The Graduate Certificate in the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality is designed to enrich students' traditional disciplinary
training and broaden their perspectives. The Certificate provides
graduate students with opportunities to think in an integrated
fashion about gender and sexuality, and to learn from a variety
of methodological approaches such as critical feminist, race,
and legal theory, cultural studies, and psychoanalytic
theory, as well as traditional disciplinary methodologies.
Requirements and Procedures for SAS Students
(Requirements and Procedures for Penn Law Students, click here)
I. OVERALL REQUIREMENTS
- A core curriculum of 5 Gender, Culture, and Society courses:
- 1 feminist theory or sexuality/queer theory seminars
- 4 courses cross-listed with GSOC (a list of courses is available at the Women's Studies Office and on our website)
- A paper:
The paper for the Graduate Certificate should include theory and/or research relevant to current topics in the study of women, gender, and/or sexuality. A student may have a paper written for a course which fulfills this requirement, or may need to expand an existing paper.
II. PROCEDURES
- Acceptance in the Program -- A student must:
- Obtain a Graduate Certificate Application Form from the Women's Studies office, or click here to download it.
- Select a Faculty Advisor. (A list of Women's Studies affiliated faculty is available at the Women's Studies Office, or can be viewed on our website.)
- Consult with the advisor about a plan of study.
- Write a ONE PAGE statement about why she/he wishes to obtain a Certificate. The statement should include a discussion of how the certificate program relates to the student’s current scholarly interests. (This may include what work the student has already done in the area of gender/sexuality studies, and what undergraduate and extracurricular/practice work the student has done in this area—if applicable).
- Submit the statement and the “Application for a Graduate Certificate” form to the Women’s Studies Program Graduate Certificate Committee for approval (c/o the Women’s Studies Program office). The Graduate Certificate Committee, which is composed of faculty members from a variety of disciplines, meets to review proposals three times a year, in October, February, and May.
- Course of Study and Completion of Requirements:
Upon the Graduate Certificate Committee's approval of the student's application, the student will select the 5 courses for the certificate requirement in consultation with his or her faculty advisor: 1 theory course, and 4 courses cross-listed with GSOC. - Cross-listed courses can be taken in the student's home department, in other Arts and Sciences departments, or in professional schools.
- Students are encouraged to take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of women, gender, and sexuality, combining courses drawn from traditional departments with offerings from comparative literature, interdisciplinary studies programs, and area studies programs.
- One out of the 5 courses can be an independent study.**
** "Grandmother" course credit is available at the discretion of the Graduate Certificate Committee - credit given for students who have finished their coursework and may not have taken 3 courses which were officially cross -listed with GSOC, but whose work in a given course focused on gender or sexuality and related issues. The student should submit to the Committee a statement detailing why they believe their course of study at Penn fulfills the requirements of the Graduate Certificate.
Students should meet with their faculty advisor at least once a year. The student’s advisor is responsible for seeing that the student completes her/his coursework and writes an acceptable paper. A student is eligible to receive the Certificate when her/his advisor has signed the final approval (available in the Women’s Studies office or on our website) form indicating that the requirements for the Certificate have been met.
III. FINAL APPROVAL
- The student submits the signed "Graduate Certificate Approval” form to the Women’s Studies Program Graduate Certificate Committee for final approval. If students have followed the procedures, approval is typically granted. The student is also asked to submit a copy of the paper written for the Certificate, which will be kept on file at the Women's Studies Program Office.
- After final approval of the Certificate work, a notation that the student has successfully completed the Certificate will be placed on the student's transcript, and the student will receive the Graduate Certificate in the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality.
FORMS:
Application for Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Approval for the Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Requirements and Procedures for SAS students
Requirements and Procedures for Penn Law students
Please contact
Women's Studies for more information.
