Graduate Certificate

2008-2010

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 who are seeking a graduate degree in any discipline.

To receive the Graduate Certificate in WGS, the student will need to visit with the director.  The director and student will select courses to take for the certificate. After all classes are complete, the student notifies WGS. The program will verify all requirements have been met by checking their transcript. If requirements have been met, WGS will notify the Registrar's office to issue a certificate to the student. The certificate is not tracked like a minor would be tracked.

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 200 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.

Required Course (3 hours)

680:289   Graduate Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies (3 hours)

      OR

980:171g   Theories of Sex and Gender (to be renamed Feminist Theories in the Social  Sciences) (3 hours)

      OR

620:206   Feminist Literary Theories and Practices (3 hours)

      OR

650:250   Critical Perspectives on Gender (3 hours)

Electives (9 hours)

You must choose one course from the social science category A, one course from the humanities category B, and one course from either A, B, or the experiential category C.

Category A: Social Sciences

  Current Approaches to Multicultural Education 200:188g (3 hours)

  Dress and Human Behavior 31T:114g (3 hours)

  Selected Topics in Women's Health 410:128g (3 hours)

  Introduction to Women's Health 410:162g (3 hours)

  Problems in Juvenile and Family Law 942:142g (3 hours)

  United States Women's History 961:146g (3 hours)

  Modern European Women's History 963:161g (3 hours)

  Women, Crime, and Society 980:131g (3 hours)

  Social Inequality 980:135g (3 hours)

  Theories of Sex and Gender (to be renamed Feminist Theories in the Social   Sciences) 980:171g (3 hours)

  Violence in Intimate Relationships 31F:145g (3 hours)

Category B: Humanities

  Performance Texts and Contexts: Performance and Social Change 48C:108g (3     hours)

  Social Protest: Performance and Rhetoric 48C:113g (3 hours)

  Gender Issues in Communication 48C:153g (3 hours)

  Images of Women in Literature 620:128g (3 hours)

  Feminist Literary Theories and Practices 620:206 (3 hours)

  Women and Christianity 640:162g (3 hours)

  Religion and Sexuality 640:168g (3 hours)

  Money, Sex, and Power: Theories of Race, Class and Gender 650:151 (3 hours)

  Critical Perspectives on Gender 650:250 (3 hours)

  Topics in Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Studies 680:156g (3 hours)

  Black Women in America : Challenge, Spirit, Survival 680:160g (3 hours)

  Graduate Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies 680:289 (3 hours)

Category C: Experiential

  Internship in Women's and Gender Studies 900:195 (3 hours)

  Practicum that has a gender-focus and is advised by a WGS faculty member

Identify impact on majors, minors, certificates, courses, and/or prerequisites within or outside of the department:

Given the number of courses which students will have to choose from to fulfill the certificate, there should be minimal impact on the enrolment in these classes.

Explanation and justification:

The Women's and Gender Studies certificate will enhance student awareness of gender as a factor in a wide-array of programs of study. In some cases, students who already focus upon gender in their more traditional discipline and take many of the courses listed above will receive recognition for the work they already were doing through the certificate. With explicit contact with the Women's and Gender Studies Program, such students will benefit from a community of scholars with whom to exchange ideas and collaborate on projects. Finally, the experiential component of Women's and Gender Studies encourages students to actively implement ideas they have explored to improve their communities.