Graduate Catalog 2004-2005
Women's Studies
Vikki Krane, Director/Graduate Coordinator
226 East Hall
Phone: 419-372-7133 or 372-2620
Degree Offered
Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies
Affiliated Graduate Faculty
| Professors: | Ellen Berry, Ph.D. (English); Sherlon Brown, Ph.D. (Intervention Services); M. Neil Browne, Ph.D. (Economics); Alice Calderonello, Ph.D. (English); Vikki Krane, Ph.D. (Human Movement, Sport, and Leisure Studies); Vivian Patraka, Ph.D. (English); Philip Terrie, Ph.D. (English) |
| Associate Professors: | Lillian Ashcraft-Eason, Ph.D. (History); Khani Begum, Ph.D. (English); Kris Blair, Ph.D. (English); Rachel Buff, Ph.D. (History); Robert Buffington, Ph.D. (History); Radhika Gajjala, Ph.D. (Communication Studies); Piya Pal Lapinski, Ph.D. (English); Linda Pertusati, Ph.D. (Ethnic Studies); Vickie Rutledge Shields, Ph.D. (Telecommunications); Lisa Wolford, Ph.D. (Theatre); Opportune Zongo, Ph.D. (Romance Languages) |
| Assistant Professors: | Deborah Alvarez, Ph.D. (English); Haithe Anderson, Ph.D. (Educational Foundations and Inquiry); Cynthia Baron, Ph.D. (Theatre); Liette Gidlow, Ph.D. (History); Beth Greich-Polelle, Ph.D. (History); Bettina Heinz, Ph.D. (Communication Studies); Lesa Lockford, Ph.D. (Theatre); Eithne Luibheid, Ph.D. (Ethnic Studies); Nancy Spencer, Ph.D. (Human Movement, Sport, and Leisure Studies) |
| Steering Committee | Khani Begum (English), Kathleen Farber (Educational Foundations and Inquiry), Liette Gidlow (History), Julie Haught (English), Vikki Krane (Human Movement, Sport, and Leisure Studies), Jeannie Ludlow (Women’s Studies), Vickie Rutledge Shields (College of Arts and Sciences, Telecommunications), Leigh Ann Wheeler (History), Opportune Zongo (Romance Languages), and one Graduate Assistant Representative |
| Jointly-Appointed Graduate Faculty | Professor - Kathleen Farber, Ph.D. (Educational Foundations and Inquiry) |
Graduate work in Women’s Studies may be pursued several ways. Students may complete the graduate certificate in conjunction with another graduate program or as a stand-alone credential.
Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies
The Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies brings together scholars and graduate students across the University actively engaged in interdisciplinary feminist scholarship. The certificate offers an official acknowledgement of training and expertise in the field of women’s and gender studies. The certificate program provides students with knowledge of a unified approach to the study of fundamental issues in sex and gender studies. Students examine how sex and gender have been reflected in culture across time; how they shape institutions as well as personal experience; how they interact with issues such as race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class; and how new ways of thinking about gender challenge the processes by which knowledge about human beings and our behavior is acquired, interpreted, and transmitted. Such a program offers the possibility of cross-disciplinary influence and collaboration, extra-departmental collegiality and support, and professional certification in this rich field of study.
The graduate certificate in women’s studies is intended to supplement professional training in a wide variety of fields. As a stand-alone credential, the certificate is designed for individuals working in fields related to women’s health care and well being (such as battered women’s shelters and women’s clinics), advocacy for women (such as in legal and social services professions), and elementary, high school, and community college teachers. This option is designed for returning, non-traditional students.
The certificate may be pursued as a major or minor area of concentration within established graduate degree programs at BGSU, such as American Culture Studies (consult with individual graduate programs when pursuing this option). In this type of program, students take courses with a gender focus through their master's or doctoral programs as well as courses in women's studies.
The certificate acknowledges formal training and expertise in issues of cultural diversity, gender equity, feminist theory, feminist methodology, and the infusion of gender into all psychological, social, and mediated relationship.
Admission Procedures
Students must apply to the Graduate College for general admission. Admission forms are available at the women’s studies program office at 226 East Hall. GRE scores are not necessary for the stand-alone certificate.
In additional to the application required by the Graduate College, applicants to the certificate program must submit the following to the women’s studies program: (1) two letters of recommendation from recent instructors, employers, or other individuals qualified to evaluate probable success in the program, (2) a brief statement of intent delineating the purpose for enrolling in the program, (3) a brief personal statement outline career goals. Careful attention is given to these materials.
Admission Requirements
Students who wish to be admitted to the graduate certificate program in women’s studies must meet at least one of the following requirements:
(1) be enrolled in a graduate program at BGSU;
or, for the stand-alone certificate:
(2) hold a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 minimum grade point average;
(3) have completed a graduate degree in any area.
The certificate program consists of five courses plus a one credit hour independent research project distributed between required and electives courses across a range of disciplinary areas plus a one credit hour research capstone course.
All students must successfully complete WS 620, Feminist Theory (3 credits) or a graduate course with equivalent content. As a capstone to the certificate program, all students must also successfully complete one credit hour of WS 786, Independent Study in Women’s Studies, working with their certificate program advisor.
The remaining four courses may be selected from an approved list of graduate-level courses offered by women’s studies or cross-listed by other departments and programs. To help ensure that students obtain a broad interdisciplinary course of study, no more than two of these elective courses may be taken in any single department/program. At least one elective course must be at the 700 level.
Certificate Program Advisors
Each student admitted to the women’s studies certificate program will be assigned a temporary certificate advisor. The student may change advisors at anytime during his/her course of study, but must have a permanent certificate program advisor in place before commencing his/her one credit hour capstone research project. Women’s studies certificate program advisors will be graduate faculty in good standing who are closely affiliated with the women’s studies programs as joint appointments, members of the Women’s Studies Advisory Committee, and/or faculty members who teach courses in the certificate program, who agree to serve in this capacity.
Transfer Credit
Continuing graduate students may receive credit for up to five approved courses toward the certificate. Students who have completed degrees and are returning for the certificate may transfer no more than six hours of credit. The rules regarding transfer hours will be the same for certificate programs as they are for other degree programs.
Time to Completion
The graduate certificate in women’s studies must be completed within four years from the semester date that the first course is taken, including transfer credit.
The certificate is awarded upon the completion of five approved courses plus a one credit hour research capstone course. The graduate certificate in women’s studies will appear on the student’s official transcript. Further, individuals will receive a diploma-style certificate from the women’s studies program upon completion.
Crosslisted Courses
Three to five graduate-level women's studies courses are typically offered each semester. The majority of these courses are crosslisted with other programs. Please contact the Women's Studies program for an example of an approved list of courses offered consistently over the past five to seven years.
Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online at http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php. Graduate courses offered by the Women's Studies Program use the prefix: WS
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