Course Information
Here we provide information on course requirements, course descriptions and an Academic Rhode Map for each program, a semester-by-semester plan to help you toward graduation in four years.
Gender and Women’s Studies BA and Minor Program Specifics
About the Interdisciplinary Program of Gender and Women's Studies
Courses in the BA in gender and women's studies major include contemporary feminist theory; an examination of the lives of men and women through the lens of feminism; and an analytical look at how race, gender and class – interconnected systems that shape individual and collective social experiences – are constructed, experienced and negotiated within specific historical eras and locations.
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this program, many of our students are able to pursue a double major or combine a major in one program with a minor in another. We also offer a minor in gender and women's studies and a minor in queer studies.
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Interested in Gender and Women's Studies?
Rhode Island College is an exclusive member of the Common Application.
Program/Learning Goals
Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:
- discover and communicate new knowledge about women
- examine and reinterpret existing knowledge about women
- synthesize and integrate understanding of women into the disciplines
- have an understanding of women in contemporary society
- understand theoretical analyses of gender
- have an understanding of and respect for difference in regards to gender, age, ability, class, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation and national origin
Writing in the Discipline
Why or in what ways is writing important to your discipline/field/profession?
The Gender and Women's Studies Program teaches students to discover and communicate new knowledge about women and gender, to re-examine and reinterpret existing knowledge about women and gender and to integrate this understanding and perspective into the other disciplines. In the process, this discipline seeks to empower students to come into their own voice as writers and thinkers and encourages them to use that voice in writing to create social change in the world. As a result of our work with students on writing, their voices will be intellectually rigorous as well as personally authentic.
Which courses are designated as satisfying the Writing in the Discipline (WID) requirement by your department? Why these courses?
- GEND 100: Gender in Society
- GEND 201: Feminist Inquiry
- GEND 352: Feminist Theory
- GEND 461: Seminar in Race, Gender and Class
These courses are required for all majors and minors, and represent different levels of development for student writers – introductory, intermediate and advanced.
What forms or genres of writing will students learn and practice in your department’s WID courses? Why these genres?
At the introductory level, students learn the fundamental skills of critical writing as they analyze a wide range of cultural texts through the lens of gender. They also practice self-reflective writing through response papers, journal entries and other informal writing. Students are taught to think of the writer as observer, analyzer and critic and to learn to write from these stances.
At the intermediate level, students produce more formal analytic written work than what was produced at the introductory level. They are introduced to the concept of “standpoint” writing, which is feminist writing that makes its own investment and stance transparent and explicit. They learn about the different purposes of writing in our field, including persuasion, analysis and information. They also learn to synthesize ideas from different texts and artifacts in their writing; and they continue to use self-reflective writing when appropriate. They also learn to discern reliability of sources in their research.
At the advanced level, students are introduced to the writing conventions of the multiple disciplines that participate in gender and women’s studies, including those of the social sciences and the humanities. In this way they learn informational literacy and critical appraisal. Students learn what constitutes evidence in the social sciences and in the humanities and how to employ the conventions of both areas in their own interdisciplinary writing.
Students learn how to construct and complete a major research project, from prospectus to final paper, and how to research sources for their project. Our goal is that students learn to enter the academic dialogue of gender and women’s studies in their research and writing. They assess theoretical perspectives that are elaborated on by professional writers in the discipline and begin to offer their own contributions. Self-reflective writing at this level is expected to be used strategically in the context of elaborating ideas.
What kinds of teaching practices will students encounter in your department’s WID courses?
Discussion and student-centered learning being fundamental pedagogical methods in our field, our courses are designed to help students come into their own voice as writers and critical thinkers. The numerous low-stakes, self-reflective or interpretive writing exercises we offer help students grow in confidence and proficiency as critical writers.
Large-scale and high stakes writing assignments are scaffolded such that student success is grounded in learning how to break large projects into manageable smaller chunks. Our WID courses provide writing instruction in the classroom, which includes both in-class guidance from the instructor as well as opportunities for peer editing. Students also work collaboratively, learning how to construct writing assignments with a partner or group.
When they’ve satisfied your department’s WID requirement, what should students know and be able to do with writing?
Students who complete our program will be able to write for a variety of audiences and objectives, whether their purpose is to inform, persuade or analyze. They will be able to work collaboratively with others on writing projects, to write authentically and to explore their own investment in their writing. Because they have been exposed to texts and conventions of multiple disciplines, students will also be able to adapt to new writing situations with flexibility and agility.
Minor Program Options
Declaring a minor allows you to explore other areas of interest and make interdisciplinary connections. Minor areas at RIC complement and reinforce all major areas of study. By declaring a minor, you can set yourself apart as a candidate for job, internship and volunteer opportunities.
Minor in Gender and Women’s Studies
Queer Studies Minor
Queer Studies is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that examines the histories, lives, identities, experiences and struggles of queer people. Queerness is an umbrella term that is broadly used to refer to individuals and identities that are (currently) understood as culturally non-normative, especially of genders and sexualities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, and others. The queer studies minor at RIC is designed to challenge students to think critically about human diversity, including the role of intersectionality (overlapping and intersecting social identities). This minor compliments a variety of majors and disciplines.