The Ethnic, Gender and Labor Studies major examines how communities form and are transformed, with a focus on the relationship between social class, race and ethnicity and gender. Through a wide variety of courses in the social sciences and humanities, students explore historical roots of various communities and analyze movements to facilitate labor and community organizing, coalition building, conflict resolution, group empowerment and movements for social change. Students may choose from three options:

Ethnic Studies Option

The Ethnic Studies option allows students to study race and ethnicity through an interdisciplinary lens. Students interested in this option take courses using an ethnic specific approach (i.e., African American, Chicano/Latino, Asian American, Native American) to examine the contributions of people from diverse racial and ethnic groups to various areas of study including economics, gender studies, history, literature, politics and sociology within global and local contexts.

Gender Studies Option

The Gender Studies option offers courses that focus on gender roles and gender identity from a variety of theoretical approaches. These courses not only investigate the concepts of gender and sexuality, but emphasize the intersections with such diverse phenomena as society, politics, literature, globalization, music, economics, art, poverty, communication, race, film, work and popular culture.

Labor Studies Option

The Labor Studies option offers courses on the experience of work and workers in modern market economies. Courses take an interdisciplinary approach to the political, economic and social developments that shape working life, along with workers' impact on society, including unions and the labor movement, social class and inequality, the changing nature of work, international political economy and workplace culture and emphasizes the connections between race, class and gender in an economic context.

ADVISOR

Toni Woodman

Schedule with Toni

MAJOR COORDINATORS

Professor Margaret Griesse
Professor Emily Ignacio

DEPARTMENT

Department of Social Sciences (SOCS)

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

  • Business
  • Community Organizations
  • Human Resources
  • Labor Unions
  • Nonprofit Management
  • Post-graduate Studies

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • At least 45 lower-division credits

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

For a BA in Ethnic, Gender and Labor Studies, you need to complete 60 credits.

UW Tacoma Graduation Requirements