Proposal For A New Academic Program

Executive Summary

Proposal for the Initiation of a New Instructional Program

Leading to the MA in Women Studies

Why an MA in Women Studies at OSU?

An MA in Women Studies is well aligned with the mission and strategic plan of Oregon State University. Women Studies is uniquely poised to advance Phase II of OSU’s strategic plan in the signature area of Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress. Women Studies provides a multidisciplinary consideration of contemporary global justice issues in politics, society, public health, psychology, economics, and the environment. The proposed graduate level curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers in a variety of fields: in higher education, government and non-government agencies, nonprofits, and the private sector, particularly in areas that engage matters of equality, diversity, and social justice. While gender is the primary focus of Women Studies, each course and the discipline as a whole always examines gender in light of intersectionality, and so race/ethnicity, social class, sexual identity, ability, age, and religion are also integral components of critical analysis of gender. Women Studies teach students both to think critically about issues of gender and to work in the world as responsible and engaged citizens. An MA in Women Studies will publicly enhance the University’s commitment to diversity, social responsibility, and civic engagement and will help build local, state, national, and global leaders who can respond to social needs through direct service and public policy formation.

What changes are needed to create a major in Women Studies at OSU?

Oregon State University’s Women Studies Program is one of the oldest in the country, founded in 1972-73 in the thick of the Women’s Movement (the first was founded at San Diego State in 1970). Across its 39-year history, Women Studies at OSU has grown from a loose collection of elective courses taught overload for free by women faculty members to a fully developed program with four tenured/tenure-track faculty members, one full-time instructor, 45 affiliated faculty, eight graduate teaching assistants, and a number of part-time instructors who fill in on an as-needed basis. The Program offers an undergraduate major, and undergraduate minor, undergraduate certificate, graduate minor, and graduate primary and secondary areas in the MAIS. In recent years, Women Studies has grown, both in the numbers of students in WS courses and in the number of courses offered. The Women Studies Program at Oregon State University proposes now to offer a Master of Arts in Women Studies in response to increased student interest, the University’s emphasis on issues of diversity, student engagement, social justice, and social responsibility, and recent growth in faculty and curriculum size. Because of this recent growth, the major requires few changes. We are adding some new courses currently in the Category II process, WS 521 (3) Feminist Leadership & Management, WS 522 (1) Grant-Writing and Development for Feminist Organizations, WS 523 (2) Community Organizing & Collective Action, WS 586 (1) Global Experience I, WS 587 (1) Global Experience II, and WS 588 (1) Global Experience II. We need no additional faculty lines.

What are the budget impacts of an MA in Women Studies at OSU?

Women Studies will be able to offer the Master of Arts with little budget impact because the Program is already providing most of the courses that will be required for the degree. We will spend some funds on developing promotional materials. These costs can be absorbed by the existing budget. Women Studies generates much of its funding beyond tenured faculty salaries through participation in e-campus and summer sessions. The Program uses these funds to hire instructors, support conference travel, and purchase resources for the Program. We will simply use some of these funds to cover new publicity materials and hire instructors for some of the new courses.

Proposal for a New Academic Program

Institution: Oregon State University

College/School: College of Liberal Arts

School of Language, Culture, and Society (proposed)

Department/Program: Women Studies

1. Program Description : Master of Arts in Women Studies

a. Proposed Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) number : 050207

b. B rief overview (1-2 paragraphs) of the proposed program, including its disciplinary foundations and connections; program objectives; programmatic focus; degree, certificate, minor, and concentrations offered.

Women Studies[1] at Oregon State University proposes to offer a Master of Arts in Women Studies. As part of the new proposed School of Language, Culture, and Society, Women Studies is uniquely poised to advance Phase II of OSU’s strategic plan in the signature area of Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress. Women Studies provides a multidisciplinary consideration of contemporary global justice issues in politics, society, public health, psychology, economics, and the environment. The proposed graduate level curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers in a variety of fields: in higher education, government and non-government agencies, nonprofits, and the private sector, particularly in areas that engage matters of equality, diversity, and social justice.

Women Studies is the primary and/or secondary field of study for a significant and growing number of Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) students, among whom there has been strong demand for a freestanding MA in Women Studies. Many prospective students inquire about OSU’s graduate program in Women Studies but choose other institutions that offer an MA in the discipline. At this time, the University of Washington is the only institution offering an MA in Women’s Studies in the region including Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, North Dakota and South Dakota. Women Studies is prepared to provide a timely and vital program of study that is underrepresented and in demand in our region. A Master of Arts program in Women Studies at Oregon State University will produce theoretically informed, culturally competent graduates ready to take on leadership positions regionally, nationally, and globally.

Objectives of the program include:

· To prepare students for doctoral-level work in Women Studies and eventual careers in academia

· To prepare students to work in a diverse, global environment

· To prepare students for leadership and careers in social justice and social change agencies, particularly those serving the needs of women

· To enhance the knowledge and skills of students already working in such agencies

· To prepare students to bring gender, social justice, and diversity perspectives to any work environment

c. Course of study – proposed curriculum, including course numbers, titles, and credit hours.

The proposed curriculum is structured to equip students to pursue a Ph.D. in Women Studies and/or to work in agencies, institutions, and businesses outside the academy. The core requirements, which foreground leadership and professionalization, emphasize key feminist issues, theories, and research methods. Core courses reflect the essential knowledge and skills required of graduate students in Women Studies and provide students with an effective foundation for the academic study of contemporary gender and diversity issues.

The MA will provide excellent preparation for students planning to enter a Ph.D. program. Sixteen universities in the U.S. offer a Ph.D. in Women’s Studies. All of the programs require a strong grounding in feminist theory, research, and pedagogy, which are salient features of the proposed MA.

The MA will also emphasize leadership, social change, community organizing, nonprofit management, grant writing, and public policy. Required coursework combines the expertise of core Women Studies faculty with inter- and multidisciplinary offerings across the wide range of academic fields represented by affiliated Women Studies faculty at OSU, including Public Health, Public Policy, Ethnic Studies, and Anthropology.

The interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary approach recognizes the ways that gender crosses disciplinary lines and influences all work and knowledge in higher education and beyond. This structure also allows Women Studies students to build programs that fit their personal and professional needs. The variety of course offerings reflects the strengths of OSU’s Women Studies program faculty and should prove attractive to prospective students who desire courses options in areas of specific interest.

The MA differs from the MAIS in significant ways: 1) the core is widely expanded beyond current MAIS requirements and provides more comprehensive coverage of key disciplinary issues; 2) the language requirement ensures that graduates will be better prepared to be global citizens, to enter jobs working with diverse populations, or to enter Ph.D. programs that have second language requirements; 3) the emphasis on research methods will better prepare students for Ph.D. work or for careers involving social research; 4) the professional development seminars will prepare students for the practical aspects of a career in higher education, nonprofit, public, or private work; and 5) the applied courses will equip students with necessary skills to become organizational leaders and agents for social change.

Master of Arts in Women Studies

Core Requirements 43 credits

WS 503 (6) Thesis*

WS 510 (3) Internship*

WS 511 (1) Orientation and Professionalization I*

WS 512 (1) Orientation and Professionalization II*

WS 513 (1) Orientation and Professionalization III*

WS 514 (3) Systems of Oppression in Women’s Lives*

WS 516 (3) Theories of Feminism*

WS 521 (3) Feminist Leadership & Management*1

WS 522 (1) Grant-Writing and Development for Feminist Organizations*1

WS 523 (2) Community Organizing & Collective Action*1

WS 530 (3) Women of Color in the US

WS 535 (3) Feminist Teaching and Learning*

WS 585 (3) Transnational Feminisms1*

WS 586 (1) Global Experience I1

WS 587 (1) Global Experience II

WS 588 (1) Global Experience III

Qualitative Research 4 credits.

Choose one of the following:

ANTH 591 (4) Ethnographic Methods*

HDFS 538 (4) Qualitative Research Methods I*

SOC 518 (4) Qualitative Research Methods

Students may also choose a quantitative research methods course as an elective (in addition to the required qualitative course: FOR 522 Research Methods in Social Science (4); H 515 Research Methodology in Health and Safety (3); HDFS 530 Research in Human Development and Family Sciences (4); PSY 560 Advanced Social Research Methods (4); AHE 513 Research in Higher Education (3)

Social, Legal, or Public Policy 3 or 4 credits.

Choose one of the following:

AREC 554 (4) Rural Development Economics and Policy

COMM 540 (3) Theories of Conflict and Conflict Management

COMM 524 (3) Communication in Organizations: Theories and Issues

H565 (3) Public Health & Women: Social and Policy Issues*

H530 (3) Health Policy Analysis*

PS 525 (4) Gender and Law

PS 575 (4) Environmental Politics and Policy

PS 577 (4) International Environmental Politics and Policy

PS 579 (4) Topics in Public Policy and Public Administration

SOC 539 (3) Welfare and Social Services

2nd year proficiency in a second language#

# 2nd year proficiency may be demonstrated by: 1) two years of a college language sequence on the transcript; 2) scoring at 2nd year proficiency on a language placement test; 3) completing the 213 course of a language sequence while enrolled in the MA program

Electives 9 credits

WS 502 (3) Independent Study

WS 517 (3) Feminist Philosophies

WS 520 (3) Hate, Resistance, & Reconciliation

WS 525 (3) Gender & Technology2

WS 540 (3) Women & Natural Resources2

WS 550 (3) Ecofeminism2

WS 560 (3) Women & Sexuality

WS 562 (3) LGBTQ Studies1

WS 565 (3) Women, Weight, & Body Image

WS 566 (3) Fat Studies

WS 580 (3) International Women

WS 587 (3) International Women’s Health1

WS 590 (3) Personal & Community Empowerment

WS 595 (3) Feminist Theology & Spirituality

WS 599 (3) Topics

ANTH 549 (4) Biocultural Perspectives on Human Reproduction

ANTH 573 (3) Gender, Ethnicity, Culture

ANTH 584 (3) Wealth & Poverty

COMM 532 (3) Gender & Communications

ENG 516 (3) Power & Representation

ENG 597 (3) International Women’s Voices

ENG 598 (3) Women & Literature

ES 537 (3) Gender Issues in Asian American Studies

ES 557 (3) Literature by Women of Color in the US

H 565 (3) Public Health & Women: Social & Policy Issues

HDFS 547 (3) Families & Poverty

HST 532 (4) History of Sexuality

HST 535 (4) The History of European Women from 1400-1789

HST 557 (4) Sexuality and Gender in Latin American History

PS 507 (4) Seminar: Gender & Development

PS 525 (4) Gender & Law

PSY 526 (3) Gender Differences

SOC 512 (4) Sociology of Work & Family

SOC 530 (4) Gender & Society

SOC 566 (4) International Development: Gender Issues

d. Manner in which the program will be delivered, including program location (if offered outside of the main campus), course scheduling, and the use of technology (for both on-campus and off-campus delivery).

All core requirement courses will be offered on OSU’s main campus. Several elective courses will be available online. A significant number of courses will be available as graduate standalone classes.

e. Ways in which the program will seek to assure quality, access, and diversity.

As a discipline, Women Studies embodies the core values of Oregon State University. The principles of feminist education include a commitment to understanding and celebrating difference and diversity, respect for all people, and social responsibility. The MA in Women Studies will reflect these values through its curriculum, research, and pedagogy, and will strive to foster a diverse and inclusive student body and faculty. The high percentage of Women Studies graduate courses offered as graduate seminars or graduate standalone classes ensures a sophisticated level of instruction with critical discussion of primary and secondary texts.

f. Anticipated fall term headcount and FTE enrollment over each of the next five years.

Women Studies anticipates enrolling 8-10 new full-time graduate students each year.

g. Expected degrees/certificates produced over the next five years.

Based on expected new enrollment and current graduation rates for MAIS students with primary fields in Women Studies, we anticipate conferring approximately 30-40 degrees by 2017 (or six to eight degrees per year).

h. Characteristics of students to be served (resident/nonresident/international; traditional/nontraditional; full-time/part-time; etc.)

Based on a needs assessment survey, the majority of students served by this degree will be resident full-time graduate students working part-time inside or outside the home. Many may be nontraditional in terms of age, marital/partnership/parenting status, employment or homemaker status, etc. Women Studies welcomes and supports diversity in gender, class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, size, and ability.

i. Adequacy and quality of faculty delivering the program .

The core requirements of the program will be delivered by the core Women Studies faculty members (listed below), with the exception of WS 521 and 522, which will be delivered by instructors with expertise in areas of feminist leadership, grant-writing, and fund-raising. Women Studies electives will be delivered by core faculty and fixed term instructors who hold graduate degrees in relevant areas of expertise. Affiliate faculty members (listed below), most of whom hold PhDs in their disciplines, teach program electives within their academic units. Both core and affiliate faculty members can serve as graduate committee members, and so students will be able to select faculty members with specific areas of expertise related to their thesis topics.