Program Overview

The Program

The Graduate Certificate in Advanced Feminist Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to broaden and enrich disciplinary scholarship for non-degree students as well as students enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree-granting program. The purpose of the certificate is to enable students interested in feminist scholarship to pursue a coherent, integrated curriculum in the field and to credential them as knowledgeable in Feminist Studies, thus qualifying them for positions requiring such expertise. Students work closely with faculty and associated faculty from Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies and with a faculty advisor from their degree-granting discipline. Students completing the certificate will have the opportunity to bring a feminist perspective to bear on the practices and ideas of their own discipline, thereby increasing the body of feminist theory and research.

Admission to the certificate program is contingent upon: 1) prior acceptance to the Graduate School of the University into a graduate degree-granting program; or 2) after completion of a graduate degree and acceptance to the Graduate School as a non-degree student.

The candidate should demonstrate a commitment to, and evidence of, research or organizational experience in feminist concerns. Knowledge of feminist scholarship is expected, but an undergraduate major in Women’s Studies is not required.

Requirements

The program consists of the following requirements:

A. Two core Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies courses:

1. WOMENSST 791B-Feminist Theory or an equivalent theory course: This graduate seminar in feminist theory constitutes a core course for students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Feminist Studies. The seminar will be organized around questions that emerge for feminisms from the rubrics of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, transnationalism, human rights, economics and postcolonialism. Feminist theory is inherently interdisciplinary and we will draw on classic and contemporary writings from the many fields that contribute to the “field.” WOMENSST 791B is offered fall semester only. Enrollment preference is given to certificate students

2. WOMENSST 691B-Issues in Feminist Research Seminar: A methods seminar that includes readings on questions of feminist methodology and ethics of research. Enrollment preference is given to certificate students and the course is offered spring semester only.

B. Two interdisciplinary electives, one from each of the following categories:

1. Transnational/Critical Race Feminisms: This requirement exposes students to the critical importance of anti-racist politics to feminism, and further accommodates the inclusion of transnationalism, critical race studies and sexuality studies into the field of inquiry.

2. Open elective (previously Feminist Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Approaches):
Students must also select one other course with substantive feminist content to include as their second elective. Ideally, this course will be selected from the WGSS course guide, but a petition for inclusion form is also available.

C. A Final Research Project:

WOMENSST 793A: The final stage for the completion of the certificate is a year-long research project under the direction of a committee comprised of a chair from the WGSS faculty and a second committee member.  The role of the chair will be to insure that the student has close supervision to be able to complete the certificate project and meet the program’s expectations to produce rigorous interdisciplinary, intersectional feminist scholarship.

Students begin working on this project as part of small writing groups during the fall of the year they plan to complete; submitting an abstract and project draft to their committee at the end of the fall semester. Upon their committee’s approval, certificate students enroll in 793A for the spring semester during which they complete their project. The project culminates with the submission of a full-length project and an oral presentation at the graduate student symposium at the end of the spring semester.

Research projects may take a variety of forms including but not limited to a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation; a research paper or project of outstanding quality; a book chapter; a performance or multimedia presentation. Whatever the field of study, the research paper must focus on the intersection of race, class, gender, sexuality and, if relevant, transnational issues. It can be developed from 1) a paper submitted to meet one of the core requirements; 2) prior research; 3) a practicum or other project. The student’s advisor and the Associate Director of the Graduate Program will evaluate the project for final approval. A final copy of the research project is to be left with the department office.

Courses are offered and coordinated by core, adjunct, and affiliated graduate faculty of the Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Program. The Associate Director is available for advising and the Graduate Program Director provides supervision of research.

For further information, contact the Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Department, 208 Bartlett Hall, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, tel.: (413) 545-1922; fax: (413) 545-1500; website: www.umass.edu/wost.