Women’s Studies, BA

Program Description:

Women’s Studies (WMS) is an interdisciplinary program that places women in all their diversity at the center of inquiry and examines how gender influences personal identities, cultural and artistic expressions, social arrangements, political and economic systems, and even ways of knowing and understanding the world. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required to enter the program. The Bachelor of Arts program in women’s studies is organized around three major areas of inquiry: feminist thought/theory, women in multicultural perspective, and women in international perspective. Through courses taught in these and other areas across many disciplines, as well as opportunities for internship experiences and/or independent research, students will gain (1) critical thinking and communication skills; (2) the ability to analyze multiple fields of difference related to gender, race, cultural identity, nationality, class, age, sexual orientation, and physical ability; (3) new ways of seeing and new standards for evaluating diverse women’s and men’s contributions to knowledge and society; (4) a more inclusive and transformative understanding of themselves and the world(s) in which they live; and (5) the opportunity to participate in social change.

The breadth and flexibility of the major enable students to choose among a variety of courses in many disciplines that suit their needs and interests as well as to tailor their course of study to develop a specialization within women’s studies. Because the women’s studies major is made up of courses that also count toward minors and majors in other disciplines, it also offers students the opportunity to pursue minors or dual majors in other fields to supplement and apply their training in women’s studies with fewer additional credits to complete. As documented in national studies of women’s studies graduates, a major in women’s studies prepares students for a wide array of graduate and professional programs and an equally wide range of careers in such areas as research, writing, teaching, public policy, social and health services, law, business, and communications in public, private, and nonprofit organizations at local, national, and international levels.

Students seeking admission to the major must possess an overall minimum GPA of 2.0. To graduate with a degree in women’s studies, students must complete, along with university and college requirements, General Education Course - Element 5: WMS 2000 , 12 hours of core courses and 21 hours of additional requirements, and maintain a grade of C or higher in all approved WMS courses taken for the major, 30 hours of which must be at the 3000-level or above.

Faculty:

Program Director Dr. Hope Jennings

Affiliated Faculty See program website at http://www.wright.edu/cola/Prog/wms/ (http://www.wright.edu/cola/Prog/wms/)

Program Requirements:

I. Wright State Core: 38 Hours

Element 1 - Communication: 6 Hours

Element 2 - Mathematics: 3 Hours

Element 3 - Global and Cultural Studies: 6 Hours

Element 4 - Arts / Humanities: 3 Hours

Element 5 - Social Sciences: 6 Hours

WMS 2000 - Approaches to Women’s Studies Credit Hour(s): 3

Element 6: Natural Sciences: 8 Hours

Two Additional Core Course: 6 Hours

II. Departmental Requirements: 33 Hours

Core Requirements: 12 Hours

WMS 3000 - Women in Multicultural Perspective Credit Hour(s): 3
WMS 4000 - Women in International Perspective Credit Hour(s): 3
WMS 4500 - Feminist Thought Credit Hour(s): 3
WMS 4790 - Research Methods in Women’s Studies Credit Hour(s): 3

Additional Requirements: (7 courses, 21 credit hours)

One additional WMS approved feminist theory course in any discipline Credit Hour(s): 3
One additional WMS approved international perspective course in any discipline Credit Hour(s): 3
One additional WMS approved multicultural perspective course in any discipline Credit Hour(s): 3
Four additional WMS approved courses in any discipline Credit Hour(s): 12

Note(s):

Within the additional requirements, at least one course each in history and literature approved for women’s studies must be completed.

III. Related Requirements

IV. College Requirements: 18 Hours

Foreign Language

Through 2020 level (1010, 1020, 2010, 2020) of one language: 12 Hours

Spanish, French, German, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Japanese, American Sign Language or other.

Methods of Inquiry

Quantitative Thinking: 3 Hours

One Course from:

COM 4490 - Survey of Communication Research Credit Hour(s): 3
MUS 4140 - Intro to Research in Music Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 2100 - Quantitative Methods in Political Science Credit Hour(s): 3
SW 2910 - Social Science Data Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 3400 - Sociological Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 3410 - Introduction to Research Methods Credit Hour(s): 3
URS 4980 - Quantitative/Qualitative Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3

Qualitative Thinking: 3 Hours

One Course from:

PHL 2150 - Inductive Logic Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 2230 - Symbolic Logic I Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 3230 - Symbolic Logic II Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 4710 - Philosophy of Physical Science Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 4720 - Philosophy of Social Science Credit Hour(s): 3

V. Electives: 35 Hours

Total: 124 Hours

Graduation Planning Strategy

The Graduation Planning Strategy (GPS) has been created to illustrate one option to complete degree requirements within a particular time frame. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to adjust this plan based on credit already earned, individual needs or curricular changes that may not be reflected in this year’s catalog.