Achievement | Cooperation | Integrity | Justice
WGSS at Wake Forest University offers courses with a feminist interdisciplinary lens alongside outreach with human-to-human connections through which our students could realize the practical and emotional impact of feminist activism. We teach the whole student—mind, body, and spirit with the goal of transformation and renewal of the individual and the communities to which we belong.
Why WGSS?
WGSS will challenge your critical thinking and prepare you to be successful within your chosen career field.
Academics
Learn more about WGSS class offerings and requirements for our undergraduate and graduate concentrations.
Meet the Faculty
Meet the distinguished Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies faculty.
The Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Wake Forest University is pleased to host the 2026 WGS Annual Symposium, Feminist Futurities: 50 More Years of Feminist Scholarship and Activism in the South. Justice is an ongoing project—one shaped by struggle, imagination, and a continually shifting horizon. For more than fifty years, WGS South has served as a vital gathering space for the exchange of knowledge, tools, and strategies that advance collective feminist visions. As we confront the complexities of the present moment, we honor our shared histories and draw upon them to chart paths forward. The symposium will feature a distinguished lineup of guest speakers who are leaders in feminist scholarship and activism, including keynote speaker Dr. Andrea Baldwin and plenary speaker Dr. Menah Pratt. Join us March 19–21, 2026, as we envision feminist futures in the classroom and beyond.
Upcoming Events
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March 19, 2026
Benson University CenterFeminist Futurities: 50 More Years of Feminist Scholarship and Activism in the South Thursday, March 19, 2026 – Saturday, March 21, 2026 WGS South, formerly known as the Southeastern Women's Studies Association (SEWSA), is proud to announce 50 years as the oldest and longest-standing organization for the study of women, gender, and sexuality in North … -
March 24, 2026 | 5:00pm
Z. Smith Reynolds LibraryThe Program in African American Studies will be hosting a book talk and public conversation with Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall. Dr.Guy-Sheftall is a trailblazing Black feminist scholar, whose passion for the many communities she encompasses is evident in her work and friendships she has built over the … -
March 31, 2026 | 7:30pm
Brendle Recital HallHalf the Sky – Yin Mei DanceTuesday, March 31, 20267:30–8:30 pmBrendle Recital Hall, Wake Forest UniversityFree Admission; Open to the Public Renowned dancer and choreographer Yin Mei presents her latest work, Half the Sky, an evening-length dance and visual performance rooted in the language of the body, responding to enduring mythologies surrounding women … -
April 1, 2026 | 5:00pm
Z. Smith Reynolds Library“Artist, Body, Rupture in Warped Time”Guest Lecture: Prof. Yin Mei, CUNY–Queens CollegeWednesday, April 1, 20265:00–6:30 pmZSR Auditorium (Room 404)Free Admission; Open to the Public This lecture examines how the artist’s body became a living archive during China’s Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), a decade when ideology reorganized aesthetics, labor, and memory. … -
April 2, 2026 | 5:00pm
Benson University Center“Wellness through Dance and Somatic Education”Guest Lecture & Demonstration: Prof. Yin Mei, CUNY–Queens CollegeThursday, April 2, 20265:00–6:00 pmBenson 409Free Admission; Open to the Public Guest lecture and demonstration by Prof. Yin Mei, CUNY–Queens College. Yin Mei is a dancer, choreographer, and educator whose work bridges cultures, histories, and artistic …
WGSS YouTube Channel
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– Dr. Maya Angelou
WGSS News
- Art, Activism, and Representation with Micah BazantWomen’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Jewish Studies invites you to join us February 3-10 for “Art, Activism, and Representation with Micah Bazant,” a pilot community-engaged artist-in-resident program, featuring the […]
- Voices in Equity Podcast Episode: “Black Women and Da Rona” featuring Dr. Julia Jordan-Zachery and Dr. Shamara AlhassanWomen’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department chair, Dr. Julia Jordan-Zachery, was featured on Voices in Equity, a podcast from The Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University, […]
- 2023 WFU Student Research SymposiumFor the 11th year of the annual student research symposium on gender and sexuality, Wake Forest University (U.S.) is partnering with University of Georgia (U.S.) and […]