UDM College of Liberal Arts and EducationProgram Information
1. Required:
- WS/WGS 200: Intro to Women's and Gender Studies (3 credits)
Courses in other disciplines approved for WGS Credit (15 credits) - WGS 200: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
Provides students with an introduction to the discipline and critical rubrics of Women's and Gender Studies including: the development of major theoretical concepts and issues of feminist and gender theories; strategies of resistance and activism; history of the women's and gender movements in the U.S.; global feminisms; and critical reflection on particular aspects of women's daily lives such as violence, sexuality, reproduction, representations of the body, creativity, law, politics and religion. Also fulfills Core Objective 6b: Contemporary Social Problems.
(This course fulfills Core Objective 6b.)
2. Electives:
Courses in other disciplines approved for WGS Credit (15 credits)
Women's and Gender Studies Elective courses reflect the interdiciplinary nature of the field. They are drawn from a wide range of UDM academic departments. Past WGS courses have included those from Communication Studies, Criminal Justice, English, History, Music, Nursing, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Women's and Gender Studies itself. No more than six elective credits (2 courses) in any one department can be counted towards the Minor. At least nine credits (3 courses) witnin the minor must be upper division courses (300 or 400 level). No course required for the minor can be taken pass/fail.
3. A Women's and Gender Studies Minor Portfolio
No later than the 8th week of his or her final semester, each student must submit a Women's and Gender Studies Minor Portfolio to his/her WGS advisor for evaluation by the Women's and Gender Studies Steering Committee. The Minor Portfolio consists of:
a. Cover Page: This must include the student's name, date of portfolio submission, date of expected graduation, titles of essays included in the portfolio, and the instructor and course for which each essay was written.
b. Submitted Work: Four to six essays, written for at least three different Women's and Gender Studies classes. Essays should be chosen to reflect the student's intellectual exploration and achievements as a Women's and Gender Studies minor. Substantial essays of more than three pages or research papers are appropriate. Each essay should include prompts (essay directions) for the assignment, any comments the professor might have made, and the grade for the paper. Reprinted copies of the essays without comments and grades are not acceptable.
c. Self-Reflection Essay (4-5 pages): Along with selected essays, students must write a self-reflective essay in which they discuss: 1) their reasons for considering the essays they have chosen to be reflective of their intellectual exploration and achievements as Women's and Gender Studies minor, and 2) the ways in which they see their completed studies as relevant and/or not relevant in their own academic, personal, and professional lives, and in their communities.
Completed portfolios are required for graduation with a Women's and Gender Studies Minor. However, they are graded on a pass/fail basis. Contents of the portfolios will not be used to evaluate indivdual student's competence; rather, they will be used by WGS faculty to assess the Minor program as a whole.