The Graduate School Bulletin
Graduate Programs in Women's and Gender Studies
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Admissions Information
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Faculty
Overview
Requirements for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies
Requirements for the Master of Arts in Women's and Gender Studies
Individualized Program
Gender and Community Leadership Concentration
Gender and Health Concentration
WGS Women's and Gender Studies Courses
Faculty
Coordinating Council:
Professors
Mary Ellis Gibson, Ph.D.
Department of English.
Diane L. Gill, Ph.D.
Department of Exercise and Sport Science.
Karen Kilcup, Ph.D.
Department of English.
Hephzibah Roskelly, Ph.D.
Department of English.
Jacquelyn W. White, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology.
Associate Professors
Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater, Ph.D.
Department of English.
Ann Dils, Ph.D.
Department of Dance.
Katherine Jamieson, Ph.D.
Department of Exercise and Sport Science. (Director of Women’s and Gender Studies Program).
Paige Hall Smith, Ph.D.
Department of Public Health Education and Director of the Center for Women’s Health and Wellness.
Leila Villaverde, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations.
Assistant Professors
Danielle Bouchard, Ph.D.
Women’s and Gender Studies Program.
C.P. Gause, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations.
Tracy Nicholls, Ph.D.
Department of Public Health Education.
Carisa Showden, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science.
Visiting Assistant Professor
Nadine Ehlers, Ph.D.
Women’s and Gender Studies Program.
Lecturer
Catherine D. Holderness, Ed.D. (Ex Officio)
Department of Business Administration.
Overview
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program
The Women’s and Gender Studies Program offers a program of study leading to a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in women’s and gender studies. Holders of the certificate are prepared for interdisciplinary teaching as well as for careers in nonprofit, governmental, and corporate venues. The certificate program also prepares students for entry into professional degree programs in such fields as law, child development, and public health. The program combines core courses, elective courses, independent study, and/or practicum integrating theory and practice.
Admission Requirements
In addition to the application materials required by The Graduate School, applicants must submit a statement of goals describing how their previous study and experience have prepared them for the certificate program. No test scores (GRE, MAT) are required; however, if applying for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate along with another degree program, please refer to the degree granting department for admission test requirements. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, candidates may present a baccalaureate degree in any field.
Master of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies
The Women’s and Gender Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary graduate program of study leading to a master’s degree in women’s and gender studies. It prepares graduates for professional employment and for further study. The master’s program offers three options: 1) an option for students who wish to pursue a general degree with an individualized program, 2) a concentration in gender and community leadership, and 3) a concentration in gender and health. The concentrations in gender and health and gender and community leadership have an important component of professional skills development and prepares students for employment in non-faculty \ positions in education, in non-profit organizations, government and business. Students completing the program with individualized concentrations will, upon graduation, pursue doctoral degrees in women’s and gender studies or other professional degrees; they will find or continue employment in such diverse areas as counseling, university teaching, the arts, and business.
Admission Requirements
Students are admitted to the M.A. degree program on the basis of academic achievement without regard to undergraduate major. In addition to the application materials required by The Graduate School, applicants must submit a statement of purpose highlighting motivation, specific option/area of interest within the program, relevant experience or background particular to the proposed study and a sample of analytical or professional writing of 5-15 pages.
Requirements for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies
Fifteen (15) credit hours must be successfully completed during a five-year period to earn the certificate. At least 9 hours of course work must be at the 600-level or above. Courses fulfilling the certificate program may be used to meet the requirements in a degree program in accordance with the policies of The Graduate School.
Curriculum requirements consist of a core course (3 hours), either a practicum (3 hours) or independent study (3 hours), and a minimum of 9 hours of electives. Students enrolled in a graduate degree program must take at least 3 credit hours of course work (exclusive of the practicum) outside the degree-granting department.
Required Core Courses (3 hours)
WGS 650 Feminist Theory: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Class (3)
The courses below may be taken in substitution for WGS 650 with permission of the advisor. These may also serve as electives.
WGS 651 Feminist Research Analysis (3) (with permission of instructor)
CST 659 Communication and Gendered Communities (3)
ELC 678 Feminist Theories and Education (3)
ELC 680 International Perspectives in Feminism (3)
ENG 531 Feminist Theory and Women Writers (3)
ENG 688 Women’s Rhetoric and Feminist Pedagogy (3)
HDF 624 Feminist Theory and Research Methodologies (3)
Internship or Independent Study (3 hours)
Students must take either:
WGS 600 Independent Study (3)
WGS 601 Women’s and Gender Studies Internship (3)
Electives (9 hours)
Minimum of 9 hours chosen from among the following or other courses as approved by the advisor and the chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Program Committee:
WGS 600 Independent Study (3) (if not taken as requirement)
WGS 601 Women’s and Gender Studies Internship (3) (if not taken as requirement)
WGS 698 Culminating Project (3) (with permission of the Director of Graduate Studies)
CED 574a Contemporary Topics in Counseling: Counseling Women (3)
CST 659 Communication and Gendered Communities (3) (if not taken to meet core requirement)
CUI 555 Multicultural Education (3)
ELC 609 Epistemology and Education (3)
ELC 664 Foundations of Interpretive Inquiry (3)
ELC 698 Gender, Art, Politics, and Pedagogy (3)
ESS 532 Women in Sport and Physical Activity (3)
ESS 630 Sport and Society: Social Inequalities (3)
HDF 673 The Family in Comparative Perspective (3)
HEA 662 Gender and Health (3)
HEA 665 Violence and Public Health (3)
HIS 530 History of Sexuality: Selected Topics (3)
HIS 551 Gender and History: Selected Topics (3)
MLS 610 Culture and Ideas (3) (when focus is on gender)
MLS 620 Human Nature and Society (3) (when focus is on gender)
Many graduate courses focusing on gender are offered under special topics numbers. Each semester the Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Program will designate courses that meet WGS certificate requirements. Students should check the Women’s and Gender Studies Program website or the Schedule of Courses for a current listing.
Requirements for the Master of Arts in Women's and Gender Studies
Thirty-six (36) credit hours must be successfully completed during a five-year period to earn the master’s degree in women’s and gender studies. There are three program options: 1) an option for students who wish to pursue the general degree and who will design an individualized program of study in consultation with an advisor, 2) a concentration in gender and community leadership, and 3) a concentration in gender and health. Students in all three programs will take the common core and capstone experience of 15-18 hours plus 21 or more additional hours.
Required Core Courses (12 hours)
Students in all three options must take two core courses, one elective, practicum, and either culminating project or thesis.
WGS 601 Women’s and Gender Studies Internship (3)
WGS 650 Feminist Theory: Intersections of Gender, Race and Class (3)
WGS 651 Feminist Research Analysis (3)
Students must take at least one additional theory course from the following as a core.
CST 659 Communication and Gendered Communities (3)
ELC 678 Feminist Theories and Education (3)
ELC 680 International Perspectives in Feminism (3)
ENG 531 Feminist Theory and Women Writers (3)
ENG 688 Women’s Rhetoric and Feminist Pedagogy (3)
HDF 624 Feminist Theory and Research Methodologies (3)
Capstone Experience (3-6 hours)
All students must select either the thesis or the culminating project at the end of their course work. Normally, students in the gender and community leadership concentration and the gender and health concentration select the culminating project; students in the individually designed concentration may elect either option.
WGS 698 Culminating Project (3)
WGS 699 Thesis (1-6)
Individualized Program (21 hours)
Students create a concentrated area of interest for further study with a minimum of 9 hours. This concentration requires a proposed plan of study approved by the advisor or the Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate
Program. These courses may come from those approved for WGS credit or from cognate areas. Students take 12 hours of electives chosen from the list below, from the professional development applied skills courses approved for the
professional master’s options, or from other graduate offerings.
WGS 600 Independent Study (3)
CED 574A Contemporary Topics in Counseling: Counseling Women (3)
CST 659 Communication and Gendered Communities (3) (if not taken to meet core requirement)
CUI 555 Multicultural Education (3)
ELC 609 Epistemology and Education (3)
ELC 662 Power, Politics, and Schools (3)
ELC 664 Foundations of Interpretive Inquiry (3)
ELC 670 Leadership for Teaching and Learning (3)
ELC 688 Contemporary Problems Seminar: Servant Leadership (3)
ELC 700 Critical Perspectives in Education, Leadership, and Culture (3)
ENG 531 Feminist Theory and Women Writers (3) (if not taken to meet core requirement)
ERM 604 Methods of Educational Research (3)
ESS 532 Women in Sport and Physical Activity (3)
ESS 630 Sport and Society: Social Inequalities (3)
HDF 624 Feminist Theory and Research Methologies (3) (if not taken to meet core requirement)
HDF 673 The Family in Comparative Perspective (3)
HEA 662 Gender and Health (3)
HEA 665 Violence and Public Health (3)
HIS 530 History of Sexuality: Selected Topics (3)
HIS 551 Gender and History: Selected Topics (3)
MLS 610 Culture and Ideas (3) (when focus is on gender)
MLS 620 Human Nature and Society (3) (when focus is on gender)
Gender and Community Leadership Concentration (21 hours)
Professional Development Applied Skills (9 hours)
Students should choose a coherent sequence of 9 hours of skills courses with the help of their advisor. Students selecting courses from the MBA sequence are advised to select MBA 600, 602, 603 or 610.
Students selecting courses from the non-profit management (PSC) sequence are advised to take PSC 540 and 550.
CNR 600 Concepts and Processes of Conflict Resolution (3)
CNR 601 Cultural Dimensions of Conflict (3)
MBA 600 Business Statistics (1.5)
MBA 602 Presentation and Interpretation of Financial Statements (1.5)
MBA 603 Economic Analysis (1.5)
MBA 604 Organizational Behavior (1.5)
MBA 605 Financial Management (1.5)
MBA 606 Marketing Management (1.5)
MBA 610 Advanced Business Statistics (1.5)
MBA 613 Economical Policy and the Global Environment (1.5)
PSC 540 Nonprofit Management and Leadership (3)
PSC 550 Philanthropy and Resource Development (3)
PSC 511B Problems in Public Management: Marketing for Public and Nonprofit Agencies (1)
PSC 511D Problems in Public Management: Strategic Planning (1)
PSC 511F Problems in Public Management: Financial Management (1)
PSC 511G Problems in Public Management: Grant Writing (1)
PSC 511N Problems in Public Management: Nonprofit Law (3)
LIS 636 Website Design and Management (3)
With permission of the directors of these post-baccalaureate programs and careful choice of electives, students may simultaneously earn either a post-baccalaureate certificate in business management or in non-profit management. Some additional hours may be required.
GCL Core Courses (6 hours)
Students select 6 hours from the following:
CNR 600 Concepts and Processes of Conflict Resolution (3) (if not taken as applied skills)
CNR 601 Cultural Dimensions of Conflict (3) (if not taken as applied skills)
CNR 611 Conflict in Communities (3)
CST 506 Speaking Out for Community Change (3)
CST 562 Organizational Change (3)
CST 605 Communicating for Social Change (3)
CST 630 Organization, Democracy, and Community (3)
MBA 604 Organizational Behavior (1.5) (if not taken as applied skills)
MBA 615 Leadership Assessment and Development (1.5)
MBA 695K Special Topics: Organizational Leadership (1.5)
HIS 626 The Practice of Public History (3)
Electives (6 hours)
Students select 6 hours from the following:
CED 574A Contemporary Topics in Counseling: Counseling Women (3)
CNR 610 Conflict Transformation (3)
CNR 670 Conflict and Violence: The Global Perspective (3)
CST 663 Seminar in Relational Communication (3)
CUI 555 Multicultural Education (3)
ELC 662 Power, Politics, and Schools (3)
ELC 670 Leadership for Teaching and Learning (3)
ELC 688 Contemporary Problems Seminar: Servant Leadership (3)
ELC 700 Critical Perspectives in Education, Leadership, and Culture (3)
ERM 604 Methods of Educational Research (3)
ERM 617 Statistical Methods in Education (3)
HDF 673 The Family in Comparative Perspective (3)
HEA 662 Gender and Health (3)
HEA 665 Violence and Public Health (3)
HIS 502 African American History: Selected Topics (3)
HIS 530 History of Sexuality: Selected Topics (3)
HIS 551 Gender and History: Selected Topics (3)
HIS 713 African Americans after Slavery (3)
ESS 532 Women in Sport and Physical Activity (3)
ESS 630 Sport and Society: Social Inequalities (3)
MLS 610 Culture and Ideas (3) (when focus is on gender)
MLS 620 Human Nature and Society (3) (when focus is on gender)
WGS 600 Independent Study (3)
Gender and Health Concentration (21 hours)
Professional Development Applied Skills (9 hours)
Students select 6 hours from the following:
HEA 612 Management of Community Health Organizations (3)
HEA 617 Conflict Resolution and Coalition Building (3)
CNR 600 Concepts and Processes of Conflict Resolution (3)
CNR 601 Cultural Dimensions of Conflict (3)
And 3 hours from the following Management courses:
PSC 540 Nonprofit Management and Leadership (3)
PSC 511B Problems in Public Management: Marketing for Public and Nonprofit Agencies (1)
PSC 511D Problems in Public Management: Strategic Planning (1)
PSC 511F Problems in Public Management: Financial Management (1)
PSC 511G Problems in Public Management: Grant Writing (1)
GH Core Courses (6 hours)
Students select 6 hours from the following:
CED 574 Contemporary Topics in Counseling: Counseling Women (3)
HEA 602 Epidemiology (3)
HEA 603 Community Health Analysis (3)
HEA 640 Global Health Issues (3)
HEA 645 Health Policy (3)
HEA 662 Gender and Health (3)
SWK 550 Social Services in Health Care (3)
GH Electives (6 hours)
Students select 6 hours from the following:
CED 574A Contemporary Topics in Counseling: Counseling Women (3)
CST 659 Communication and Gendered Communities (3) (if not taken to meet core requirement)
CUI 555 Multicultural Education (3)
DCE 560 The Dancer’s Body (3)
ENG 531 Feminist Theory and Women Writers (3) (if not taken to meet core requirement)
ENG 668 Women’s Rhetoric and Feminist Pedagogy (3) (if not taken to meet core requirement)
ERM 604 Methods of Educational Research (3)
ERM 617 Statistical Methods in Education (3)
ESS 532 Women in Sport and Physical Activity (3)
ESS 630 Sport and Society: Social Inequalities (3)
ESS 710 Sport and Feminisms (3)
HDF 502 Gender in Families (3)
HDF 624 Feminist Theory and Research Methodologies (3) (if not taken to meet core requirement)
HDF 658 Research Methods in Human Development and Family Studies (3)
HDF 673 The Family in Comparative Perspective (3)
HEA 601 Principles of Community Health Education (3)
HEA 640 Global Health Issues (3) (if not taken to meet GH core requirement)
HEA 645 Heath Policy (3) (if not taken to meet GH core requirement)
HEA 662 Gender and Health (3) (if not taken to meet GH core requirement)
HEA 665 Violence and Public Health (3)
HEA 676 Problems Seminar: Health and Aging (3)
HIS 530 History of Sexuality: Selected Topics (3)
HIS 551 Gender and History: Selected Topics (3)
HIS 713 African Americans after Slavery (3)
MLS 610 Culture and Ideas (3) (when focus is on gender)
MLS 620 Human Nature and Society (3) (when focus is on gender)
PHI 602 Ethics and Genetics (3)
PSY 647 Advanced Social Psychology (3)
PSY 662 Psychological Disorders in Adults (3)
WGS 600 Independent Study (3) (if not taken to meet requirement)
WGS Women's and Gender Studies Courses
| 589 | Experimental Course |
| This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings. | |
| 600 | Independent Study (3-6) |
| A research or creative project related to women’s and gender studies. | |
| 601 | Women’s and Gender Studies Internship (3:3) |
| Pr. at least 15 semester hours of graduate level coursework Supervised experience related to women’s and gender studies; may include teaching internship, service learning opportunity, applied research experience, or internship in organizations and agencies that work on women’s concerns or serving women in the community. | |
| 650 | Feminist Theory: Intersections of Gender, Race and Class (3:3) |
| Core class introduces feminist social movements across historical and global contexts. Relies on interdisciplinary lenses and epistemologies, particularly as contested identity politics intersect with other systems of power and relationships. | |
| 651 | Feminist Research Analysis (3:3) |
| Feminist approaches to philosophical and practical inquiries: data collection, analysis, and presentation. Prepares students to critically read research to understand the place of gender in lived experiences and institutional spaces. | |
| 698 | Culminating Project (3:3) |
| Pr. 601, 650, 651, one additional theory course, and respective concentration core and skills courses, for a total of at least 24 credits A capstone experience for the master’s degree in women’s and gender studies. Students design and present culminating project in their area of specialization and professional portfolio developed from WGS courses. | |
| 699 | Thesis (1-6) |
| 711 | Experimental Course (3:3) |
| This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings. | |
| 803 | Research Extension (1-3) |