2015-2016 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Women’s and Gender Studies Major
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Women’s and Gender Studies Overview
Clark launched its Women’s Studies program in 1979. In spring 2006, the university approved the Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) major. The WGS major provides students with a solid foundation in women’s studies and gender analysis, introduces them to a range of disciplinary approaches to women and gender, and helps them to develop an area of specialization within the field. Courses stress the importance of social ideas and relationships such as those shaped by gender, ethnicity, race, and class to better understand individual and collective experiences, past and present.
The WGS Program is supported by more than forty affiliated faculty from the humanities, social sciences, cultural studies, visual and performing arts, management, and the sciences. Students wishing to declare a major or minor in WGS should schedule a meeting with one of our affiliated faculty, or meet with the WGS Director to select an adviser. Because of the interdisciplinary program structure, students are strongly encouraged to double major or minor in another field in order to reinforce connections with existing majors. For more information, please visit the Women’s and Gender Studies Program website.
Major Requirements
All Women’s and Gender Studies majors must take ten (10) WGS courses and complete a minor or a second major (strongly preferred) in another field. The major requirements are distributed over five components as follows:
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Two Core Courses in Women’s and Gender Studies:
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Three Elective Courses carrying a WGS attribute, and taken from three different departments.
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Three Specialization Courses at the 200-level or above, carrying a WGS attribute, and taken from at least two different departments. Students will design an area of specialization in consultation with their adviser and must receive the approval of the WGS Director.
- One Methods or Skills Course related to the student’s WGS specialization. This course may overlap with a required course for the student’s minor or second major.
- One Advanced Research or Internship Credit designed around the student’s WGS specialization. The research credit may be taken as an advanced research seminar or directed study designed around a special project, and may overlap with a capstone course required for the student’s minor or second major with the approval of the other department. Internships must be organized through Career Services for academic credit.
Core Courses
The Core Courses in Women’s and Gender Studies introduce students to the fundamental questions and concepts of the field, past and present. Students should aim to take WGS 110 - Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies early in the program to define their topical areas of interest and guide advanced course selection.
Note that Core Courses are taught in rotation by faculty members from different departments and disciplinary backgrounds. Therefore, the content of the courses may vary by semester, reflecting the instructors’ individual fields of study and areas of expertise.
Elective and Specialization Courses
WGS majors must take three (3) Elective Courses from three different departments and three (3) Specialization Courses from at least two different departments.
Elective Courses are intended to expose students to a breadth of disciplinary perspectives on women and gender studies. WGS Elective Courses are taught by WGS affiliates in the Departments of English; Geography, History, International Development and Social Change; Language, Literature and Culture; Management; Philosophy; Political Science; Psychology; Sociology; and Visual and Performing Arts. It is recommended that students choose Elective Courses from both the social sciences and humanities.
Specialization Courses are advanced electives at the 200-level or above that are taught by WGS-affiliated faculty from across the University. WGS majors will work closely with their advisers to formally declare an area of specialization for more advanced study in their junior and senior years. The specialization is not within an existing department or discipline, but should cross at least two academic departments and form a coherent thematic specialization. Examples areas of specialization have included: Women in Comparative Fiction; Women and Work; Gender and Environment; Gender, War and Militaries; Women and Social Change; Gender, Identity and Sexuality; Gender, Culture and Human Rights; and Feminist Critiques of Globalization.
* Note that special topics or capstone courses in other departments may carry a WGS attribute when the topic is relevant to Women’s and Gender Studies (for example, PSCI 289 - Advanced Topics in International Relations - Capstone Seminar). Always check the course grid for the titles of advanced topics and capstone seminars each semester.
English Language and Literature
International Development and Social Change
Language, Literature and Culture
Visual and Performing Arts
Methods and Skills Courses
Women’s and Gender Studies majors must take one Methods or one Skills course relevant to their declared area of specialization, which may overlap with a required course for their minor or second major.
The Methods and Skills Courses below do not necessarily carry a WGS attribute, and will be listed under the department name in the course grid. Alternative methods or skills classes may be approved as exceptions by the Women’s and Gender Studies Director.
Research or Internship Credit
All WGS majors and minors must take one Research or one Internship Credit. The research or internship requirement may be satisfied by (1) taking an advanced research seminar or capstone course in another department that is taught by a WGS faculty affiliate, (2) a Directed Study designed around a special project supervised by a WGS faculty affiliate, or (3) through a one-credit internship. Students may register for WGS 298 Internship, WGS 299 Directed Study, or the designated course number assigned by the department hosting the advanced research seminar or capstone course.
The Research or Internship Credit is intended to be a culminating research or practical experience that allows students to apply their knowledge and skills gained through WGS courses, and should be directly related to the student’s WGS Specialization or topical areas of interest. Students should plan to complete their research or internship experience during their junior or senior year, and must request pre-approval from their faculty adviser and the WGS Director.
* Note that special topics or capstone courses in other departments may carry a WGS attribute when the topic is relevant to Women’s and Gender Studies (for example, PSCI 289 - Advanced Topics in International Relations - Capstone Seminar). Always check the course grid for the titles of advanced topics and capstone seminars each semester.
Women’s and Gender Studies Faculty
Program
María Acosta Cruz, Ph.D.
Michael Addis, Ph.D.
Belén Atienza, Ph.D.
Denise Humphreys Bebbington, Ph.D. - Director
Parminder Bhachu, Ph.D.
Sarah Buie, M.F.A.
Michael Butler, Ph.D.
Marcia Butzel, Ph.D.
Cynthia Caron, Ph.D.
Nicola Curtin, Ph.D.
Carol D’Lugo, Ph.D.
Eric DeBarros, Ph.D.
Judith DeCew, Ph.D.
Gino DiIorio, M.F.A.
Jody Emel, Ph.D.
Patricia Ewick, Ph.D.
Rachel Falmagne, Ph.D.
Anita Fábos, Ph.D.
Odile Ferly, Ph.D.
William Fisher, Ph.D.
Ellen Foley, Ph.D.
Beth Gale, Ph.D.
SunHee Kim Gertz, Ph.D.
Abbie Goldberg, Ph.D.
Janette T. Greenwood, Ph.D.
Betsy P. Huang, Ph.D.
Esther Jones, Ph.D.
Lisa Kasmer, Ph.D.
Thomas Kuehne, Ph.D.
Nina Kushner, Ph.D.
Deborah Martin, Ph.D.
Deborah Merrill, Ph.D.
Heather Silber Mohamed, Ph.D.
Meredith Neuman, Ph.D.
Amy Richter, Ph.D.
Juan Pablo Rivera, Ph.D.
Heather L. Roberts, Ph.D.
Dianne Rocheleau, Ph.D.
Laurie Ross, Ph.D.
Marianne Sarkis, Ph.D.
Srinivasan Sitaraman, Ph.D.
Valerie Sperling, Ph.D.
Andrew Stewart, Ph.D.
Rosalie Torres Stone, Ph.D.
Ora Szekely, Ph.D.
Shelly Tenenbaum, Ph.D.
Robert D. Tobin, Ph.D.
Alice Valentine, M.A.
Kristen Williams, Ph.D.
Kristina Wilson, Ph.D.
Research
Margaret Arndt, D.B.A.
Cynthia Enloe, Ph.D.
Fern Johnson, Ph.D.
Paul Ropp, Ph.D.
Barbara Thomas-Slayter, Ph.D.
Virginia Mason Vaughan, Ph.D.
Emeriti
Marcia Butzel, Ph.D.
Susan Hanson, Ph.D.
Serena S. Hilsinger, Ph.D.
Dorothy Kaufmann, Ph.D.
Sharon Krefetz, Ph.D.
Fern Johnson, PhD.
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