Women's and Gender Studies Program & Minor

Co-Sponsorship: Under Pressure: Women in Afghanistan, Iran and the USA

Tuesday, March 14, 12:45 to 2p.m.

Khatera Alizada, Ph.D.	Jocelyn Boryczka, Ph.D.	Khadijeh Niloufar Salimi, Ph.D.

The Department of Political Science at Detroit Mercy hosted a discussion in honor of International Women’s Month. It focused on the comparative status of women in Afghanistan, Iran and the United States in light of recent events and developments in these countries in light of contemporary socio-political dynamics.

The discussion was led by three local experts:

• Khatera Alizada, Ph.D. is a member of the Board of Directors at Bamyan Foundation and a research affiliate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She has worked with the Feminist Majority Foundation, Middle East Institute, the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.
• Jocelyn M. Boryczka, Ph.D. is the Dean of Detroit Mercy's College of Liberal Arts & Education and is Professor of Political Science. Boryczka served as editor and co-editor of New Political Science: A Journal of Politics & Culture, has written two books about women’s education.
• Khadijeh Niloufar Salimi serves as an adjunct faculty at Old Dominion University and Christopher Newport University where she teaches courses in Politics of the Middle East, Global Social Issues and Comparative Politics. Salimi's research focuses on civil disobedience, social movements, LGBTQ rights movement, the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the US and the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Iran.

This event was co-sponsored by the Islamic Studies Program, the Political Science Department, and the Women's and Gender Studies Program.

Co-Sponsorship: The Trials of Spring - A Film Screening and Discussion

Life Sciences, Room 115
Wednesday, March 1, 5 p.m.

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program presented a screening and discussion of Fork Films’ documentary: The Trials of Spring. The film follows three Egyptian activists in their fight to ensure that women were included in the Arab Spring movement of 2011. The screening will be followed by a discussion.

Islamic Studies faculty member Reem Abou-Samra was one of the scholarly discussants for the film.

This event was co-sponsored by the Islamic Studies Program, the Political Science Department, and the Muslim Student Association.

The Jane Schaberg Women’s and Gender Studies Student Grants are named in honor of the late Jane Schaberg, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, who helped found and direct the WGS program at Detroit Mercy.

These yearly grants of up to $200 are awarded to current Detroit Mercy students and student organizations who wish to provide their fellow students with opportunities to engage with women's and gender issues. These opportunities can take the form of activities, community projects, or academic projects. Activities and projects that examine women’s and gender issues in connection with culture, race, class, or sexuality are welcome.

Possible activities, community projects, or academic projects include but are not limited to:  

• Speaker honorariums 
• Service-learning projects 
• Student-sponsored movie nights 
• Refreshments for WGS-oriented events 
• Travel to conferences to present WGS-related academic work 
• Production of videos regarding gender/racial justice that can be posted on WGS website and social media

For more information on applying for a grant, contact Dr. Hsiao-Lan Hu, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, at hhu@udmercy.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Jane Schaberg Student Grants

1. Who can apply? Current undergraduate and graduate students, and university-recognized student organizations.
2. What types of projects get funded? Past grants have been awarded in support of a wide range of activities, community projects, and academic projects, such as:

• Bringing an international poet to Detroit Mercy to recite her work and speak on trauma, journey, and the modern stories of Muslim women
• The publication and performance of a student chapbook of written and visual art that engaged issues of gender
• A Ph.D. Capstone project on vicarious trauma and its effects on sexual assault nurse examiners
• The student group SPECTRUM’s “LGBT? Fine By Me” t-shirt event
• The Chemistry Club’s Women in Science Symposium

All funded proposals have shared the following characteristics:

• The activities/projects were clearly described (who, what, where, when, and why)
• The proposals stated exactly how the activities/projects would enable other Detroit Mercy students to engage with women's and/or gender issues.
• The activities/projects were narrow enough in scope that the students could successfully complete them within the required timeframe 

3. I have an idea, but I am not 100% sure about it or about how to write the proposal. Is there anyone I can talk to before applying? Yes! In fact, you are required to meet with a member of the WGS Steering Committee, to make sure your project and rollout plans meet grant criteria, at least one week before the grant application deadline. No application will be accepted without a project consultation prior to submission.
4. Can I apply for money to pay my tuition or buy books for my classes? No, the grant does not cover individual students’ tuition or books.
5. Can I apply for a grant to partially fund an activity or project? Yes, you may apply for a grant to partially fund larger activities or projects. We ask, however, that you indicate who the other sponsors are/might be and when you will know if you will receive the additional funds.
6. Can my friend and I both apply for grants for the same project? No, only one grant will be awarded per project, but you can apply jointly for a single grant.

Interested in applying? Contact Dr. Hsiao-Lan Hu, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, at hhu@udmercy.edu, to get an application form and set up your project consultation!

Below is a sampling of WGS courses offered in recent terms. To find courses offered in the current term, see our blog, The Compass.

• Gender, Sex and Justice (WGS 2000)
• Diverse Voices in Literature (ENL 2750)
• Human Sexuality (PYC 2750)
• Women, Crime and Justice (CJS 4810)
• Gender in Asian Traditions (RELS 4141)
• Women in Modern Europe (HIS 3650)
• Philosophy of Feminism (PHL 3081)
• Women in Politics (POL 3100)
• Family Development and Parenting (PYC 2400)
• Class, Race, and Gender (RELS 3400)
• Literature and Social Justice (ENL 4510)

The University of Detroit Mercy web site provides links to other web sites, both public and private, for informational purposes. The inclusion of these links on University of Detroit Mercy's site does not imply endorsement by the University.

• American Association of University Women
• Amnesty International-USA: Women's Human Rights
• Center for Women’s Global Leadership
• Feminist.com
• International Center for Research on Women
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
• MADRE: International Women's Human Rights
• National Association of Women in Catholic Higher Education
• National Domestic Violence Hotline Web site
• National Organization for Women
• National Women's Studies Association
• Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc.
• Third Wave Foundation
• The Transgender Law Center
• UN Women
• Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
• Women's Studies Programs, Departments, & Research Centers

The Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Program is essential to the mission of University of Detroit Mercy, extending the mandate for respect of persons to those traditionally marginalized in society and in the academic pursuit of knowledge. Academic excellence is achieved only when all voices contribute to each discipline.

Program Requirements

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program critically examines the place of women and gender in culture and society. Feminist theory is applied to traditional disciplines to analyze the origins and effects of power, dominance, and gender. Since women's and gender issues encompass and modify all areas of knowledge, and since such issues as race, class, and sexuality are crucial aspects of such experiences, the program is necessarily interdisciplinary, intersectional, and multi-cultural. 

A. Content Requirements:

Course content must clearly reflect and acquaint students with recent scholarship on feminist theory and women, gender, and/or sexuality. At least 50% of course materials and assignments should be about women, gender, and/or sexuality. If, for historical or disciplinary reasons, the subject of the course precludes this, then the materials used should consistently be put into a dialogue with feminist perspectives and additional feminist resources. 

As part of the WGS Program’s curriculum, a WGS course should also promote one or more of the Program’s outcomes, advancing students’ abilities to: 

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the major concepts and issues of the discipline of Women’s and Gender Studies; 
2. Analyze structures of power, dominance, subordination, and gender roles and relations; 
3. Recognize the ways in which gender intersects with race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nation, and/or other identity categories; 
4. Use this knowledge to reflect critically and thoughtfully upon their own academic, personal, and professional lives, as well as their communities.  

B. Methodology Requirements:

Each Women's and Gender Studies course should have clear intellectual goals that integrate both the content and issues of the instructor's specific discipline and the overarching concerns of Women's and Gender Studies. For example, a history course entitled "Women in Modern Europe" class might have the primary goals of: 1) enabling students to use gender as a category of analysis in the study of modern European history, and 2) providing students with an understanding of women's roles in and contributions to the social, political, and cultural developments in Europe from the period of the Enlightenment to the present. In addition, WGS courses should critically examine the gender assumptions in the traditional methodologies, theories, and research of particular disciplines and/or explore the production of knowledge in the arts and sciences as it reflects, challenges, or creates cultural assumptions about gender.  

C. Pedagogical Requirements:

Women’s and Gender Studies courses should be taught in a way that fosters the empowerment of all students and that equips students to identify and critically analyze gender relations and systems of domination so they can develop their own informed positions on issues raised in the class.  

Application Guidelines

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program is now accepting applications for the 2021-22 Feminist Teaching Grants (FTG). These yearly grants of up to $500 are awarded to current full-time, part-time, or adjunct faculty members to support the development of courses that will expand the academic offerings of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. The grant will be given as honorarium for the faculty member’s intellectual labor and time. Preference will be given to courses that expand the Program’s course offerings in the Core Curriculum and/or that incorporate community engaged learning opportunities for students.

The 2021-22 FTG application deadline is Monday, February 21st, 2022. Applications for the FTG will be evaluated by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program’s Curriculum and Steering Committees.

Proposals should be submitted in MS Word format and should:

1. Include the applicant’s name, phone number, email address, and departmental affiliation.
2. Identify whether they plan to:
   • Enrich a departmental course that is currently being offered for Women’s and Gender Studies course credit; OR
   • Transform an existing departmental course into a course that could be offered for Women’s and Gender Studies course credit; OR
   • Create a new departmental course that meets the Women’s and Gender Studies Program Course Criteria (see below)
     
     In this section, applicants should also:
   • Provide a one-paragraph summary of how, specifically, they plan to enrich, transform, or create the WGS course
   • Indicate the frequency with which they, personally, are likely to offer the proposed course (for example, “I currently teach this course once a semester,” or “This course is offered once a year and faculty are free to request it,” or “My Department has already approved the creation of this new course and plans on submitting it to the Curriculum committee. We anticipate it will be taught every second year.”)
   • Indicate whether the course is currently offered in the Core curriculum or is being submitted for inclusion in the Core curriculum
3. Provide a one- to two-page explanation as to how the course will meet the Women’s and Gender Studies Program Course Criteria (see below).

Completed proposals should be sent to Amanda Hiber, Associate Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and Chair of the WGS Curriculum Subcommittee, at hiberja@udmercy.edu. All questions also can be directed to her by email. Early submissions are encouraged.

I. Criteria for Approval of Women’s and Gender Studies Courses:

The Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Program is essential to the mission of University of Detroit Mercy, extending the mandate for respect of persons to those traditionally marginalized in society and in the academic pursuit of knowledge. Academic excellence is achieved only when all voices contribute to each discipline.  
  
The Women’s and Gender Studies Program critically examines the place of women and gender in culture and society. Feminist theory is applied to traditional disciplines to analyze the origins and effects of power, dominance, and gender. Since women's and gender issues encompass and modify all areas of knowledge, and since such issues as race, class, and sexuality are crucial aspects of such experiences, the program is necessarily interdisciplinary, intersectional, and multi-cultural. 

A. Content Requirements:  

Course content must clearly reflect and acquaint students with recent scholarship on feminist theory and women, gender, and/or sexuality. At least 50% of course materials and assignments should be about women, gender, and/or sexuality. If, for historical or disciplinary reasons, the subject of the course precludes this, then the materials used should consistently be put into a dialogue with feminist perspectives and additional feminist resources. 

As part of the WGS Program’s curriculum, a WGS course should also promote one or more of the Program’s outcomes, advancing students’ abilities to: 

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the major concepts and issues of the discipline of Women’s and Gender Studies;  
2. Analyze structures of power, dominance, subordination, and gender roles and relations; 
3. Recognize the ways in which gender intersects with race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nation, and/or other identity categories; 
4. Use this knowledge to reflect critically and thoughtfully upon their own academic, personal, and professional lives, as well as their communities.  

B. Methodology Requirements:  

Each Women's and Gender Studies course should have clear intellectual goals that integrate both the content and issues of the instructor's specific discipline and the overarching concerns of Women's and Gender Studies. For example, a history course entitled "Women in Modern Europe" class might have the primary goals of: 1) enabling students to use gender as a category of analysis in the study of modern European history, and 2) providing students with an understanding of women's roles in and contributions to the social, political, and cultural developments in Europe from the period of the Enlightenment to the present. In addition, WGS courses should critically examine the gender assumptions in the traditional methodologies, theories, and research of particular disciplines and/or explore the production of knowledge in the arts and sciences as it reflects, challenges, or creates cultural assumptions about gender. 

C. Pedagogical Requirements: 

Women’s and Gender Studies courses should be taught in a way that fosters the empowerment of all students and that equips students to identify and critically analyze gender relations and systems of domination so they can develop their own informed positions on issues raised in the class. 

Suggested questions to consider when developing course materials:

1. How are women, gender, and/or sexuality studied in this course? Are women treated as objects or subjects of study, or both? If both, how, if at all, is this distinction articulated?
2. Do critical and/or creative works about women, gender, and/or sexuality comprise at least 50% of the required texts? Alternatively, if the subject of the course precludes this, are the texts used put into a dialogue with feminist perspectives?
3. Does the course syllabus reflect familiarity with current feminist research in the appropriate field? How?
4. Does the course apply feminist theories, criticism, or methods to the subject of study? How?
5. If the course is in a particular discipline, are scholarly feminist critiques of that discipline’s traditional perspectives incorporated into the course? How?
6. Do the course requirements encourage students to engage in feminist criticism and/or research? How?
7. Does the course recognize the diversity of women and women’s experience by consciously including that diversity (i.e. women of color, women of developing nations, lesbian women, class issues, as well as Euro-American or European women) or by acknowledging the particular limitations in scope, focus, etc. of the course?
8. What is/are the overarching intellectual goal/s of the course? How do this/these goal/s integrate both the content and issues of the instructor’s specific discipline and the overarching concerns of Women’s and Gender Studies?

II. Procedure for Approval of Courses in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program

Undergraduate courses taught in all Detroit Mercy Colleges and Departments are eligible to be considered for inclusion in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Accepted courses retain their normal departmental prefix and number (for example, “ENL 2750” or “BUS 2480”) but are designated with an attribute in the online schedule as counting for “WOMENS AND GENDER STUDIES MINOR CREDIT.”

Faculty members who wish to offer courses for Women’s and Gender Studies Minor credit should submit their syllabi to the Curriculum Committee. Please contact Amanda Hiber at hiberja@udmercy.edu to arrange the submission of your materials and/or if you have any questions. The members of the Women’s and Gender Studies Curriculum Committee are available for consultation with faculty who are revising or creating courses for Women’s and Gender Studies Minor credit.