Gender and Social Justice

two women talking to each other

Advocate for gender equality, social justice, and positive change

Overview

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Explore the ways society is shaped by gender. Be an advocate for equity, justice, and positive change. Learn the important role gender and sex play in all aspects of life. Over the course of your degree, you’ll develop a deep expertise in issues of gender, diversity, equality, and social justice.

You’ll be joining a highly-engaged group of students who are active members of their student society, department, and university as well as the student-led Women’s Centre, The Glow Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity, and the surrounding community. You'll also have the opportunity to gain work experience through co-op.

What courses will you take in Gender and Social Justice?

First-year courses

As an Arts student, you’ll choose your major at the end of first year. You’re encouraged to explore a second major in first year to discover potential new interests.

You will also take an Arts First course in either the fall or winter term of your first year. In this course, instead of going to a lecture hall, you and your classmates will work together to respond to an intriguing challenge. With only 25 students in this course, you might address topics such as The Science of Happiness, Are We Erasing History?, Games and Culture, and Writing About Poems and Songs.

During your first year, you'll take three introductory Gender and Social Justice (GSJ) courses. Plus, you'll have electives to explore an additional major of your choosing. In upper years, 40% of the classes you'll take will be GSJ courses.

You can choose to study Gender and Social Justice through Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business.

Honours Arts

September to December

  • GSJ 101 – Introduction to Gender and Social Justice: the Global North
  • Arts First requirement or elective
  • Prospective major #2
  • Two electives

January to April

  • Choose two courses from
    • GSJ 102 – Introduction to Gender and Social Justice: the Global South
    • GSJ 201 – Gender and Social Justice in Popular Culture
    • GSJ 207 – Entrepreneurship, Gender and Social Justice
  • Arts First requirement or elective
  • Prospective major #2
  • One elective

Honours Arts and Business

September to December

  • ARBUS 101 – Introduction to Business in North America
  • ECON 101 – Introduction to Microeconomics
  • Arts First Requirement or elective
  • GSJ 101 – Introduction to Gender and Social Justice: the Global North
  • Prospective major #2

January to April

  • ARBUS 102 – Accounting Information for Managers
  • ARBUS 202 – Professional and Business Ethics
  • Arts First Requirement or elective
  • Prospective major #2

Plus one course from

  • GSJ 102 – Introduction to Gender and Social Justice: the Global South
  • GSJ 201 – Gender and Social Justice in Popular Culture
  • GSJ 207 – Entrepreneurship, Gender and Social Justice

This is a sample schedule. Courses or when a course is offered may change depending on availability. 

After first year

40% of the classes you’ll take will be Gender and Social Justice courses. With your remaining classes, you can choose electives from many of the 100 subject areas at Waterloo.

Sample upper-year courses

GSJ 262 – Global Queer Cinema
GSJ 307 – Race and Resistance
GSJ 347 – Witches, Wives, and Whores
GSJ 430 – Unruly Women in Early Modern Hispanic Culture

Customize your degree

You can add additional areas of expertise by including one or more of the minors available to all Waterloo students.

Faculty:
Faculty of Arts

Degree:
Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Social Justice

Available as a co-op program?
Yes

Available as a regular program?
Yes

Available as a minor?
Yes

Get serious work experience. You’ll also have the option to gain real-world job experience, with paid co-op experience available through both the Honours Arts and Business and the Honour Arts programs.

Join a global movement. Waterloo is the only Canadian university invited to join the United Nations’ HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 framework to advance gender equity.

Co-op = relevant paid work experience

By taking what you learn about gender studies and social justice in class and combining it with paid work experience through our co-op program, you'll gain relevant work experience and be able to explore new career areas and types of employers as your interests evolve.

Sample co-op job titles

  • Digital marketing intern
  • Teaching assistant
  • Customer success lead

Co-op work-study sequence

Starting in second year, you'll normally alternate between school and work every four months, integrating your classroom learning with real-world experience. You can return to the same employer for a couple of work terms to gain greater knowledge and responsibility or work for different employers to get a broad range of experience.

If you choose to study Gender and Social Justice through Honours Arts and Business, your first work term will be halfway through second year (January to April 2027).

Year September to December (Fall) January to April (Winter) May to August (Spring)
First Study Study Off
Second Study Co-op Study
Third Co-op Study Co-op
Fourth Study Co-op Co-op
Fifth Study Study -

or after second year (which can be May to August 2027), if you choose Honours Arts

Year September to December (Fall) January to April (Winter) May to August (Spring)
First Study Study Off
Second Study Study Co-op
Third Study Co-op Study
Fourth Co-op Study Co-op
Fifth Co-op Study -

Learn more about co-op →

What can you do with a degree in gender studies and social justice?

Upon graduating, you'll be primed for a career in law, social policy planning, community action, counselling, teaching, human rights, or many other fields. Or take your studies further and pursue a master's program in a variety of areas.

Recent graduates

  • Counselling Co-ordinator — Planned Parenthood
  • Social Worker — Elizabeth Fry Society
  • Teacher — Grand River Collegiate Institute

Learn about the future of careers in arts, humanities, social sciences, languages, and creative arts.

Tuition fees

First-year tuition

Type of fees Tuition (8 months of school)
Domestic (Ontario residents) $9,000
Domestic (Out of province students) $9,000
International (visa students) $57,000
 
  • Estimated amounts listed include incidental fees. Fees based on 2024-25 tuition rates.
  • Visit our financing page to learn about scholarships, estimate your total expenses, and see how co-op can help pay for your education.

Admissions

Apply to Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business and choose Gender and Social Justice as your major at the end of first year.

Ontario students: six Grade 12 U and/or M courses including

  • Any Grade 12 U English (minimum final grade of at least 70%)

Admission average: Low 80s (co-op and regular)

Not studying in Ontario? Search our admission requirements for Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business.

Related programs

Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

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Questions about courses, programs, requirements, careers?

Please contact our Faculty of Arts recruitment team who can answer any questions you have.