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faq
frequently asked questions about the WGS concentration
What courses are best for first-year students
to take?
Many students begin with WGS1000, an introductory lecture course
designed for anyone with an interest in the study of gender and
culture. (Students who choose to concentrate in Women, Gender, and
Sexuality will receive concentration credit for WGS 1000). You might
also want to consider enrolling in one of our elective courses or
in 1001, 1002, or 1003. If you have a question about a specific
WGS course, please contact the main office for more information.
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When
and how do students apply to the program?
Students are asked to submit an application form and a writing sample
of 5- 10 pages (a paper from another course is perfectly acceptable).
The program accepts applications from second semester first year
students, sophomores, and juniors at the beginning of the academic
year, and in December for admittance to the program in the second
semester. Application
forms are available on the Women, Gender, and Sexuality web
site and in the main office.
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Can
I have a joint concentration with WGS?
Yes! Joint concentrating in Women, Gender, and Sexuality allows
you to obtain a strong academic basis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality
while still allowing you the time to pursue other academic interests
in depth. A joint concentration makes sense if you wish to focus
specifically on gender issues within a particular field of study.
You may also find Women, Gender, and Sexuality to be a rewarding
joint concentration if you feel that your other field does not offer
courses that adequately address issues of women, gender, and sexuality.
Joint concentrators can choose to select Women, Gender, and Sexuality
as either their primary or secondary field (see
Requirements for the Joint Concentration). The major disadvantage
of a joint concentration in general is that you will have to fulfill
the requirements for both concentrations. In some cases, this will
leave you with fewer electives. All students who choose Women, Gender,
and Sexuality to double-concentrate will be required to write an
honors thesis. (Students who choose Women, Gender, and Sexuality
as their secondary field will write an honors thesis under the supervision
of their primary concentration.) If your other department or program
requires you to write a thesis, it will need to be approved by both
programs.
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How
do students apply for a joint concentration?
Students should apply to both concentrations simultaneously, indicating
the desire to become a joint concentrator. Before submitting the
application, students should meet with the appropriate advisor in
each concentration to discuss the feasibility of the proposed academic
plan. Students will then fill out a plan of study, which must be
approved by both concentrations. Keep in mind that some concentrations
require that the student submit a special petition for a joint concentration.
If a Women, Gender, and Sexuality concentrator is approved for a
joint concentration later on, s/he will need to file a "Change
of Concentration" form available from the Registrar's Office.
Please be aware that, with a change in Primary concentration, exemptions
to Core requirements also change. Please consult with the Core office
to clarify your new Core requirements. Any petitions for exceptions
to Core requirements must be filed with the Core office, not with
Women, Gender, and Sexuality.
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What
about students with advanced standing?
WGS welcomes advanced standing students to apply to the program.
Please meet with the Directors of Study when you arrive on campus.
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How does the advising system work in WGS?
Women, Gender, and Sexuality has a very strong advising system.
Junior concentrators for the 2006-07 academic year are advised by
the Acting Director of Studies (Karen Flood). Sophomores and seniors
are advised by the Assistant Director (Linda Schlossberg). Pre-concentrators
or students interested in the program should contact the main office
for information on advising. Concentrators are encouraged to meet
regularly with their concentration advisors to discuss their academic
progress and future plans. During the registration period each term,
concentrators are required to meet with their advisors to discuss
their program and have their study cards signed. Joint concentrators
typically have an advisor in each concentration.
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How
are courses chosen for concentration credit?
All Women, Gender, and Sexuality (WGS) courses automatically count
for concentration credit. Other courses are selected for concentration
credit by the student, in consultation with his/her advisor, in
terms of their relevance to the student's academic program. For
non-WGS courses, students need permission from his/her academic
advisor before receiving concentration credit. Students choose courses
for concentration credit at the beginning of the semester in which
the course is taught. After the end of the semester, courses cannot
be added or deleted from the concentration record, except by petition
in cases in which the student's program of study changes very significantly.
Upon entering Women, Gender, and Sexuality, new concentrators, with
the approval of the Assistant Director of Studies, will identify
those non WGS courses already taken to be counted for concentration
credit.
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I'm
a pre-med student. Is WGS a good concentration for me?
Women, Gender, and Sexuality is an excellent choice for students
who want to concentrate outside of the sciences but wish to stay
connected to medicine. Appropriate areas of study would be women
and medicine, the healthcare industry, historic changes in the treatment
and diagnoses of women, etc.
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What
kinds of careers will WGS prepare me for?
Women, Gender, and Sexuality concentrators have gone on to successful
careers in a variety of fields, from media to medicine to mathematics.
Many of our concentrators choose to pursue an advanced academic
degree. There are a number of fellowships available for students
with an academic background in Women, Gender, and Sexuality. These
days, many corporate employers also recruit applicants with an interdisciplinary
background.
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What
about study out of residence or abroad?
With good planning, a semester abroad or out of residence can be
a very meaningful educational experience. In the past our concentrators
have spent semesters taking courses in countries such as Kenya,
Australia, Spain, and France. Most concentrators who go abroad to
study do so in the fall semester of junior year, which allows them
to return to campus in time to take Junior Tutorial (98r) the following
spring. Concentrators who wish to study abroad during the spring
semester of junior year must make special arrangements to complete
Junior Tutorial a semester early (i.e., in the fall of junior year).
If you are a concentrator considering a semester abroad, please
consult your concentration advisor and the study out of residence
advisor as soon as possible. Plans for study out of residence must
be approved by the university significantly in advance of the term
in which a student plans to be away.
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Where
do I find information about senior thesis requirements?
A guide to the senior thesis writing and requirements is available
in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality office. An abbreviated version can be found through this link
Senior thesis handbook
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Where do I find information about the junior tutorial requirements?
Junior tutorial guidelines 06-07
Junior tutorial schedule 06-07
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Do
you offer graduate degrees in Women, Gender, and Sexuality?
Unfortunately, we do not offer graduate degrees in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Harvard University --we only offer an undergraduate degree program. Graduate students may be permitted to enroll in some of our classes (or audit), but the courses might not fulfill requirements for their graduate program. There is no MA or PhD in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies offered through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (one division of the University), but there are graduate-level programs at Harvard that do focus on the study of women and gender. For instance, the Women's Studies in Religion Program at Harvard Divinity School offers graduate degrees. All of the graduate and professional schools at Harvard are independent; you can find information about all of the schools through http://www.harvard.edu . The graduate schools also maintain their own information on scholarship opportunities.
Graduate students in other disciplines at Harvard (such as Sociology) wishing to focus on gender/feminist theory have done so through their home departments, and thus have earned their PhD in that discipline, not in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
While this is true, we do have numerous graduate students who become involved with us, the Committee on Degrees in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality (WGS), once they have been accepted into a Harvard Ph.D. program and arrive on campus. WGS maintains a growing list of graduate students from across the campus who come to us with interest in studies of women, gender, and sexuality. Some of these students meet both formally and informally, amongst themselves and with WGS, to hold academic cross- and interdisciplinary discussions around issues of women, gender, and sexuality. If you do come to a Ph.D. program we hope you will use us as a resource!
Lastly, here are a couple more resources that maybe useful for you in pursuing the resources of the Harvard and Cambridge area:
The Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies at MIT is working on developing a certificate program in Women's Studies for graduate students at Harvard (and other Boston-area colleges and universities) who wish to pursue this in addition to their PhD field. You can find out more information about the GCWS at their website: http://mit.edu/gcws/ .
Further information can be found in The Guide to Gender-Related Courses, Programs, and Other Information, accessible online at http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/wappp/research/courses/index.html . This Guide includes information about both graduate and undergraduate courses that relate to the study of women and gender in all of Harvard's schools. Admissions and application questions should be directed to the appropriate Office of Admissions or Registrar (each school has its own admissions office).
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