Criteria for Approving Courses for Women's and Gender Studies Credit

The WGSTProgram encourages a historically-grounded, comparative, global feminist perspective. All courses are informed by theories of the social construction of gender and address issues of diversity, including race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, nationality, age, and/or ability. The program emphasizes an interactive learning process and promotes scholarly research in order to challenge students in ways that foster intellectual and personal development.

For a course to be included in the WGST curriculum, it must

1. Be informed by theories of the social construction of gender
   
2. Address issues of diversity (race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, nationality, age, and/or ability, other) as relevant to the course subject.
   
3. Challenge students in ways that foster intellectual and personal development.
   
4. Meet at least some of the following content goals:

• Focus on the cultural construction of gender
• An understanding of women and gender issues within a historical context
• Exploration of gendered power relationships / asymmetries
• Challenge to sexism and/or patriarchy
• Primary concentration on women's experience and/or accomplishments
• Recognition of diverse forms of feminism
• Emphasis on gender and social justice/ activism
• Examination of sexual identity and/or heterosexism
• Awareness of intersections of gender and social positioning (race, ethnicity, class, etc.)
• Examination of gendered existence from a multicultural/cross-cultural perspective
• Awareness of scholarship on women and/or gender in relevant field

5. Meet at least some of the following form goals:

• Variety in method and style of presentation
• Non-traditional assignments that encourage students to learn in new ways
• Student-led activities
• Opportunities for student self-reflection and self-actualization

Since we have two tracks, courses may be approved for either the Women's Studies or the Gender Studies track or for both. Decisions about track will be made based on content and course emphasis.

Download this document as a Word file: Criteria.doc.

To propose a new course (Program or Departmental) for Women and Gender Studies minor credit:

• New Course Proposal Form (Word document): save to your computer, complete, print, and email as an attachment to womenstu@mtsu.edu.