Program in Womens and Gender Studies (BA)
Faculty:
Diane Grossman, Program Head, Professor of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies
Carole Biewener, Professor of Economics and Women’s and Gender Studies
Kelly Hager, Professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies
Denise M. Horn, Associate Professor of Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies and Chair of Political Science
Laura Prieto, Professor of History and Women’s and Gender Studies
Dawna Thomas, Professor of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies
Heather Hole, Associate Professor of Art and Music and Faculty Affiliate of Women's and Gender Studies
Suzanne Leonard, Associate Professor of English and Faculty Affiliate of Women’s and Gender Studies, Director Graduate Program
Briana Martino, Assistant Professor of Communications and Faculty Affiliate of Women’s and Gender Studies
Lena Zuckerwise, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Faculty Affiliate of Women’s and Gender Studies
Kristina Pechulis, Director of the Simmons College Barbara Lee Family Foundation Intern Fellowship Program and Senior Lecturer in Political Science
Overview:
The goals of the Program in Women’s and Gender Studies are to educate students in the theoretical, empirical, and methodological perspectives for considering the status and experiences of women; to consider gender in diverse national and international contexts by studying the multiple and contested meanings and roles of gender; and to develop an understanding of how gender is related to other social categories including race, class, age, sexuality, religion, and nationality. Women’s and Gender Studies courses, whether taken as part of the major or to enrich another discipline, invite students to understand past and present experiences in order to prepare for challenges and opportunities in their future personal, work, and social lives. Majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies has led to careers in management, law, academia, counseling, education, library, museum or archival work, health care, social services, public administration, writing, publishing, and the media.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon graduation students with a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies will have gained the following skills, knowledge, and abilities:
- Critical-Historical Awareness – Students will be adept at considering gender in diverse national and international contexts as a result of studying the multiple and contested meanings and roles of gender from an historical, a multidisciplinary, and a trans-national perspective and will have developed an understanding of how gender is related to other social categories such as race, ethnicity, social class, sexuality, religion, and nationality.
- Interdisciplinary Content – Students will have acquired theoretical, methodological, and empirical perspectives for studying and critically analyzing the history, status, and experiences of women from diverse backgrounds.
- Disciplinary Skills – Students will be skilled at integrating theory and practice and will be able to communicate effectively in both writing and speaking.
- Practical Skills – Through independent learning or internships, students will be prepared to enter the workplace, graduate programs, and community-based volunteer work with an understanding of social justice issues informed by interdisciplinary scholarship and feminist perspectives.
- Leadership Skills – Students will continue in leadership roles that they have either begun or further developed while at Simmons
Program Honors:
A WGST major may qualify for program honors with a 3.5 average in WGST courses and completion of WGST 355, Thesis, or WGST 370, Internship with the addition of a substantial written project or paper.
Laurie Crumpacker Scholars:
This 4+1 accelerated program for Simmons students offers the opportunity to acquire a Master's of Arts in Gender/Cultural Studies within one year after completing the undergraduate BA degree. Simmons students with a strong undergraduate record may apply to the program in the second semester of their junior year. Applicants must submit an official transcript of their undergraduate record, a statement of purpose, a writing sample, and two letters of recommendation. At least one letter should be from someone well acquainted with the applicant's academic ability and potential inquiries should be addressed to graduate studies. Students admitted to the program begin graduate level work in the GCS program in the senior year of their undergraduate program at Simmons. Students may transfer up to 8 credits of 300- level undergraduate coursework from the GCS list of elective courses toward the degree. As students would be accepted into the GCS program prior to enrolling in these courses, they would be expected to complete work at the graduate level in these two 300-level elective courses. Students are able to enroll in 400- level GCS courses only after they have completed their BA degrees and have fully entered the GCS program.
Program Requirements
40 semester hours (10 courses):
Four semester hours (1 course) in one of the three 100-level courses:
| WGST 100 | Introduction to Multicultural Women's Studies | 4 |
| WGST 111 | Introduction to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Studies | 4 |
| WGST 125 | Rosie the Riveter to #MeToo: Women&Workýand Work | 4 |
Take the following
Four semester hours (1 course) in a Race Ethnicity and Diversity course selected from one of the following
Four semester hours (1 course) in a Globalization course selected from one of the following:
Four semester hours (1 course) in a Methodology course selected from one of the following:
| ENGL 390 | Seminar in Literary Scholarship | 4 |
| HIST 260 | Interpreting the Past: The Craft of History | 4 |
| SOCI 239 | Introduction to Social Research I | 4 |
| PSYC 203 | Research Methods in Psychology | 4 |
Four semester hours (1 course) in advanced coursework chosen from:
Capstone:
Twelve semester hours (3 courses) chosen from the list of Women’s and Gender Studies courses and electives.
A course taken to fulfill the race/ethnicity requirement may not also count as an elective.