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Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality

The Women, Gender, and Sexuality program is pleased to offer the Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality. The interdisciplinary WGS certificate is intended as additional study for graduate students who are concurrently enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program in another discipline at the University of Tennessee.

If you are a currently enrolled master’s or doctoral student who would like additional training in interdisciplinary feminist methodologies and critical analyses of historical and contemporary social issues, the WGS Graduate Certificate may be right for you. This certificate will demonstrate your background and credentials in WGS to future employers within and beyond academia. As such, it can provide an excellent complement to your primary graduate degree.

Students must be admitted to the certificate program prior to completing six credit hours toward the certificate. Students may count up to two courses from their home department toward their WGS certificate. Students will select their coursework in conjunction with the WGS program chair, who must approve each student’s program. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average throughout the program. Please contact WGS Chair Dr. Nora Berenstain for further information and to discuss your potential pursuit of the WGS Graduate Certificate.

Click here to apply to the WGS Graduate Certificate.

Outline of the WGS Certificate

I. Six (6) credits chosen from:

  • ENGL/WGS 422 – Women Writers in Britain
  • FREN 433 – French and Francophone Women Writers
  • MUCO/WGS 412 – Gender, Performance Art and the Avant Garde
  • PHIL/WGS 463 – Race, Science, and Medicine
  • PHIL/WGS 464 – Feminist Philosophy of Science
  • PSYC 434 – Psychology of Gender
  • SOCI 453 – Gender and Crime
  • ANTH 611 – Feminist Anthropology
  • AFST/WGS 484 – African-American Women in American Society
  • OR special topics courses approved by the WGS chair

II. An additional 3 credits chosen from:

  • ENGL/WGS 422 – Women Writers in Britain
  • FREN 433 – French and Francophone Women Writers
  • GERM 416 – Berlin Culture and History: Social Justice and the Global City
  • HIST 517 – Classic and Contemporary Readings in African-American History
  • MFLL 584 – Modern Theory and Criticism
  • MUCO/WGS 412 – Gender, Performance Art and the Avant Garde
  • MUCO/AFST 413 – Music and the African Diaspora
  • MUCO 586 – Topics in Opera
  • PHIL/WGS 463 – Race, Science, and Medicine
  • PHIL/WGS 464 – Feminist Philosophy of Science
  • PSYC 434 – Psychology of Gender
  • PSYC 435 – Multicultural Psychology
  • PSYC 675 – Advanced Group Methods: Intergroup Dialogue
  • REST/WGS 469 – Gender, Sexuality, and East Asian Religions
  • SOCI 453 – Gender and Crime
  • SOC 460 – Capitalism and Racism
  • SOCI 621 – Sociological Theory II
  • SOCI 640 – Discourse Analysis
  • SOC 656 – Contemporary Critical Criminologies
  • ANTH 611 – Feminist Anthropology
  • AFST/WGS 484 – African-American Women in American Society
  • SPST 515 – Social Theories and Sport
  • OR special topics courses as approved by the WGS chair

III. Three (3) credits of WGS 593: to be completed under the supervision of a member of the WGS Steering Committee, or another faculty member approved by the WGS Chair.

Normally, this will involve a capstone experience that consists of a thoughtful creation of a course syllabus, teaching philosophy, and public presentation pertaining to WGS and the student’s home discipline. This can be accomplished in conjunction with an existing graduate-level WGS course or as an independent study. The capstone follows the completion of coursework for the WGS Graduate Certificate.

After completing all coursework, including the capstone, you should have your completed Graduate Certificate Course Verification Form signed by Dr. Berenstain. After the form is signed, it can be submitted to the graduate school.