Courses in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) examine how gender and sexuality affect and intersect with many aspects of the world in which we live, including political structures; social relations; economic institutions; the production of literature, art and history; and cultural representations of gender, sexuality, race, class and ethnicity. The curriculum provides opportunities to explore the specificity of gendered experiences, concerns and perspectives, and to see how these vary among different social groups and at different points in time. WGSS courses examine the ways constructions of difference — ethnicity, race, class, nationality, ability and religion — intersect with constructions of gender and sexuality. The department has four areas of focus around which courses are organized: literature/theory/history; sexuality/the body/health; global and transnational feminist and gender studies; and critical race studies of gender and sexuality. Students may choose to concentrate in one of these areas or to investigate all four.

Among the first in the nation (est. 1972), the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University has emphasized the importance of gender and sexuality to such disciplines and interdisciplinary programs as philosophy, psychology, history, education, law, architecture, art history and archaeology, anthropology, political science, international studies, American culture studies, and studies in culture and languages.

The Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies offers both interdisciplinary courses based in the department and more disciplinary-based courses coming from departments and programs throughout the university. Examples of interdisciplinary courses located within the department include: Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Black Masculinities; Women's Healthcare in America; Queer Histories; On Love and Intimacy: Theorizing Kinship in the Multiple; Transnational Feminisms; and Sex, Gender, and Popular Culture.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies students are often leaders in campus organizations that deal with issues concerning women, gender relations, sexuality and health. They also participate in a wide spectrum of co-curricular organizations available to undergraduates, including Students for Choice, Uncle Joe's Peer Counseling, MORE, Student Forum on Sexuality, SARAH, Pride Alliance WU, and the Representation Project.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies encourages students to think critically and to participate actively in their education. Most classes are small, rely heavily on classroom discussion, and emphasize interaction between faculty and students. Courses in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies can be taken as electives, toward a primary or secondary major, or toward a minor. Graduate students can pursue a certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies can help students prepare for a career that involves women's and men's concerns or issues of gender or sexuality. Many graduates who continue their schooling choose to focus on such issues in medical school, law school, public health programs or social work. Some students envisage a career in college or university teaching, where they can apply a gender studies focus. Other students find jobs in social agencies focused on women's or gender issues. Others currently are employed in such areas as health care, business, education, the arts, media, politics and law.