Women and Gender Studies Bylaws

Section One: Mission Statement

The Women and Gender Studies Program offers multidisciplinary perspectives on the diverse experiences and contributions of women, as well as about issues related to gender. The Program addresses the gendered dimensions of cultural identities, social roles, collective histories and visual and literary traditions. As this scholarship necessarily transcends disciplinary boundaries, all students benefit from learning about women’s issues and gender issues, and the complicated ways in which those issues are inflected by race, class, and sexual orientation. The Program offers students the opportunity to acquire perspectives and skills to uncover and analyze the ideological dimensions of gender and to participate in social change. Moreover, the Program helps undergraduate students better prepare for their professional futures, whether in graduate study or serving the needs of clients, patients and other constituencies. In addition to academic course work, the Women and Gender Studies Program also sponsors campus events. These events include panel discussions, films, lectures and book discussions.

Saint Xavier University’s heritage and setting accentuate the goals of the Women and Gender Studies Program. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy as a women’s college, Saint Xavier has become a co-educational university whose campus is culturally diverse. The Sisters of Mercy tradition, with its emphasis on helping women, children, and the poor—those traditionally dispossessed and marginalized—provides a particularly apt foreground for this program of study.

The Women and Gender Studies Program at Saint Xavier University sees itself as a catalytic agent in the multidisciplinary effort to bring our current scholarship about women and gender studies into our academic community. As a result, the Program establishes the following learning goals and outcomes:

Goal One

The Women and Gender Studies Program is dedicated to each minor’s understanding of the biological, psychological, and sociological theories of gender. Each minor should:

  • Understand the controversies inherent in women’s studies and gender studies.
  • Demonstrate competence in assessing and synthesizing how material conditions inform our understanding of women’s representations and gender ideologies.

Goal Two

The Women and Gender Studies Program provides its students with tools to uncover and analyze the ideological dynamics of gender, and become active participants in the processes of social, political and personal change. Each minor should:

  • Demonstrate the ability to interpret and contextualize complex theories of gender in a variety of disciplines.
  • Understand how gender assumptions operate in complex and culturally-determined systems of power.

Goal Three

The Women and Gender Studies Program provides its students with opportunities to realize their potential as inquisitive, articulate and analytical individuals. Each minor should:

  • Demonstrate knowledge and skills learned in the minor.
  • Demonstrate competence in academic writing and research.
  • Demonstrate competence in reading and interpreting varied texts (e.g., written, visual, and performative).

Section Two: Program Operation

Selection of the Program Director

A Program Director assumes significant responsibilities. Therefore, Program Directors should be selected with considerable care, on the basis of ability and willingness to serve. To this end, the Women and Gender Studies’ Affiliated Colleagues and Advisory Board members will meet and discuss potential Program Director candidates. Following this discussion, the Advisory Board members will meet with and interview each candidate. Following Arts and Sciences’ guidelines, the Advisory Board will elect a Program Director. The selection of the Program Director will be subject to approval by the Dean of Arts and Sciences.

Term of Service and Duties of the Program Director

Normally, s/he will serve a three-year term. The Director is the Program’s chief administrative officer who:

  • Administers the budget
  • Conducts Program Review
  • Develops and implements the strategic and assessment plans
  • Convenes and chairs the Advisory Board
  • Conducts at least one meeting per semester with the Women and Gender Studies Affiliated Colleagues
  • Works in collaboration with the Dean of Arts and Sciences about issues pertaining to Women and Gender Studies
  • Acts as a liaison to relevant University faculty, staff, and administrators about issues pertaining to Women and Gender Studies
  • Identifies participating faculty and potential cross-listed courses by contacting department chairs and/or school deans
  • Works with the Advisory Board on curricular development, which includes, but is not limited to, the approval of cross-listed courses
  • Submits the approved cross-listed courses to the Dean of Arts and Sciences
  • Collects and reviews course syllabi
  • Reviews student evaluations of instruction for all Women and Gender Studies’ primary sections
  • Reviews the course catalog and other official documents about the Program
  • Serves as library liaison for Women and Gender Studies’ holdings
  • Coordinates campus events pertaining to Women and Gender Studies
  • Oversees the design of the Women and Gender Studies Web site
  • Advises the student organization Gender Connections
  • Advises and recruits students

Selection of the Members for the Women and Gender Studies Advisory Board

With recommendations from the Women and Gender Studies Affiliated Colleagues, the Program Director will seek and select four full-time faculty members to serve on the Advisory Board. The Board’s total number consists of five faculty members: the Program Director and the four faculty members. The Advisory Board is a voting body.

Terms of Service and Duties of the Women and Gender Studies Advisory Board

Terms of service for Advisory Board members will last for two consecutive years, followed by at least a one-year break in service. Only two faculty members will step down from service at a time, so that the board will always have at least two experienced members serving through the year. Members attend Board and Program meetings, which the Program Director convenes and chairs. Additional Board duties include, but are not limited to, advising the Director about the following Program activities:

  • Strategic Planning
  • Program Budget
  • Program Review
  • Assessment
  • Curriculum
  • Campus Events

Women and Gender Studies Affiliated Colleagues

This body is comprised of all faculty who teach courses for the Program, as well as faculty and staff who take an interest in the Program’s progress. Affiliated Colleagues attend Program meetings, offer suggestions about potential projects and goals for the Program, and assist in the implementation of these projects and goals. This entity is a non-voting body.

Section Three: Procedure and Rubric for Cross-Listed Courses

The Director of the Women and Gender Studies Program, along with the members of the Advisory Board, welcomes and encourages departments to cross-list courses with the Women and Gender Studies Program.

Procedure

  • Director contacts department chairs and/or school deans and inquires about opportunities to cross-list courses.
  • Director invites faculty to submit a detailed course description and working syllabus that includes a list of readings and course objectives, along with any description of teaching methods and prerequisites for review by the Director and Advisory Board members.
  • If necessary, the Director and Board may invite a faculty member to discuss his/her potential course in greater detail.
  • The Director and Board review each proposal and then vote whether to approve the course for cross-listing.
  • Director contacts faculty applicants about the cross-list decision and sends copies of the decision to the faculty member’s department chair and/or school dean.
  • Director submits the approved cross-listed courses to the Dean of Arts and Sciences.

When determining whether the Program will cross-list a course, the Director and Board members will use the following rubric:

Rubric: Content and Pedagogy

A Women and Gender Studies course aims at presenting material that examines the theory, history, research, and interpretation of women’s roles, writings, and representations over time and/or examines the cultural and historical conditions and circumstances of gender ideologies. A substantial amount of the course should focus upon women and/or gender studies; it is usually not advisable to label a former course “Women and . . . .” or “Gendered understandings of. . .” solely because the terms “women” or “gender” might be mentioned in it. In addition to the course description, faculty will also submit a pedagogical statement.