Feminist Studies
2011-12 General Catalog
315 Humanities 1
(831) 459-2461
fmst@ucsc.edu
http://feministstudies.ucsc.edu/
(There were no substantive changes to the Feminist Studies Program Description from the General Catalog 2010-12.)
Program Description
Feminist studies is an interdisciplinary field of analysis that investigates how relations of gender are embedded in social, political, and cultural formations. The undergraduate program in feminist studies provides students with a unique interdisciplinary and transnational perspective. The department emphasizes theories and practices derived from multiracial and multicultural contexts.
Feminist studies prepares undergraduates for a variety of careers. The bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree in feminist studies provides excellent grounding for undergraduates who have career aspirations in, for example, law, health, public administration, community organizations, and social services. Students wishing to pursue doctoral work will also find that interdisciplinary training in feminist studies equips them with theoretical and methodological strengths in most disciplines and applied research fields. Specialists in feminist studies are employed as consultants in industry, higher education, and human resources. State and federal government agencies employ people who have special training in understanding gender relations. Educational institutions need specialists to develop and administer feminist studies programs, women’s centers, and other institutional structures designed specifically to study and assist women.
Requirements for the Major
Feminist studies majors must complete 10 courses and a senior comprehensive exit requirement in the feminist studies program. Students must choose one of the following concentrations within the major: Culture, Power, and Representation; Law, Politics, and Social Change; Science, Technology, and Medicine; or Sexuality Studies. Courses appropriate for each concentration are listed at http://feministstudies.ucsc.edu.
A proposal for an independent concentration will be approved only when a student presents a clear, coherent, and rigorous plan of study that does not fit the existing concentrations. Both the student’s adviser and the Feminist Studies Department chair must approve a proposal for an independent concentration.
Required courses include course 1, Feminist Studies: An Introduction; course 80 or another 80 course taught by feminist studies affiliated faculty; course 100, Feminist Theories (must be taken at UCSC); five 5-credit, upper-division courses in the concentration; two 5-credit, upper-division electives; and an upper-division exit (comprehensive) requirement course. One independent study (course 199) may count toward the concentration or toward the elective requirements. Either course 193 or 198 (internship) may be used to count toward the elective requirements.
Feminist studies is an interdisciplinary major and lists courses taught by affiliate faculty in other departments. However, feminist studies majors must take a minimum of five courses at UCSC taught directly in the Feminist Studies Department, i.e., courses designated FMST, not including course 193, 198, or 199. Two Education Abroad Program (EAP) courses may count towards the major; three transfer courses may count towards the major; and the total combined number of EAP and transfer courses that may count towards the major is a maximum of three.
Exit requirement options include a senior seminar (course 194) taught by core faculty, senior thesis, or a senior project (course 195). Courses 1, 80, 100, and the composition (general education code C) requirement are prerequisites to course 194 and 195.
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement in feminist studies is satisfied by completing course 194A, 194D, 194E, 194F, 194G, 194I, 194J, 194M, 194N, 194O, 194P, or 195.
Honors
Feminist studies awards honors and highest honors in the major. At the end of each quarter, a faculty committee meets to review each graduating student’s file. Students are considered for honors and highest honors based on the preponderance of excellent evaluations for applicable course work and senior exit requirement. Writing a thesis is not a requirement for receiving honors or highest honors.
Transfer Students
Transfer students are encouraged to declare the major as soon as possible to be assured entrance into the required core courses. Feminist studies advisers or the chair determine which courses from other institutions are transferable. Courses 1, 80, and 100 must be completed in the junior year so that the exit requirement may be completed in the senior year.
Graduate Studies
Graduate students may work toward a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree that notes a designated emphasis in feminist studies on the graduation documents. Students wishing to pursue this option should consult with the chairs of their respective Ph.D. programs and are encouraged to apply in the first or second year of graduate study. The application and an annually updated list of regularly offered, approved graduate courses are available at http://feministstudies.ucsc.edu.
The following are required for the designated emphasis:
Committee composition. The student must have a designated graduate adviser from the feminist studies core or associate faculty who serves on the qualifying examination committee or in some other appropriate capacity.
Writing. The student must prepare a significant piece of writing in the area of feminist studies. This writing must be a master’s essay or a chapter of the doctoral dissertation.
Course requirements. The student must take four graduate courses in feminist studies, two of which must be taught directly in the department. Two courses can be selected from among the graduate offerings of any UCSC department, as long as they are taught by core or affiliated feminist studies faculty.
Teaching. The student must be a teaching assistant in at least one feminist studies course or teach a feminist studies course independently (designated FMST) in the regular curriculum or in Summer Session.
Revised: 8/13/12
