Academic Bulletin

College of Arts & Sciences - Undergraduate

WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES
www.as.miami.edu/wst
www.as.miami.edu/ids

Educational Objectives | Major | Minor | Departmental Honors

Introduction

The Program in Women's and Gender Studiesat the University of Miami seeks to encourage the rigorous investigation of gender as a significant issue in all areas of human experience. It reaches across disciplines to draw on a range of methods, theories, and perspectives that help us to understand how ideas and structures based on gender shape our lives. The program's core objective is to foster the examination, open discussion, and lively debate of gender issues among faculty and students from all fields of study, enriching the undergraduate curriculum and the university's academic mission through greater communication across disciplines and colleges. Its aim is to broaden, deepen, and transform the learning community at UM and beyond.

Educational Objectives

The undergraduate curriculum in Women's and Gender Studies explores the ways in which ideas about gender and sexuality shape social roles and identities, as well as the ways in which race, ethnicity, class, and nationhood influence the perception and experience of gender and sexuality within particular cultures. The curriculum is informed by recent scholarship that recognizes gender and sexuality as crucial components of human experience in social, cultural, economic, political, religious, and legal contexts. It includes courses that introduce students to feminist theory and scholarship, engaging ethical and political issues of equality and justice. The program encourages students to question their assumptions about the possible meanings of female and male through the comparative study of how different societies and historical periods have viewed manhood, womanhood, and relations between women and men. Courses in Women's and Gender Studies enable students to acquire critical and analytical skills that they can then apply in other aspects of their educational experience at UM and beyond the university in their careers and personal development.

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Major

A major in Women's and Gender Studies consists of at least 30 credits in Women's and Gender Studies courses (core, co-listed, and cross-listed) with a grade of C- or better in each course, with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in WGS courses. These credits must include at least 18 at the 300 level or above. All majors must complete WGS 201: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies, WGS 301: Feminist Inquiries, and at least two other WGS core courses.

All majors must complete WGS 501: Senior Research Project, which will take the form of an individual research project with a faculty member of the student's choice; the student is responsible for finding an appropriate faculty member who is available to supervise the project and then must seek formal approval from the program director before proceeding with the project. The student must produce a substantial written report or research paper, the format of which will vary according to the nature of the project.

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Minor

A minor in Women's and Gender Studies consists of at least 15 credits in Women's and Gender Studies courses (core, co-listed, and cross-listed) with a grade of C- or better in each course, with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in WGS courses. These credits must include at least 9 at the 300 level or above. All minors must complete WGS 201: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies, WGS 301: Feminist Inquiries and at least one other WGS core course.

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Departmental Honors

Women's and Gender Studies majors with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 in WGS courses and an overall GPA of at least 3.0 may earn departmental honors by completing WGS 505: Honors Thesis instead of the senior research project. Candidates for departmental honors are responsible for finding a faculty member who is willing to serve as thesis adviser and then must complete a thesis proposal of approximately 400 words which must be approved by the thesis adviser and then the program director. The format and length of the thesis will vary according to the nature of the project. Most students writing an honors thesis as part of their WGS major will take WGS 505 twice (for a total of 6 credits).

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