Master s Degree in APPLIED WOMEN S STUDIES Claremont Graduate University 1
APPLIED WOMEN S STUDIES HANDBOOK Empowering Women, Enriching Lives Master s Degree Welcome to the CGU Master s Program in Applied Women s Studies. This handbook contains vital information that you can use to navigate your way through your time in the program. The aim of the program is to create a master s degree, which meets the needs of students interested in a rigorous academic program that examines the connections between feminist theory and social change in the real world. Each student will develop, in conjunction with her/his advisor, a course of study that combines feminist theory, epistemology and gender research with the extensive knowledge and practical skills required to respond to the needs of an increasingly complex global society. Our students will not only be provided with rigorous academic work but they will also be able to apply their specific plan of study in real life settings before graduating from CGU. Students will be required to complete 36 units of graduate work alongside four required core courses. Each student will be required to take: 1.) AWS 300 - Applied Feminist Applications (Introductory Core Course) 2.) AWS 352 - Feminist Theory (Any course such as Feminist Theory, Feminist Epistemology, Feminism and Post-Colonialism, Feminism and Queer Theory, etc.) 3.) Research Methods (Archival Studies, Quantitative Methods, Field Research Methods, Visual Research Methods) 4.) AWS 396 - Internship (Students must undergo a 100 hour internship directly relating to the student s concentration and women s studies field) Applied Women s Studies Program Claremont Graduate University 121 E. Tenth Street Claremont CA 9171 (909) 621-8612 2
APPLIED WOMEN S STUDIES HANDBOOK Dr. Linda Perkin s passion for her students extends from the classroom and into the real world. She strives to help them succeed in their chosen fields while always challenging them to search out new ways to not only re-think the world of Women s Studies but also to apply those ideas in real life. -John Erickson, Applied Women s Studies & Women s Studies in Religion M.A. 2009 About the Applied Women s Studies Program Director: Linda M. Perkins Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne Linda M. Perkins, Ph.D is University Associate Professor and Director of Applied Women s Studies at Claremont Graduate University. She holds an interdisciplinary university appointment in the departments of Applied Women s Studies, Educational Studies, Cultural Studies and History. Dr. Perkins is a historian of Women s and African American higher education. Her primary areas of research are on the history of race and American women s higher education, the education of African Americans in elite institutions and the history of talent identification programs for African Americans students. She has served as Vice President of Division F (History and Historiography) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and has also served as a member of the Executive Council of AERA. She has served on the editorial boards of the History of Education Quarterly and the Review of African American Education. Her publications include Fanny Jackson Coppin and the Institute for Colored Youth, 1837-1902 (1987) and The African American Female Elite: The Early History of African American Women in the Seven Sister Colleges, 1880-1960 in the Harvard Educational Review (Winter 1997). She co-edited (with Julie Rueben) a Special Issue of the History of Education Quarterly (Fall 2007) on Democracy and Higher Education. She is currently co-authoring with Gondy Leroy and Kim Tolles, a Special Issue of Women Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Women and Technology. She also has a forthcoming essay on the History of Black Women Graduate Education in Linda Tillman, editor, Handbook of African American Education (Sage, March 2008). 3 Professor Perkins was on the National Planning Committee for the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Brown v. Board of Education at New York University and taught a course on Brown v. Board in the Fall of 2004. She organized a national conference titled The Impact of the Brown v. Board of Education and the 1964 Civil Rights Act on Race and Higher Education at The Claremont Colleges that convened in February of 2005. And, at the present, she is completing a manuscript on the History of Black Women s Higher Education from 1862-1968. In addition to serving as Director of Applied Women s Studies at Claremont Graduate University, Dr. Perkins has served as Fellow and Assistant Director of the Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College (1979-1983) and on the faculties of Women s Studies Programs at Barnard College, Hunter College and the William Paterson College of New Jersey. Dr. Perkins has received numerous fellowships and awards and has obtained financial support from the Ruth Landes Memorial Foundation, Ford Foundation, The Andrew Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Spencer Foundation, the Richard Humphreys Foundation, the CUNY Research Foundation, The University of Illinois, the Claremont College Consortium and Claremont Graduate University.
APPLIED WOMEN S STUDIES HANDBOOK 4 The Curriculum Required Courses (16 units) Interdisciplinary Courses (20 units) Feminist Theory Student must complete at least one course in feminist theory or a similar theoretical course at CGU or any of the Claremont Colleges. Concentration (12 units) Concentration classes allow students to specialize in a specific area of study such as politics, humanities, education, or develop expertise in a substantive policy issue including those that cut across disciplinary boundaries. Applied Feminist Applications An introduction to basic skills requested by employers such as grant writing, database management, press relations, and electronic research focused on feminist issues. Electives (8 units) Choose from a broad range of electives. Electives can add further analytical tools, broaden knowledge of a social issue, or enhance expertise in other feminist methodologies. Research Methods Any course specifying in analytic/research methods such as quantitative, legal, or field research that complements the specialization of the student. Completion of Degree The Applied Women s Studies program can be completed in three semesters of full-time course work or on a part-time basis. Internship The internship provides real-life experience within an organization, building on skills and knowledge gained in the classroom. (See page 5 for more details) Advisor Students will meet with their advisor once a semester to shape a program that meets your unique academic interests and career goals.
APPLIED WOMEN S STUDIES HANDBOOK The Applied Women s Studies Program encourages internships that are directly related to the field of Women s Studies focusing on the student s area of concentration within the degree program. In addition to providing an opportunity for the student to apply feminist theories or bodes of knowledge and gain hands on experiences. The internship should provide computer and field research, public presentations, grant writing, etc. The advisor for the internship is the Director of the Program or, upon approval by the program director, a professor who specializes in the student s field of interest. Proposal: The student is responsible for the submission of a proposal to the internship advisor specifying details regarding the internship (duties given to the student, time schedule, hours per week, internship supervisor). One semester (100hrs) is allotted for the completion of the internship. (Students must fill out the Internship Proposal Form and have all the required signatures prior to meeting with your internship advisor for approval) Mid-Term Evaluation: Students are encouraged to communicate with their advisor during the semester and establish meetings as needed. Mid-term evaluations provide the advisor/student/and organization the chance to Applied Women s Studies Internship Guidelines openly communicate the ways in which the students needs to improve or how to continue developing their critical skills in the field. Final: A 3-5 page final paper should be submitted to the advisor at the end of the internship period. It should be a critical reflection of the learned experience of the student during the internship period. This paper should be turned in with the internship supervisor evaluation form to the internship advisor. The AWS program is an excellent choice for recent college graduates and midcareer professionals who seek to effect change and shape policies through leadership roles in nonprofits, businesses, and governmental agencies. The final internship allows you, as the student, to begin implementing this change in the world and your future. The internship is the focus of the applied aspect of the Applied Women s Studies Program. Students take classes in their field of focus and intern at an organization that will enhance their personal and academic lives. AWS students in the past have served at the follow locations: -Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California -Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC) -Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), Los Angeles -Girls Incorporated of Orange County -House of Ruth, Pomona, CA -Human Rights Watch -Los Angeles County Office of Women s Health -Planed Parenthood -Promotoras -Amnesty International -Women s Foundation of California -GLIDA (Gays and Lesbians Initiating Dialogue for Equality) -Urban Leadership Institute -Crossroads -Senator Sheila Kuehl *Additional information regarding these internships and more can be found at : http://www.cgu.edu/pages/2306.asp 5
APPLIED WOMEN S STUDIES HANDBOOK 6 Student Resources Honnold-Mudd Library The Honnold-Mudd Library of the Claremont Colleges is the main library for students to use. With over two million volumes, 6,000 periodicals, and 1.3 million microforms, the Libraries of The Claremont Colleges offer students incredible academic resources. Honnold/ Mudd Library holds most of the Colleges' collection. Claremont School of Theology Library The Claremont School of Theology houses collections in the humanities and religion. It makes up a major portion of the academic resources students can use during their time at Claremont Graduate University. LINK+ The Libraries offer Interlibrary Loan Service and maintain partnership, which provides access to books, articles and materials not held in our collections. These partnerships include Statewide California Library Consortium, G4, Link +, and the Center for Research Libraries in Chicago. All collections can be retrieved via the online library catalogue, Blais. Student Health Services The Claremont University Consortium offers a wide variety of services to students, including health related services. For more information regarding the student health center, you can call: (909) 621-8222 or visit their website: http://www.cuc.claremont.edu/ shacs/shs/ Monsour Counseling & Psychological Services The Claremont University Consortium offers counseling and psychological services. The center is open from 8:30am until 5:00pm Monday-Friday. For more information call: (909) 621 8202 or visit: http://www.cuc.claremont.edu/shacs/ counseling/ Arts & Humanities Central Staff: Holly Domingo Student Support (909) 621-8082 or holly.domingo@cgu.edu Susan Hampson Admissions & Academic Support (909) 607-1278 or susan.hampson@cgu.edu Laurie Martin Faculty & Doctoral Support (909) 607-3335 or laurie.martin@cgu.edu Huntley Bookstore The Huntley Bookstore is the main home for all textbook and other course material required for all classes at the Claremont Colleges. The bookstore has an extensive selection of general reading titles in stock as well as a wide variety of student and office supplies, gifts, and various other items. Career Services The Office of Career Services is located at 1012 N. Dartmouth Ave. IT provides a variety of services for CGU students and Alumni, such as a network of contacts with corporate and academic employers for students seeking employment or internships. Students are encouraged to utilize this office when preparing materials for employment. Forms for faculty letters of recommendation should be obtained from the Office of Career Services. Student Housing Opened in the Fall of 2008, CGU is home to a new five-building apartment complex within walking distance of campus. Easy move-in, healthy environments, safe and convenient and very spacious, the CGU apartments offers students the chance to live closer to where they study. For more information please contact Lavon Schwab at 909-607-2609 or visit: http://www.cgu.edu/pages/1156.asp for more information. Financial Aid & Registrars Office The Office of Student Financing aides students in applying for Financial Aid and paying for tuition. For more information regarding your financial package or paying your bill, please contact the financial aid office or the registrars office at (909) 621-8285 or visit: http://www.cgu.edu/pages/1161.asp