Liberal Arts

Women's Studies

Program Director Marlese Durr

Affiliated Faculty See program Web site at
http://www.cola.wright.edu/prog/wms

Women's Studies (WMS) is an interdisciplinary program that places women in all their diversity at the center of inquiry and examines how gender influences our personal identities, cultural and artistic expressions, social arrangements, political and economic systems, and even our ways of knowing and understanding the world. The Bachelor of Arts program in Women's Studies is organized around three major areas of inquiry: feminist thought, women in multicultural perspective, and women in international perspective. Through courses taught in these and other areas across many disciplines, as well as opportunities for internship experiences and/or independent research, students will gain 1.) critical thinking and communication skills; 2.) the ability to analyze multiple fields of difference related to gender, race, cultural identity, nationality, class, age, sexual orientation, and physical ability; 3.) new ways of seeing and new standards for evaluating diverse women's and men’s contributions to knowledge and society; 4.) a more inclusive and transformative under-standing of themselves and the world(s) in which they live; and 5.) the opportunity to actively participate in social change.

The breadth and flexibility of the major enables students to choose among a variety of courses in many disciplines that suit their needs and interests as well as to tailor their course of study to develop a specialization within Women's Studies. Because the Women's Studies major is made up of courses that also count toward minors and majors in other disciplines, it also offers students the opportunity to pursue minors or dual majors in other fields to supplement and apply their training in Women's Studies with fewer additional credits to complete. As documented in national studies of Women's Studies graduates, a major in Women's Studies prepares students for a broad array of graduate and professional programs and a broad range of careers in such areas as research, writing, teaching, public policy, social and health services, law, business, and communications in public, private, and nonprofit organizations at local, national, and international levels.

Students seeking admission to the major must possess an overall GPA of 2.0. To graduate with a degree in Women's Studies, students must complete, along with university and college requirements, 20 hours of core courses and 31–36 hours of additional requirements, and maintain a grade of “C” or higher in all approved WMS courses taken for the major, 40 hours of which must be at the 300-level or above.

Major in Women's Studies

Minor in Women's Studies

The Women's Studies minor is open to students from all majors and consists of a total of seven to eight courses. All students take a single, required core course, WMS 200. In addition, students select six to seven approved Women's Studies courses.

Other requirements:

1. No more than three courses in the same discipline can be counted toward the minor.
2. At lease five courses must be upper division (300-level and above).
3. A minimum grade of “C” is required for each course counted toward the minor.
4. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required to enter the program.

Certificate Program in Women's Studies

An undergraduate certificate in Women's Studies can be completed by nondegree students who wish to gain a professional credential for working with women and on women's/gender issues in various occupations. To be admitted, students must either hold an undergraduate degree at the bachelor or associate level in any area with a 2.0 minimum GPA.

Other requirements

1. At least three courses must be at the 300-level or above.
2. A minimum grade of “C” is required for each course counted toward the certificate.
3. Approved Women's Studies course taken by a student in an undergraduate degree program but not culminating in a completed minor can be applied toward the undergraduate certificate after the student graduates and is then admitted into the certificate program. At least two Women's Studies courses must be taken as a nondegree student in these cases.
4. A portfolio or papers and projects produced for courses taken for the certificate must be submitted within three months of completing all course work to the director of Women's Studies for review by the Women's Studies committee. The certificate will be awarded following positive evaluation of the portfolio that will be judged on a pass/fail basis.

Global Gender Studies Track in the International Studies Major

The global gender studies track in the international studies majors enables students to study women and gender issues from an international and cross-cultural perspective. Through courses on women and gender in relation to international diplomacy and peace studies, area studies, comparative cultures, and international economic affairs, students can develop special expertise for work in such areas as women in economic development, human rights, and cross-cultural relations in the contexts of intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations. See the international studies program description as well as the directors of international studies and Women's Studies for more information.

Other Options in Women's Studies

Students may alternatively or additionally pursue a Women's Studies graduate certificate independent of a graduate degree, alongside any graduate degree program or in the context of the Women's Studies emphasis in the Master of Humanities program or the Women's Studies option in the M.A. in English program. For more information on graduate work in Women's Studies, see the graduate catalog and the Women's Studies Web site.

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