Women's Studies
Program Information
Towson University
has a fully independent major in women’s studies. It also offers a
minor, a master’s degree, and a graduate certificate program. Women’s
Studies at Towson University was changed from a program to a department
in spring, 2002. It is one of the nations oldest; courses were offered
as early as 1971 and the program itself began in 1973. During the
1980s, major grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the Ford
Foundation to advance “curriculum transformation” locally and nationally
led to the creation of
ITROW and
NCCTRW.
The Women’s
Studies Department is both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary.
Students choose an individually fashioned curriculum from
interdisciplinary women’s studies (WMST) courses and from an approved
list of courses selected from other disciplines, spanning several of
Towson University’s departments and colleges. Several of our courses
are also approved for the GenEd requirements.
UNDERGRADUATE
PROGRAM
Major in Women's
Studies
The Women’s Studies major is interdisciplinary; it offers students the opportunity to study the status and roles of women as individuals and as members of society, and how these statuses and roles are shaped by social, political, and cultural forces. Courses emphasize both commonalities among women and differences according to race, ethnicity, sexuality, and class.
The major consists of 39 credit hours:
• 6 hours of required core courses
• 3 credits of a culminating experience.
• 12 hours in a selected focus area, 6 credits of which must be departmental WMST
courses
• 18 distribution credits wherein majors take 6 credits in each of the three focus areas
other than the one selected.
The Women’s Studies major is structured to provide students with both breadth (through the distribution requirement) and depth (through the selection of a focus area). The focus areas are curricular/career paths that allow students to develop expertise in a particular area. The culminating experience provides students the opportunity to integrate the knowledge acquired in their courses, and to apply this knowledge to real world problems.
Recommended Program of Study
Women’s studies majors should include: WMST 231 Women in Perspective
or WMST 232 Honors Seminar: Women in Perspective in their first
semester. This is an introductory course that fulfills some General
Education (GenEd) requirements. WMST 233 International Perspectives on
Women or WMST 234 Honors International Perspectives on Women is
recommended but not required and also fulfills GenEd requirements.
We also recommend that students majoring in women’s studies take the
advanced composition course offered by women's studies, WMST 333:
Women's Words, Women's Lives. A course on minority women (either a WMST
course or a departmental one) is strongly recommended. WMST 496
Internship is also recommended.
Students should consult the Undergraduate Catalog for the most
up-to-date information on electives, course descriptions and
prerequisites.
Transfer Credit Policy
All women's studies majors must complete a minimum of 18 credits toward
the major at Towson University, with at least 12 credits at the upper
(300-400) level.
All women's studies minors must complete a minimum of 12 credits toward
the minor at Towson University, with at least 9 credits at the upper
(300-400) level.
Minor in
Women's
Studies
Students may wish
to major in a traditional subject (history, english, sociology) but
minor in women's studies. Some students plan to do graduate work in a
traditional discipline, with emphasis on women within it.
GRADUATE PROGRAM
The Master of Science
in Women’s Studies is an “Applied” degree, made up of an
interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary program that provides students
with both a basic groundwork in the field of women’s studies and a
combination of skills that can be used in diverse fields and across
disciplines. Graduates of the program will have the academic preparation
to pursue careers in a variety of public and private organizations. They
will be prepared to adapt to changing environments in business, health
professions and nonprofit organizations in a regional, national or
international context. The program is organized around a required core
of three courses (theory, diversity, and research methods and skills)
and a concentration selected by the student. Students may select a
concentration from one of three areas: Women, Health and Sexuality;
Women in an International Context; and Women, Leadership and Public
Policy. In addition to the required core of three (3) courses, the
curriculum of each concentration has three parts: 1) its own core
course; 2) another required course selected from a short list; 3) a
longer list of electives from which students must select 15 more credits
in courses from a variety of disciplines.
A graduate adviser from
the Women’s Studies Department will be assigned to each student.
Students may select their own adviser once they are in the program.
After the completion of the core program and in consultation with their
graduate advisers, students will construct an advanced and individually
tailored program of study in one of the three concentrations listed
above. Students who wish to enhance their course work with practical
experience may take the Internship or Field Experience course.
Top of Page |
