Welcome to Gender and Social Justice

What is a degree in Gender and Social Justice? Gender and Social Justice (GSJ) focuses on intersectionality, activism, and systemic inequality. This diverse discipline can teach you about intersectional feminist theory and praxis, queer theory and trans studies, reproductive rights and social justice, decolonial and anti-racism, diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and feminist epistemology of economic models. With a degree in GSJ, you can develop the tools to work towards building a better future.

With this broad range of study, career possibilities for students with a degree in GSJ include (but are not limited to) politics, education, counselling, law, women’s health, social work, and government. With the University of Waterloo’s Co-Op program, you can make meaningful work placement connections that can lead to job prospects.

We feel that the Gender and Social Justice program at the University of Waterloo is one of the best places to study because it is uniquely positioned to explore vast interdisciplinary options within Health, Legal Studies, Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, Black Studies, English and Philosophy. GSJ at Waterloo offers some exciting courses, such as sexuality and the law, global health, gender issues, queer and trans studies, women’s writing, research as resistance, the ethics of care, politics and anthropologies of the body and racism in education.

Find out more about our Undergraduate programs and plans, Learn how to apply to the Gender and Social Justice Undergraduate degree program.

Arwyn James (Gender and Social Justice Major):

It’s hard to choose a single favourite part of the Gender & Social Justice degree (GSJ) major because each course I have taken has shaped me in a different way. Now in my third year, I can confidently say that what stands out the most about GSJ is the freedom to pursue what genuinely interests me. As long as our work is grounded in course readings, we are encouraged to build projects around our own passions. That flexibility, combined with the dedication of GSJ professors who truly care about their students’ growth, has transformed the way that I learn.

Through this pedagogical approach, I discovered unexpected interests in media studies and food systems, something I know I would have never explored otherwise. This major has shown me that there is gender and social justice everywhere, from science and math to arts and English. My current career goal is to work in food sustainability, working to develop more equitable and low-carbon-producing food systems. GSJ hasn’t just shaped my education, it has reshaped how I understand the world and my own place within it.

The Gender and Social Justice program is closely associated with the Department of Philosophy, in particular those who work in Feminist Philosophy. Our staff administers both programs, and many of our faculty teach in both areas. For more information on the Philosophy Department, visit the Philosophy website.