Curriculum
Requirements for the Major
Honors in the Major
Certificate in Women's Studies
Courses
110 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706; 608-263-4703; www.womenstudies.wisc.edu
Professors Bloch, Clark, Collins, Cook, D'Acci, Friedman, Hyde, Kaiser, Leavitt, Lepowsky, Martin, Marx Ferree, McClintock, Nyhart, Pondrom, Schulenburg, Tripp, Whatley, Worcester; Associate Professor Enke, Houck, Uttal; Assistant Professors Ewig, Lindsey, Samuels
Undergraduate advisor, Nina Valeo Cooke: 608-263-1785
Faculty diversity liaison: Chair, 608-263-2763
The Department of Gender and Women's Studies has as its primary objectives the discovery and communication of new knowledge about women; the reexamination and reinterpretation of existing knowledge about women; and the synthesis and reintegration of this understanding into the general knowledge base. The department promotes among faculty, students, and community members an examination of the historical contributions and roles of women in the past, an investigation of the experience of women in contemporary societies, and a theoretical analysis of alternative cultures and social systems.
Gender and women's studies is an established field of intellectual endeavor covering the entire range of the traditional disciplines, including within it scholars with a broad range of interests, viewpoints, emphases, and teaching styles. The curriculum reflects the interdisciplinary nature of gender and women's studies, offering to all students an opportunity to study women and issues of gender in such areas as literature, history, anthropology, sociology, education, law, biology, psychology, philosophy, political science, economics, and the arts. Department courses have been designed to fulfill breadth requirements in the appropriate divisions.
The curriculum includes a core sequence of interdisciplinary courses on the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels. These courses are distributed in essentially three areas—humanities, social sciences, and biological sciences. Supplementing this core of permanent courses is a wide range of special topics courses.
Certain courses on women and/or gender issues offered by university departments are crosslisted with gender and women's studies. These courses will also be listed in the Schedule of Classes (Timetable) under the Gender and Women's Studies (Gen&WS) heading. Students wanting more information about these courses should refer to individual department listings or call the program office. In addition, many departments regularly offer one or more courses on women and/or gender issues. A list of these courses is available each semester from the department advisor.
To be accepted as majors in women's studies, students
must have completed Women St 101, 102 or 103 with a grade of B or better;
they may declare once they attain junior standing.
The undergraduate major in women's studies requires that students complete either (A) the gender and women's studies core curriculum and an area of concentration, or (B) the gender and women's studies core curriculum and a complete second major.
Option A consists of an interdisciplinary core curriculum of gender and women's studies courses and three courses from outside the program in one or more closely related departments or programs. A course approval form is required for the concentration taken outside the major. Students who take this option will have a 39- to 42-credit major.
Option B consists of an interdisciplinary core curriculum of gender and women's studies courses and a complete second major in another department or program. Students who take this option will have a 30-credit gender and women's studies major and another major. In this option, the second major will fulfill the major requirement of an area of concentration outside gender and women's studies courses.
All majors complete a minimum of 30 credits in gender and women's studies (Gen&WS) including:
1. Gen&WS 101 or 102 (only one of these courses may count toward the major)
2. Gen&WS 103
3. One intermediate or advanced course from each of five areas:
(a) biology and health
430, 431, 524, 530, 531, 532, 533
(b) humanities
200, 205, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 270, 310, 317, 324, 326, 330, 332, 340, 341, 350, 351, 353, 354, 355,
361, 366, 410, 411, 412, 414, 415, 416, 417, 421, 437, 442, 450, 519, 524,
532, 540, 561, 571, 595, 624, 625, 677, 679
(c) social science
200, 215, 320, 321, 322, 323, 325, 331, 340, 350, 353, 354, 392, 414, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 431, 443,
469, 477, 519, 522, 523, 560, 561
(d) feminist theory
440, 441, 449, 477
(e) international and multicultural perspectives
247, 248, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 330, 331, 332, 355, 366, 367, 411, 414, 420, 423, 424, 425, 437, 443, 472,
540, 595, 624, 625, 643, 664, 677, 679
4. Women Studies 640: Advanced seminar
5. Two electives: intermediate or advanced, in gender and women's studies.
All students must fulfill the L&S requirement of at least 15 credits of upper-level work in the major completed in residence. Courses designated as I (intermediate), A (advanced) or D (intermediate/advanced) count toward this requirement.
Directed Study courses do not count toward the minimum credits required in the major.
In addition to the minimum of 30 credits in gender and women's studies, students who do not elect the double major option must take an area of concentration consisting of three intermediate or advanced-level courses outside Gender and Women's Studies. These three courses (9-12 credits) may be taken in one department or program or in different departments or programs in order to focus on a central theme.
Students should call the department (263-4703) or the undergraduate advisor (263-1785) to obtain more detailed information about the major and to make an appointment with the advisor.
Honors in the Major in Gender and Women's Studies is intended for students who are eager to experience the excitement of original research and who wish to graduate with the best possible undergraduate training in the discipline. Honors in the Major is especially appropriate for those who are considering graduate work in gender and women's studies or who want rigorous training in research, reasoning, and writing skills useful to a wide range of career choices. Students should consult with the department advisor to determine the best way to fulfill honors requirements and how to make the most out of the Honors in the Major experience in the field.
To earn the B.A. or B.S. with Honors in the Major in Gender and Womens Studies, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major and the following additional requirements:
Interested and eligible students should submit a letter of application in spring of their junior year providing the following information:
(a) If completing more than one major, department(s) of additional major(s)
(b) Area(s) of interest within gender and women's studies
(c) Tentative ideas for an honor's thesis and a letter from a faculty member agreeing to supervise the project
In addition, a copy of the student's transcript, indicating course work and GPA, should be submitted at the time of application.
Acceptance into the honors program does not ensure that a faculty member will be available to supervise a thesis in the student's area of greatest interest. In order to develop a working relationship that may lead to thesis supervision, students should contact, and take courses with, gender and women's studies faculty and affiliates working in their area of interest soon after admission to the honors program.
Any student is eligible to earn the program's undergraduate certificate in women's studies. Students must meet with the certificate advisor to determine if they have completed the following requirements:
15 credits of course work in the Department of Gender and Women's Studies.
Transfer students must take at least 9 credits in residence.
Courses must include at least:
No more than 6 credits for the certificate may be at the elementary level.
Grade point average for certificate courses must be at least 2.75.
All certificate students must notify the gender and women's studies advisor while they are completing their final course in order to get approval of completion and be awarded the certificate. The certificate is not awarded automatically based on DARS. If there are questions about a DARS report, please contact the certificate advisor.