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Women's and Gender Studies
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Graduate Studies

The Women’s and Gender Studies interdisciplinary graduate minor is available for masters and doctoral students seeking to integrate work on women and gender into their programs of study. The graduate minor is designed to provide students with knowledge of theories and methods within a variety of approaches in feminist and gender-based scholarship. The program seeks to integrate and synthesize knowledge from many disciplines and to offer students opportunities for systematic study of gender and women’s experiences and perspectives in all knowledge fields.

Prerequisites

  • Official acceptance into any ISU graduate degree program.
  • Successful completion of at least two undergraduate courses in Women’s and Gender Studies.
  • Submission of a Statement of Purpose to the program director detailing your research interests in the Women’s and Gender Studies minor.
  • Completion of an advisory meeting with the program director.
 

I decided to pursue a graduate minor in women’s and gender studies to better understand the complexities of issues related to race, gender, and sexuality. As a result, I approach issues of college access and success from an intersectional lens and understand that the multiple identities students hold significantly influence their time in college.

Jarrel Johnson, ’21 Ph.D. in Education, women’s and gender studies graduate minor

Program of study

A Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Minor requires a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours of coursework. Students are required to take either WGS 5010 Contemporary Feminist Theories or WGS 5020 Advanced Seminar in Feminist Research Methods; taking both is strongly recommended.  Students will also take two or three electives selected from the list of core and cross-listed Women’s and Gender Studies courses approved for graduate study. At least one member of the Women’s and Gender Studies faculty will serve on the program of study for doctoral students. Substitutions for required courses are possible on a case-by-case basis with WGS Program Director and POS Chair approval.

Required courses*

  • Theory (3 Credits): WS 5010: Contemporary Feminist and Gender Theories or ELPS 6210: Pedagogies of Dissent.

OR

  • Methods (3 Credits): WGS 5020 Advanced Seminar in Feminist Research Methods or SOC 5130 Qualitative Research Methods in Sociology or RESEV 5800 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methodology or RESEV 6800 Critical Issues in Qualitative Inquiry (pre-requisite: RESEV 5800).

*Course substitutions possible on a case-by-case basis with POS committee approval

Elective Courses: Students are required to take a minimum of six (6) elective credits from available core and cross-listed Women’s and Gender Studies Classes.

Conference Participation: All Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Minors are required to participate in the end of year student directed conference as a presenter, panel moderator, and/or administrative/support staff for the event.

Language Requirements: Determined by primary department

Graduate resources