The Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies is an interdisciplinary program offered by the Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program with faculty on loan from a variety of academic units or hired part time for their particular expertise. Students who have majored in Women’s Studies are employed in social service work, health services, business, law, education, and government at all levels. They find employment in public policy fields and businesses, working with women specifically or with people in general. In the private sector graduates are successful in management positions, especially those involving work with diverse groups of people.
Women’s Studies majors will gain a more complete understanding of how the social construction of gender has influenced roles, contributions, and experiences of women in many different cultures, now and in the past. Such awareness can help them better understand our contemporary world with its changing roles for women and men alike. They will bring to the gender analysis of any situation knowledge of the complexity of its interaction with race, social class, sexual orientation, and other forms of diversity. They will be able to recognize the connection between Women’s Studies scholarship and the scholarship of other disciplines. Students will develop an appreciation for the connections between Women’s Studies scholarship, activism, and social change, historically and in the present. They will develop the critical intellectual capacity and necessary communication skills to work to value and improve the position of all women in whatever public or private spheres they choose.
Ann Schonberger
Director and Advisor for the Major
(207) 581-1229
Ann.Schonberger@umit.maine.edu
Mazie Hough
Associate Director and Advisor for the Minor
(207) 581-1225
Mazie.Hough@umit.maine.edu
The goals of the Women’s Studies Program are:
The major consists of at least 36 credit hours structured this way:
Required Courses, 6 courses (18 credits)
- WST 101 Introduction to Women’s Studies (Fall, Spring, and usually Summer)
- WST 340 Women and Globalization (Spring)
- WST 410 Feminist Theory (Fall)
- WST 480 Senior Seminar in Women’s Studies (Spring, and usually Fall)
- HTY 332 Womanhood in America (Fall)
- SOC 330 Perspectives on Women
OR
- SOC 329 Sociology of Gender
Distribution Requirements
3 courses (9 credits), one course from each of the following categories:
(1) Culture (2) Society and Public Policy
(3) Health, Science, and the Environment
1. Culture
- ANT 245 Sex and Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective
- CMJ 405 Women and Communication
- CMJ 475 Sexualities in Mass Communication
- ENG 246 American Women’s Literature
- ENG 256 British Women’s Literature
- ENG 471 Literature, Gender, and Gender Theory
- ENG 481 Topics in Women’s Literature
- HTY 494 Women, History, and America Society: Selected Topics
- PHI 236 Feminist Ethical, Social, and Political Theory
- WST 235 Franco American Women’s Experience
- WST 250 Women and Music
- WST 270 Native American Women
- WST 360 Feminism and Cinema
Or, another course by permission
2. Society and Public Policy
- CHF 451 Family Relationships
- CHF 452 Violence in the Family
- CMJ 405 Women and Communication *
- CMJ 475 Sexualities in Mass Communication *
- POS 385 Women and Politics
- SOC 304 Sociology of Lesbian and Gay Families and Relationships
- SOC 319 Domestic Violence and Social Structure
- SOC 329 Sociology of Gender *
- SOC 330 Perspectives on Women *
- WST 103 Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
- WST 371 Immigration, Women, and Society
- WST 430 Women in Europe (Travel Study Course, Spring Break or May Term)
Or, another course by permission
*Cannot count in two categories3. Health, Science, and the Environment
- NUR 420 Women’s Health
- WST 230 Women, Health, and the Environment (Fall, Spring, sometimes Summer)
Or, another course by permission
The remaining 9 credits can be taken from among the courses listed above, additional approved departmental electives or Women’s Studies topics courses, internships, independent study courses, or courses taken at other universities in the U.S. or abroad. Indeed internships, study abroad, and national student exchange opportunities are strongly encouraged.
At least 18 credits, including the senior seminar, must be taken at the University of Maine. Students must have a C average (2.0) in the courses taken for the major.
The courses listed above are given at least once a year, but in recent years there has also been a wealth of additional topics courses offered both in Women’s Studies and in departments. Lists of interdisciplinary and departmental courses available in Women’s Studies are published every semester during pre-registration periods. They are also available online.
Recommended Curriculum for a BA in Women’s Studies
Because the Women’s Studies major is intended to be highly individualized for each student, no sample curriculum is offered. Students interested in the major should take WST 101 as soon as possible, because it is a prerequisite for all the other WST courses and can be an alternate prerequisite for many of the departmental electives. WST 410 is usually taken in the fall of the junior year and WST 480 in the senior year. Student majors should also consult with the director early and frequently to plan an appropriate course of study for themselves.
The Minor in Women’s Studies
The minor consists of at least 18 credit hours structured in this way:
Required courses, 3 courses ( 9 credits)
The remaining 9 credits can be taken from among the courses listed above, additional approved departmental electives or Women’s Studies topics courses, internships, independent study courses, or courses taken at other universities in the U.S. or abroad.
*Students can also major in International Affairs with a concentration in Women’s Studies.*
Revised 08/06/10