Introducing the USask Gender, Sexualities and Social Justice Program

By Chris Putnam

Gender studies programs at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are changing names in a move that will better reflect the programs’ diversity and scope.

Gender, Sexualities and Social Justice (GENS) is the new name of the College of Arts and Science’s undergraduate- and graduate-level programs in the field formerly known as Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST). The change went into effect on Sept. 1, 2026.

“I think the name change signals a welcome to all of the positions that students emerge from, all of the questions that they bring,” said Dr. Marie Lovrod (PhD), associate professor of GENS and English.

The new name describes a shift that has already happened in the discipline both at USask and across Canada: a move from a focus on women’s studies to a comprehensive, interdisciplinary study of gender, sexualities and social justice.

Two years ago, the programs surveyed current and former WGST students, instructors and community members about the values they believed the programs represented and their ideas for names. The respondents strongly supported a name change.

“We start to see that using the term ‘gender’ is actually a much more inclusive term. Adding the term ‘sexualities’ is really important also, because people have for a long time confused the two. And then ‘social justice studies,’ I think, really affirms the intersectional approaches: taking seriously all of the diversities, including race, class, abilities, age, ethnicity, religion,” said Lovrod.

Graduates from the programs often find careers in advocacy, policy, education and social work. Faculty in GENS believe the new name will signal the programs’ commitment to justice-oriented education—a priority of both students and employers.

“I think that employers really appreciate people who come through social justice programs because you can trust that they are not going to have knee-jerk stereotypical responses to critical questions. They're going to do the work. They're going to seriously pay attention to the complexities of the issues. And they're going be invested in securing the input of those most affected,” said Lovrod.

The first WGST courses were taught at USask in 1991. In 2020, WGST found a new home in the Department of Political Studies. Faculty members from departments across the College of Arts and Science contribute to delivering the programs.

USask students can pursue a Bachelor of Arts or a Master of Arts in GENS. Courses in the undergraduate program can also be applied toward a Certificate in Applied Gender Justice or a Certificate in Queer Theory, Gender Diversity and Sexualities Studies.

Students who registered in WGST programs before the 2026-27 academic year will have the choice of graduating under the old name or switching to the current catalogue year and graduating with the new name.