College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences offers the following under the supervision and jurisdiction of the college.
-
Studies in Sexuality, Women and Gender (also listed in interdisciplinary section)
- Women's and Gender Studies (also listed in interdisciplinary section)
- Women's and Gender Studies (graduate certificate) (also listed in interdisciplinary section)
Minors
Studies in Sexuality, Women and Gender Minor
Studies in Sexuality, Women and Gender Minor is an interdisciplinary and multicultural program that engages in research and exploration concerning all areas of human experience. Its unique perspective strengthens the abilities of students within any major to critically analyze theory and research emphasizing the importance of gender while including other essential categories of analysis such as race, class, sexuality, ethnicity, and nationality. This 18 credit hour program provides skills that are useful to all majors. This program is offered under the jurisdiction and general supervision of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. For more information, contact the Women's and Gender Studies office, Sabin 225, wgs@uni.edu, or csbs.uni.edu/womenstudies.
| Required | 6 | |
| Humanities: | ||
| Women's and Gender Studies: Introduction | ||
| Choose one of the following: | ||
| Introduction to LGBTQ Studies | ||
| Human Relationships and Sexuality | ||
| Good Sex: The Ethics of Human Sexuality | ||
| Electives: | 12 | |
| Anthropology: | ||
| Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective * | ||
| Communication and Media: | ||
| Gender Issues in Communication | ||
| Voices from the Margin: Performance, Rhetoric, and Social Change | ||
| Criminology: | ||
| Women, Crime and Society * | ||
| Educational Psychology: | ||
| Social Psychology in Educational Contexts | ||
| Languages and Literature: | ||
| Literature: (topic) (Topics in Women's and Gender Studies ONLY) | ||
| Literature, Gender and Intersectionality * | ||
| The American Renaissance * | ||
| American Realism and Naturalism to WWI * | ||
| Family Services: | ||
| Human Relationships and Sexuality | ||
| Violence in Intimate Relationships | ||
| Public Health and Education: | ||
| Introduction to Women's Health | ||
| Selected Topics in Women's Health | ||
| History: | ||
| United States Women's History | ||
| Modern European Women's History | ||
| Humanities: | ||
| Black Women in America: Challenge, Spirit, Survival | ||
| Philosophy: | ||
| Money, Sex and Power: Theories of Race, Class and Gender | ||
| Psychology: | ||
| Psychology of Gender * | ||
| Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective * | ||
| World Religions: | ||
| Religions of the World (Family Life emphasis only) ** | ||
| Women and Christianity | ||
| Social Sciences: | ||
| Women, Men, and Society | ||
| Sociology: | ||
| Social Movements * | ||
| Social Inequality * | ||
| Men and Masculinities | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Feminist Theories in the Social Sciences * | ||
| Women's and Gender Studies: | ||
| Introduction to LGBTQ Studies | ||
| Internship in Women's and Gender Studies * | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
Notes:
No more than 9 hours from courses with the same prefix.
A minimum of 9 hours from the 3000-level or above.
No more than one of the following may be counted for WGS credit: COMM 4446/5446 or SOC 2040
- *
These courses have additional prerequisites.
- **
Students must submit a student request form to receive WGS minor credit for this course.
Master of Arts Degree
Major in Women's and Gender Studies
The Master of Arts in Women's and Gender Studies is interdisciplinary in nature and is under the jurisdiction of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Students interested in this program must submit a completed Application for Admission to Graduate Study and should refer to their MyUNIverse Student Center To-Do list or contact the Director of Women's and Gender Studies for any other application requirements. Graduate information and application for graduate admission can be found at https://admissions.uni.edu/application.
The Graduate Record Examination (General Test) is not required for admission to the program.
The Women’s and Gender Studies curriculum is designed to meet the needs of students who strive for analytic clarity and rigor in gender-focused research. Students may employ the skills in reflective and critical analysis as well as the broad base of knowledge that they obtain in the program to
- prepare for a Ph.D. program with a disciplinary or interdisciplinary focus on gender or,
- prepare for a career in the public or private sector in the areas of gender and wellness, gender and violence prevention, or another area based on student interest or,
- satisfy strong intellectual interests and curiosity while pursuing advanced education in the liberal arts.
Through core courses and selected electives, students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Women's and Gender Studies will accomplish several objectives: examine theories concerning the social and historical constructions of gender; explore how gender identity and sexual orientation help define human relationships; recognize that women's lives have been under-represented in traditional disciplines and investigate previously neglected materials in order to identify women's as well as men's roles in cultural or social endeavors; study, compare, and evaluate an array of disciplinary perspectives on gender, including, but not limited to, cross-cultural, economic, sociological, historical, and literary perspectives; identify intersections of gender with race, class, age, sexual identity, and ethnicity, both locally and globally, both in the present and in the past; and employ new methodological and critical approaches to materials customarily treated in other ways, revising the content and assumptions of particular disciplines to address gender and related issues more effectively.
Only graduate courses (course numbers 5000 or above) will apply to a graduate degree, even if the undergraduate course number (4999 or less) is listed. No exceptions will be made.
The M.A. in Women's and Gender Studies has 2 tracks: thesis and applied (non-thesis). The thesis track requires a minimum of 31 semester hours of study; 15 hours of 6000-level course work is required, which includes 6 hours of WGS 6299 Research in Women's and Gender Studies.
The non-thesis applied track requires a minimum of 32 hours; 12 hours of 6000-level course work is required, which includes 4 credit hours of WGS 6195 Graduate Internship in Women's and Gender Studies. The internship requirement is a culminating 120-hour internship project and research paper, which is supervised by two WGS faculty members and an internship site supervisor. The project may take a wide variety of forms, but it should meet the following 3 requirements; 1) shows evidence of theoretically informed and self-reflexive praxis; 2) shows evidence of knowledge and research skills appropriate to the project; and 3) is related to the student's focus area.
Additional non-program hours may be required if courses on a student’s program of study have prerequisites which instructors choose not to waive.
Successful completion of an Social Justice Activism Portfolio is required for both tracks. Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about some kind of change, be it social, political, economic, environmental, and so on. To enable students to assess links between academic inquiry and civic engagement, they will take advantage of opportunities to engage in social activism, both on and off campus. This will include participating in and/or organizing events and maintaining and electronic portfolio during the course of time in the program.
| Common core (13 hours – required for all students): | ||
| Required (4 Hours) | 4 | |
| Graduate Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies: Comparative Feminist Theories | ||
| Graduate Proseminar in Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Feminist Theories in the Social Sciences and Humanities (3 hours) | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Feminist Literary Theories and Practice | ||
| Feminist Theories in the Social Sciences | ||
| Gender Issues in Communication | ||
| History (3 Hours) | 3 | |
| United States Women's History | ||
| Modern European Women's History | ||
| Research Methodology (3 Hours) | 3 | |
| In consultation with and approval of thesis advisor, one course from the following or other course approved by the thesis advisor or program director: | ||
| Communication Research Methodology | ||
| Literature, Gender and Intersectionality | ||
| Literary Criticism | ||
| Methods of Graduate Study in English | ||
| Historical Methods | ||
| Research Design | ||
| Qualitative Research | ||
| Quantitative Methods in KAHHS | ||
| Qualitative Methods | ||
| Evaluation, Research and Accountability | ||
| Total Hours | 13 | |
| Thesis Track | ||
| Common Core | 13 | |
| WGS 6299 Research Women's and Gender Studies | 6 | |
| Electives related to Thesis Topic 1 | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 31 | |
1 With the approval of the thesis advisor, the student individually designs an elective sequence, selecting courses from the humanities, fine arts, social and natural sciences that best contribute to the student’s thesis project.
| Applied Track | ||
| Common Core | 13 | |
| WGS 6195 | Graduate Internship in Women's and Gender Studies | 4 |
| RTNL 6406 | Fundraising and Grant Seeking for Nonprofit Agencies | 3 |
| Electives in Focus Area | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 32 | |
| Focus Areas: | ||
| 1) Gender and Wellness | ||
| Required (choose one course from the following): | 3 | |
| Health of Vulnerable Populations | ||
or PH 3310/5310 | Health Equity, Advocacy, and Policy | |
| Electives (choose 9 hours from the following): | 9 | |
| Global Service Mission | ||
| Public Health Theory | ||
| Planning and Evaluating Public Health Programs | ||
| Implementing Public Health Programs | ||
| 2) Gender and Violence Prevention | ||
| Choose 12 hours from the following: | 12 | |
| Violence in Intimate Relationships | ||
| Gender Issues in Communication | ||
| Men and Masculinities | ||
| Women, Crime and Society | ||
WGS 6297 Practicum Women and Gender Studies | ||
| 3) Individualized (tailored to student interests, with permission of advisor) | 12 | |
A Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies is also available. For requirements go to www.uni.edu/interdisciplinarymajorsandminors/programcertificates or in PDF copy go to the "Interdisciplinary" section.
For more information contact the Women's and Gender Studies office, Sabin 225, wgs@uni.edu, or www.uni.edu/womenstudies.
Program Certificate
Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies
The Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies is under the jurisdiction of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
The Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) provides students the opportunity to be exposed to the rapidly expanding interdisciplinary scholarship on women’s and gender studies. This program is designed for students currently enrolled in a graduate program at UNI and are seeking a graduate certificate in WGS. The WGS graduate certificate requires 12 credit hours, which must be successfully completed during a five year period to earn the certificate. At least nine hours have to be completed at UNI and at least six of the 12 hours have to be at the 6000-level. Courses fulfilling the certificate program may be used to meet the requirements in a degree program in accordance with the policies of the Graduate College.
Curriculum requirements consist of one core course and a minimum of nine credit hours of electives. Students must take at least six credit hours of elective course work outside the degree-granting program. Students may petition the Director of WGS to add a relevant course. For more information, contact the Women’s and Gender Studies office, Sabin 225, wgs@uni.edu, or csbs.uni.edu/womenstudies.
| Required | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Languages and Literatures: | ||
| Feminist Literary Theories and Practice | ||
| Humanities: | ||
| Graduate Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies: Comparative Feminist Theories | ||
| Sociology: | ||
| Feminist Theories in the Social Sciences | ||
| Electives | 9 | |
Must choose one course from the Social Sciences Category A, one course from the Humanities Category B, and one course from either A, B, or the Experimental Category C. | ||
| Category A: Social Sciences | ||
| Educational Psychology: | ||
| Current Approaches to Multicultural Education | ||
| Design, Textiles, Gerontology, & Family Studies: | ||
| Violence in Intimate Relationships | ||
| Political Science: | ||
| Problems in Juvenile and Family Law | ||
| History: | ||
| United States Women's History | ||
| Modern European Women's History | ||
| Sociology/Criminology: | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Feminist Theories in the Social Sciences | ||
| Women, Crime and Society | ||
| Category B: Humanities | ||
| Communication and Media: | ||
| Voices from the Margin: Performance, Rhetoric, and Social Change | ||
| Gender Issues in Communication | ||
| Languages and Literatures: | ||
| Literature, Gender and Intersectionality | ||
| Feminist Literary Theories and Practice | ||
| Humanities: | ||
| Black Women in America: Challenge, Spirit, Survival | ||
| Graduate Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies: Comparative Feminist Theories | ||
| Category C: Experimental | ||
| Social Science: | ||
| Internship in Women's and Gender Studies | ||
Practicum that has a gender focus and is advised by a WGS faculty member. | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Women's and Gender Studies, M.A.
Goal 1: Methodology. Students will demonstrate graduate-level proficiency in research methods appropriate for a culminating project, such as a graduate-level thesis or internship research paper.
Outcome 1a (Thesis Track): Students will demonstrate graduate-level proficiency in research methods appropriate for a graduate-level thesis, which should clearly exhibit comprehension, application, and evaluation of feminist methodology appropriate to the study of women and gender.
Outcome 1b (Applied Track): Students will demonstrate graduate-level proficiency in research methods appropriate for a graduate-level internship and research paper, which should exhibit comprehension, application, and evaluation of feminist methodology appropriate to the study of women and gender.
Goal 2: Apply Research and Theory. Students will apply a broad knowledge of the interdisciplinary field of women’s and gender studies. They will demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of feminist theory and research within a larger cultural discourse of intersectionality, global awareness, and social inequality. A culminating written project will adhere to graduate college and disciplinary standards.
Outcome 2a (Thesis track): Students will be able to research and write a master’s thesis that makes an original, evidence-based contribution to the field. Students will be able to synthesize theory, previous scholarship, and original research and will communicate the significance of their findings.
Outcome 2b (Applied Track): Students will be able to research and design an internship project grounded in the four theoretical Threshold Concepts (Social Construction of Gender; Privilege and Oppression; Intersectionality; and Feminist Praxis). They will summarize relevant literature and apply it to and evaluation of the project’s results. They will produce graduate-level writing communicating the significance of their findings.
Goal 3: Engage Reflectively. Students will be engaged and active citizens, capable of communicating the significance of feminism and gender studies in both personal and community contexts and evaluating links between academic inquiry and civic engagement.
Outcome 3. Students will be able to summarize and reflect on their development as activists in relation to their academic inquiry and experiences in civic engagement.