. Students must pass all courses relating to the certificate with a minimum c umulative Grade Point Average of 1.90.
  3. Students considering adding the Certificate in Sexual and Gender Diversity to their degree program should consult as soon as possible with the Certificate Coordinator in the Department of Gender Studies regarding course selection. The Certificate Coordinator will track students’ progress throughout the certificate progr am and approve on an annual basis the selection and appropriate completion of coursework.
 

Apply

Students considering adding the Certificate in Geographic Information Science to their degree program should consult as soon as possible with the Department of Geography and Planning.

Current Arts and Science (on-campus) Students

Simply send an email  to the Student Services Team in Arts and Science and they will get it added to your student account.

Current Engineering, Business, Health Science Students

Simply send an email to the Student Services Team in Arts and Science and they will get it added to your student account.

Exchange Opportunity to Oslo

Would you like to be a GNDS exchange student and go to the Centre for Gender Research at the University of Oslo in Norway for one term?

Oslo exchange for Gender Studies at Queen's University

More information on the Exchange to Oslo >

Alumni Profile

“Looking back on my Queen’s experience, my immediate memories are not of moving day, football games in tricolour, or of the sunny afternoons spent by Lake Ontario. When I think of my time at Queen’s what I remember most is feeling a sense of acceptance and belonging in my first Gender Studies class. Taking a few Gender Studies courses in my first two years at Queen’s introduced me to a discipline that combined academics with activism, passion with purpose, and took an intersectional approach to discussing axis of identity and oppression. I had found my space; I felt at home.”
Laura Hughes: Gender Studies ’13

Undergraduate Course Highlights

Niqab Bans, #blacklivesmatter, GamerGate—what are the realitites behind the hashtags and headlines? Gender, Race and Popular Culture explores what’s happening right now. Histories matter too, examined from many angles. Study LGBTQ+ representation and politics in Introductory or Advanced SXGD courses. Discover how we wear our histories in Gender, Dress and Fashion, and Racism, Colonialism and Resistance.

Undergraduate Admission to Gender Studies

Students apply to Queen’s Arts (QA) through the OUAC (Ontario Universities Application Centre) website (ouac.on.ca). Secondary School prerequisites include six 4U and 4M courses, including a minimum of three 4U courses, one of which must be ENG4U. Applicants outside of Ontario may have additional requirements. Visit queensu.ca/admission for additional information regarding requirements and admission to Queen's.

Graduate Studies

In keeping with the Queen’s commitment to global engagement, the MA in Gender Studies emphasizes the ways in which women, gender and politics are informed by questions of racism, colonialism, and globalization. Key areas focus on the intersections of: gender, sexualities and feminist politics; migratory and (post)colonial cultures (indigenous, global and diasporic); labour, class, and location; and, cultural representation. The program is both cutting-edge and attendant to the traditional scholarly strengths of gender studies and women’s studies. Courses, research queries and discussions encourage interdisciplinarity, and support new ways of looking at issues of sex/gender.

Future students looking to do intense scholarly research related to the areas mentioned above will excel in the MA. Research-oriented coursework and thesis will provide a foundation for work at the doctoral level or in social services, business or government. The MA program meets current societal needs, complements extant programs in Ontario, and fits well within the context of graduate studies at Queen’s. The resources of the Department and the University will support incoming MA candidates.

The Graduate Program in Gender Studies offers a one-year MA option. Keeping with our commitment to engaging theoretically rigorous and activist-minded studies of gender, the one-year MA will involve intense course work and a major research paper (as well as practicum option for interested students). In order to facilitate this transition smoothly, all incoming students—including those applying for Fall 2015 admission—will be applying for the one-year MA option. Students who wish to consider a two-year thesis option must apply for this in December of their first year of candidacy.  Learn more

For queries regarding the Graduate Program, please contact our Graduate Assistant, Terrie Easter Sheen terrie.eastersheen@queensu.ca or 613-533-6000 ext 75397.