Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate Record 2007-2008 
    
Undergraduate Record 2007-2008 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Studies in Women and Gender


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Requirements for Major


A Major in Studies in Women and Gender (SWAG) requires that you complete 11 courses or 33 credits from at least three departments. At least nine courses must be at the 300 or 400 level; two courses may be at the 100 or 200 level (including SWAG 210). These courses must include the following:

  1. SWAG 210 Women’s Lives in Myth and Reality: Introduction to Studies in Women and Gender
  2. SWAG 381 Feminist Theory
  3. SWAG 405 or 406 Senior Seminar
  4. One SWAG course concentrating on cultural diversity, including: non‑Western cultures.
  5. At least 3 SWAG courses (9 credits) drawn from the Humanities (Philosophy, English, Religious Studies, Art, Music, Drama, Architecture, Foreign Languages, Media Studies).
  6. At least 3 SWAG courses (9 credits) drawn from the Social Sciences (History, Government, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Anthropology, Linguistics, Afro-American and African Studies).
  7. Completion of 6 courses concentrated in a single department. These courses may include SWAG courses as well as non‑SWAG courses. SWAG courses fulfilling this requirement may also count towards the 11 courses required for the major.

Courses counting toward the SWAG major may include two adjunct courses and two independent readings courses. An adjunct course is one whose central focus is not on women or gender, but is listed as an SWAG course because gender is a significant focus. To turn an adjunct course into a primary course, a student, with the permission of and in dialogue with the instructor, focuses on women or gender in written work and/or additional reading.

Distinguished Majors Program


Majors in Studies in Women and Gender with a strong academic record are encouraged to become Distinguished Majors. Distinguished Majors complete a two semester written thesis (approximately 40-60 pages in length) in their fourth year under the supervision of a SWAG faculty member. The thesis allows students to pursue their own interests in depth and have the intellectual satisfaction of defining and completing a sustained project.

To be eligible, students must have a 3.450 overall GPA at the start of their fourth year. Students pursuing the Senior Thesis will sign up for a 6-credit course, SWAG 491 and 492, under the supervision of a SWAG faculty member. The thesis must also be approved by a second faculty member who the student will choose in consultation with the thesis advisor.

The 6-credit senior thesis course will count toward the 33 credits required for the major. Successful completion of the thesis qualifies the student for graduation with Distinction, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction, depending upon the recommendation of the two faculty advisors, and subject to approval of the College’s Committee on Special Programs.

An early start is important to the successful completion of a Senior Thesis. While not required, it is recommended that students make the decision to pursue the Distinguished Majors Program during their third year. This will give them the opportunity to discuss the project with various faculty members, determine suitable advisors, and have the summer between the third and fourth years to further define their project and begin some preliminary reading and planning.

Students choosing to pursue the thesis should complete a DMP enrollment form in the first semester of their final year.

Requirements for Minor


A minor in Studies in Women and Gender requires the completion of seven courses taken from at least three departments; at least four of these courses must be at the 300 level or above. These courses must include SWAG 210, SWAG 381, and SWAG 405 Senior Seminar. Of the seven courses required for the Minor, one may be an adjunct course and one may be an independent readings course. SWAG courses may be “double-counted” toward a major in another department; that is, SWAG courses taken for a major will also count toward a SWAG minor.

Additional Information


For more information, contact Rina Williams, Interim Director, Studies in Women and Gender Program, P.O. Box 400172, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4127; (434)982-2961;rvw3k@virginia.edu; www.virginia.edu/womenstudies/home.htm.

Supporting Courses


Each semester the program produces a list of primary and adjunct courses that count towards the major.

  • AMEL 211 - Women and Middle Eastern Literature  Credits: 3
  • ANTH 290 - The Cultural Politics of American Family Values Credits: 3
  • ANTH 329 - Marriage, Fertility, and Mortality Credits: 3
  • ANTH 337 - Power and the Body Credits: 3
  • ANTH 363 - Social Structure of China Credits: 3
  • ANTH 369 - Sex, Gender, and Culture Credits: 3
  • ANTH 379 - Gender, Science and Culture Credits: 3
  • CHTR 301 - Legendary Women in Early China Credits: 3
  • CHTR 322 - Gender, Family, and Sexuality in Chinese Fiction@ Credits: 3
  • CLAS 304 - Women and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome Credits: 3
  • DRAM 331 - History of Dress Credits: 3
  • ECON 307 - Economics and Gender Credits: 3
  • ENAM 481B - Afro-American Women Authors Credits: 3
  • ENCR 481 - Advanced Studies in Literary Criticism Credits: 3
  • ENCR 567 - Theory and Feminism Credits: 3
  • ENEC 320 - Eighteenth-Century Women Writers Credits: 3
  • ENLT 252 - Women in Literature Credits: 3
  • ENMC 354 - Twentieth-Century Women Writers Credits: 3
  • ENNC 481 - Advanced Studies in Nineteenth Century Literature I Credits: 3
  • ENNC 482 - Advanced Studies in Nineteenth Century Literature II Credits: 3
  • ENSP 352 - Modern Women Authors Credits: 3
  • ENSP 355 - Images of Women in 19th and 20th Century Fiction Credits: 3
  • GERM 584 - Introduction to Literary Theory Credits: 3
  • HIEU 372 - Witchcraft Credits: 3
  • HIME 201 - History of the Middle East and North Africa, ca. 570-ca. 1500 Credits: 4
  • HIME 202 - History of the Middle East and North  Africa, ca. 1500-Present Credits: 4
  • HIST 321 - History of Sexuality in the West Credits: 3
  • HIUS 361 - History of Women in America, 1600 - 1865 Credits: 3
  • HIUS 362 - History of Women in America, 1865 to Present Credits: 3
  • HIUS 367 - History of the Civil Rights Movement Credits: 3
  • JPTR 322 - The Modern Japanese Canon Credits: 3
  • JPTR 382 - Modern Japanese Women Writers Credits: 3
  • PHIL 164 - Ethics and Gender Credits: 3
  • PLAP 355 - Gender Politics Credits: 3
  • PSYC 360 - Psychology of Gender (Y) Credits: 3
  • PSYC 362 - Psychology of Sex Roles (Y) Credits: 3
  • PSYC 446 - Women’s Issues in Clinical Psychology Credits: 3
  • PSYC 449 - Sexual Orientation and Human Development Credits: 3
  • PSYC 487 - The Minority Family: A Psychological Inquiry Credits: 3
  • RELA 275 - African Religions Credits: 3
  • RELG 265 - Theology, Ethics, and Medicine Credits: 3
  • RELG 340 - Women and Religion Credits: 3
  • RELG 372 - Witchcraft Credits: 3
  • RELG 415 - Salem Witch Trials Credits: 3
  • SOC 252 - Sociology of the Family Credits: 3
  • SOC 442 - Sociology of Inequality Credits: 3

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