Women’s Studies Certificate

Program: Certificate
College of Arts and Sciences

Liberal Arts Building 35F ~ 260-481-6711 ~ ipfw.edu/wost

Students graduating with a certificate in women’s studies should be able to demonstrate knowledge about the following:

• The history and importance of feminist thought and activism in the U.S. and around the globe
• How gender is socially and historically constructed, how it relates to systems of power, privilege, and oppression, and how it impacts women’s lives
• The major concepts of feminist critical analysis, including gender, race, class, sexuality, nationality, ability, and age, and the complexities of their intersections
• The diversity of women’s experiences, roles, and contributions to society and culture

Students graduating with a certificate in women’s studies should also  be able to demonstrate that they have developed the following skills:

• Ability to apply feminist perspectives to a range of issues and engage critical debates or areas of contention within feminism
• Ability to demonstrate effective reading, speaking, writing, and critical thinking skills through the work they complete in women’s studies courses
• Ability to apply feminist perspectives across disciplines

Women’s studies is based on the premise that the study of women’s experiences, concerns, social roles, and creativity is essential to our knowledge of humankind and society. Feminist scholarship and theory provide the knowledge and analytical tools necessary for a gender-balanced perspective on our world, both past and present. The Women’s Studies Program affords you the opportunity to pursue feminist scholarship on women and gender through a variety of interdisciplinary courses. 

See College of Arts and Sciences in Part 4  for further information.

The Women’s Studies Certificate is designed for students majoring in academic programs outside the College of Arts and Sciences who are interested in a concentration of course work in women’s studies. This program is also appropriate for community members who wish to augment or update past academic studies in a field that has relevance for today’s more diverse workforce and society. The required 21 credits are allocated as follows and must be completed with a grade of C or higher in each course: