2008 Graduate Student Handbook Download: Word | PDF
elcome to the Gender Studies Graduate Program Student Handbook. This handbook is a compilation of policies and procedures useful to students at every level in the graduate program. More information is available on our website at http://www.indiana.edu/~gender/. The information in this handbook is subject to change. You will be given a copy of any departmental policy and procedures changes to include as an addendum. Please make note of the following important address: Department of Gender Studies Thank you! Sincerely, Maria Bucur, Interim Chairperson, Department of Gender Studies Stephanie A. Sanders, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Gender Studies Program Description |top| Gender Studies is an interdiscipline that analyzes the operations, relations, representations, and structures of gender, scrutinizing in particular the manifold manifestations of “masculinity” and “femininity” and other forms of gendered identity and performance both nationally and transnationally. Gender Studies examines the social processes, cultural representations, relations of power, and forms of knowledge that generate an array of gendered perspectives and experiences world-wide. A focus on gender as an analytic category facilitates a wide range of scholarly collaborations, reflecting new theoretical and methodological developments in fields as diverse as the natural sciences, the arts and humanities, and policy studies. The program at IUB emphasizes an integrative and inter or transdisciplinary framework of study, and a high degree of thematic intellectual focus. Scholars in Gender Studies at IUB focus on the complex interrelationship between sexed bodies, gendered identities, and sexualities through diverse methodologies and in far-ranging institutional and interpersonal locations. Stressing cultural meanings, behavioral patterns, and institutional/structural formations associated with gender, the degree concentrates upon innovative methods, critical analysis, scholarly writing, and diverse professional training. The degree program’s course work and training are designed to prepare candidates to contribute critically to knowledge and scholarship; to evaluate diverse and discrepant claims about gender attributes, relations, dynamics, and representations; and to devise and execute original and path-breaking research. More particularly, this degree program undertakes examination of the category and history of “gender” itself, as well as the impact of gender-related research on knowledge, public policy, customs, and beliefs. Exploring the impact of gender attributes and gender differences as they influence human behaviors, social structures, policies, or cultural representations and discourse, courses also identify the operations of gendered assumptions, biases, and hypotheses, historically and cross-culturally. Gender issues are constantly at the forefront of news and public debate, social policy, and resource deliberations. Understanding and exploring the full ramifications of gender requires the assimilation and evaluation of relevant research and scholarship from many fields. An adequate exploration of gender issues requires interdisciplinary expertise and innovative methods. The doctorate in Gender Studies trains candidates to become problem-oriented scholars generating new understandings of gender attributes, dynamics, relations, and representations. |top| Reminder: Because our relatively new doctoral program continues to evolve, this handbook is a work in progress. Please be aware it is subject to revision. Summary of Course Requirements The Department of Gender Studies is located in the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest unit in Indiana University, and is also configured as part of the University Graduate School. Please consult the Graduate School’s website (http://www.indiana.edu/~grdschl/index.php) for detailed information on general university requirements for a doctoral degree and specifics regarding the format and preparation of dissertations. The requirements for this doctoral degree are 90 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree – configured as at least 60 credit hours of course work and an additional 30 dissertation credit or coursework credit hours. Each doctoral candidate will complete five required core courses [15 credit hours] involving theory, methodology, research skills, and professional development. Students will select an area of concentration – “Medicine, Science, and Technologies of the Body,” “Sexualities, Desires, and Identities” or “Cultural Representations and Media Practices,” – taking 15 credit hours of courses offered in these areas. Candidates will also complete a 12 credit hour minor, which should be taken externally (e.g. in another department) or in an approved program listed in the Graduate Bulletin. Elective courses [18 credit hours] complete the required 60 hours of course work. Note that courses in one’s area of concentration, as well as elective courses, may be taken outside the Department of Gender Studies (with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies [DGS]). |top| The Master’s Degree in Gender Studies |top| Required Core Courses Students are required to take five 3-credit hour course covering concepts, knowledge, theory, methodology, and research skills in gender studies [15 cr]. Note: students with significant feminist theory background may be eligible to “place out of” the core course GNDR G598, “Feminist Theory: Classic Texts and Founding Debates.” Major Area of Concentration in Gender Studies Students select one of three areas of concentration [15 cr]:
Note that these concentrations are flexible and overlapping to some extent. Students may change their area of concentration as they move through the program. Courses eligible for the concentration include joint-listed courses and other non-Gender Studies courses (in consultation with the DGS). Required core courses cannot be used for concentration credit. MinorEach doctoral candidate will choose or design a 12 credit hour minor that complements her/his thematic concentration and career objectives. The minor should be taken externally (e.g. in another department) or in an approved program listed in the Graduate Bulletin. Special permission can be obtained for constructing individualized minors (12 credit hours) in consultation with the DGS and with final approval from the Graduate School. In some cases, the minor will offer a distinct skill. Other minors will illustrate, deepen, or further focus study in a particular direction. Minors will be designed in consultation and collaboration with the student’s faculty advisor. Up to two courses used for the minor can overlap with concentration courses. Foreign Language Gender Studies does not require a second language for all students. However, if a candidate is engaged in transnational gender scholarship, a second language is formally required. The DGS will determine the means by which proficiency will be demonstrated. Research Skills Beyond the required core course G702 Researching Gender Issues, there is no specific research-related skill requirement. However, a student’s advisor may require additional competency in (a) research skill(s) appropriate to that student’s dissertation topic. Such requirements may include competency in a second language, statistical methods, questionnaire development, ethnographic methods, interviewing techniques, textual or media analysis, computing/internet/webmaster operations, specific laboratory skills, other research and technical skills, or appropriate combinations of any of these. These studies are to be undertaken early in the candidate’s graduate career. The assessment and completion of any required research competencies normally must be certified by the DGS prior to admission to candidacy. Transfer Credits Consistent with the general policy stated in the Bulletin of the University Graduate School, the Department of Gender Studies will accept up to 30 transfer credits into the graduate program, subject to the approval of the DGS. Grades received for transfer courses must be B or better. Additional Requirements after Admission with Master’s Degree Candidates admitted with a master’s degree from another institution may be required to take additional preparatory work, depending on their background and training. The program will be decided in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor and the DGS. DissertationUpon successful completion of the qualifying examination, the student will be nominated to candidacy for the Ph.D and will constitute a Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee, which must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School, will be responsible for directing and evaluating the thesis. The student must write and satisfactorily defend the dissertation proposal to the Committee. The dissertation is defended orally. Final Examination The dissertation defense serves as the final oral examination and will cover topics related to the dissertation and area(s) of specialization. |top|
Overview of Gender Studies Graduate Program Requirements
|top| Descriptions of Required Core Courses (15 credit hours) Required core courses orient each student to the theoretical, methodological, epistemological, social, political, and interpersonal innovations of this new and developing field. All courses are three credits unless indicated otherwise. Note: students with significant feminist theory background may petition to “place out of” the core course GNDR G598, “Feminist Theory: Classic Texts and Founding Debates.” G598 Feminist Theory: Classic Texts and Founding Debates Explores founding texts of contemporary feminist theory, asking questions about identity, knowledge, sexuality, and ethics. Such works have emerged in relation to a variety of theoretical discourses, such as Marxism, structuralism, cultural studies, and others. Examines the intellectual history of feminist theory and its resonance with more recent trends in gender studies. G600 Concepts of Gender Introduces historical, theoretical, behavioral, philosophical, scientific, multi- and cross-cultural perspectives on gender and its meanings, exploring its disciplinary and interdisciplinary uses and implications. Attention is given to the emergence of the category “gender” itself, and its variable applications to different fields of knowledge, experience, cultural expression, and institutional regulation. As the founding concept of our scholarship, “gender” will be thoroughly interrogated as it intersects and fractures along racial, ethnic, class, and national lines. G603 Contemporary Debates in Feminist Theory The course analyzes current feminist debates within and sometimes against numerous intellectual movements, including but not limited to poststructuralism, ethnic studies, critical race theory, and cultural studies. Most assuredly NOT a review of “2nd wave feminism,” this course instead assumes prior study of the major schools of feminist thought and pushes students to wrestle with critical issues that have emerged out of that earlier scholarship. G700 Sexualized Genders/Gendered Sexualities This course engages students with complex debates around sex, gender, sexuality, and the body that push beyond binary models reliant on a simple “nature/culture” distinction. Drawing heavily on queer theory, sexuality studies, and trans theory, we scrutinize the collision, intersection, and interaction between theories of gender and theories of sexuality. Rather than attempt to “bring it all together,” we will instead provoke continued debate about the complicated relationship between gender, gendered identities, sexuality, sexual “identities,” racialized bodies and identities and forms of power and coercion. G702 Researching Gender Issues Research methodologies and approaches relevant to Gender Studies are explored, and students apply them to a particular scholarly project. The impact of Gender Studies on epistemological and methodological issues in a variety of academic disciplines is examined according to student/instructor backgrounds and interests. |top|
G601 Scientific Practices & Feminist Knowledge Examines intersections of gender and knowledge, focusing on feminist analyses of scientific epistemology and practice. Explores the implications of various feminist theories about the social meaning and gendered construction of scientific research. Particular focus is placed upon race, class, sexuality and cultural difference in scientific accounts of “human nature.” Specific topics for students’ research projects may include: the history and politics of sexual difference in scientific discourse; feminist perspectives on, and appropriations of, the concept of objectivity; the circulation of scientific findings and technologies in popular culture; and the formulation of alternative scientific methods and knowledge. G602 Gender Dimensions of Cultural Production & Criticism This course evaluates a diverse array of arguments concerning the gendered nature of cultural production and criticism. Controversies related to the gendered dimensions of aesthetics, cultural meanings, content, or genres are examined, as are vested claims about the constitution of genius or creativity, and the role of identities in cultural production. The critical issue of theorizing audience/reader/viewer and the often gendered nature of cultural criticism warrant particular scrutiny, especially in a cross-cultural frame. G604 Knowledge, Gender, and Truth Examines feminist contributions to epistemological questioning of knowledge formations through comparison of case study disciplines and through cross-cultural analysis. Debates about “truth,” “objectivity,” “validity,” “reason” and “representativeness” as gendered categories receive scrutiny in relation to fields such as historiography, ethnography, science, psychology, or cultural studies. G605 Cultures of Disability: Gender, Medicine and Society Investigates intersections among disability and gender, medicine, and culture through analysis of modern texts. Poses fundamental questions concerning the relationship of physically handicapped, or otherwise “disabled” and marginalized, individuals (male and female) to society. Interrogates the physiological and social construction of disability, and examines the articulation of disability with discourses of the body and sexuality. G607 Gender and Health: Research Issues and Policy Implications Examines a variety of gendered topics related to health and well being, which may include: sexual development and differentiation, adult sexuality, menstrual cycles and disorders, sexual dysfunctions, pregnancy, contraception, abortion, sexual abuse and rape, breast cancer, hysterectomy, cosmetic surgery, sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, and sex research particularly as it relates to understanding female and male sexuality. Topics examined are linked to gender issues in public health, research priorities in medicine, and policy outcomes affecting women, men, and children. G695 Graduate Readings and Research in Gender Studies [1-6 credits] This course provides for graduate students’ intensive independent study of specific topics. Study is supervised by an appropriate core or affiliated faculty member whose research expertise matches the student’s area of interest. These student projects are developed in consultation with this faculty member and the Director of Graduate Studies. Obtain permission form from the Gender Studies Office and have it signed by the faculty member agreeing to work with you. G696 Research Colloquium in Gender Studies [1-3 credits] Active participation in Gender Studies research colloquia. Introduces students to the problems, interpretations, theories, and research trends in all areas related to gender and sexuality studies. Colloquia also cover themes in Gender Studies professional development (identification of funding sources, resume and job interview preparation, etc). Topics vary throughout the semester. May be repeated more than once for credit. G701 Graduate Topics in Gender Studies [variable titles, 3-4 credits]: Addresses particular problems or topics arising within interdisciplinary gender studies at an advanced research-oriented level. Topics for each offering of the seminar are chosen according to instructor expertise and are rotated regularly. Students design and complete original research projects in light of seminar themes and assessments of existing scholarship. G704 Cultural Politics and Twentieth Century Sexuality This course interrogates the complex relationships among and developments in sex research, sex reform, sexual behavior and cultural politics in the United States and comparable countries during the twentieth century, through the exploration of the writings of key reformers, researchers, scholars, and popularizers of changed understandings of sexuality. G705 Sex Differences in Life Cycles Compares and contrasts differently gendered experiences, options, and identities at key phases of development through life cycles. Evaluates competing explanations of life cycle variations, with special attention to race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, demographic factors, family forms, and cross-cultural differences. G706 Regulating Gender Identifies various cultural institutions and discourses that play a critical role in the regulation of masculinities and femininities – including the fostering of gender norms or conformity, or the discouraging of gender “deviance” or difference. Instructors may focus upon legal, educational, social welfare, religious, scientific, or mass media institutions, examining legislative, public policy, theological, or popular cultural discourses and contrasting their Western and non-Western forms. G707 Social Change and Knowledge in Feminist Theory Explores feminist uses of knowledge in order to effect social change, surveying some of the key texts that exemplify the complexities of feminism’s relationship to democratic political theory, society, culture, and education since Mary Wollstonecraft [1792]. The course may examine generational issues in academic feminism, popular feminism’s critique of women’s/gender studies, the history of feminism in the academy, contemporary curricular change in women’s/gender studies, race and gender in feminist pedagogy, postmodern challenges to feminism, and/or feminist conceptions of political action and political organization. G708 Contested Masculinities This course examines masculinity at sites of contestation -- between disciplines, historical moments, nationalities, regions and bodily ontologies. By tracing the resonances of transnational, transdisciplinary, and transhistorical masculinities, our aim is to critically examine masculinities, particularly in the context of feminist challenges to hegemonic and violative gender ideologies. G710 Gender, Medicine and the Body Examines interdisciplinary topics related to medicine and the body as they interact with gender. Theoretical works are positioned against primary texts, the latter drawn from both fiction and non-fiction works, which may be drawn from both Western and non-Western cultural traditions. Variable offerings of the course address particular topics of interest and research controversy, such as hormone replacement therapies, gender associated cancers, contraception, sexual dysfunction therapies, eating disorders, psychiatric illness, geriatric conditions, and other related subjects. G718 Transnational Feminisms and the Politics of Globalization This course interrogates recent interventions into the debates around globalization and gender, focusing on how gender plays out in the flows of money, people, and culture that characterize “globalization.” In what ways is migration a gendered experience? How does gender become configured by geographic dislocations and re-routings? How are women and men differently situated as agents and subjects of global change? G719 Sexuality and Citizenship in the Age of Visibility Examines the intersections between concepts of citizenship and gendered and sexed identities in a climate where sexual minorities are increasingly visible and “spectacularized.” Focus will be on the transition from abject and invisible minority to increasing engagement in the everyday fabric of cultural life – both nationally and internationally. G720 Research Seminar in Gender Studies Undertakes an in-depth study of a particular theme, issue, problem, theorist(s) or debate within research and scholarship related to gender and/or feminism. Students design assignments and original research projects according to interest and undertake further research related to the seminar’s questions and discussions. G899 Ph.D. Thesis [1-12 credits] Research and writing of doctoral dissertation. This course is eligible for a deferred grade. Please see our website for updated listings of relevant courses offered by other departments. |top| Concentrations (15 credit hours) The course work component of the doctorate offers a choice of three topical concentrations. Students are required to take one 600-level course and one 700-level course in their major area of concentration. Course options within each concentration include both Gender Studies courses and relevant courses offered in other departments and schools on the Bloomington campus (non-GNDR courses must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies [DGS]). Listed below are Gender Studies courses that fulfill the concentration requirements. Other courses from Gender Studies and from other departments may fulfill concentration requirements upon consultation with the DGS. The courses listed below are only an indication of possibilities, and are not meant as an exhaustive list. Medicine, Science and Technologies of the BodyThis concentration addresses a critical area of interdisciplinary gender studies: competing accounts of sex characteristics and gender attributes advanced by various academic fields, with a focus on the social, human, and natural sciences and particularly medicine. This concentration can investigate gender differences in mathematics performance and technological orientation; gender biases in medical experiments, testing, and sampling; and biological bases of gendered behavior. Students focusing on this area might also research gendered patterns in diseases, health, and indicators of well-being, especially as correlated with race, class, and region and prospects for more inclusive or diverse medical, scientific, and related knowledge. More generally, students may investigate the cultural construction of medically defined gendered bodies and the influence of gendered notions of truth, rationality and objectivity on the physical body. The body as a site of sexed and raced discourses will be examined as will the ways in which various forms of technological intervention construct body politics and scientific frameworks of understanding. Candidates choosing to specialize in this concentration include those attracted to academic research careers, or to government and non-profit agencies concerned with health, welfare, education, urban, environmental, and international development issues. Possible Gender Studies Courses for the Medicine, Science and Technologies of the Body Concentration
Sexualities, Desires, and Identities Courses in this concentration address the increasingly debated status of the sexed and gendered body in human lived experience, and the ways in which individuals’ sense of self or identity has a corporeal dimension variable by sex. A central task of candidates undertaking this concentration is to evaluate this wide array of understandings of the relationship between embodied selves, sexualities, and gendered identities, particularly as they intersect with other indices of social belonging (race, nation, class, and ethnicity) and differ within and across national boundaries. Here, students will study the historical, cultural, and textual construction of sexual identities and their iteration with constructions of gender normativity, focusing on complicated and vexed relationships among sexual identities, sexual desires, gender norms, and proscriptive institutions. This concentration serves the needs of candidates planning academic teaching and research careers focused on gender and sexuality issues; those interested in non-profit and government work related to health, human services, education, international human rights, or development; or those planning careers in non-profit think tanks. Private sector careers related to this concentration include those in media, advertising, marketing, publishing, and many other fields. Gender Studies Courses for Sexualities, Desires, and Identities Concentration
Cultural Representations and Media Practices Courses in this concentration interrogate the cultural regulation of understandings of gender across many societies, some analyzing classical tests, others addressing more contemporary cultural discourses and media with particular focus upon the interactions of gender and race, ethnicity, or aboriginality. Candidates taking this concentration examine processes of gendered meaning-making in a wide variety of cultural practices and institutions – from queer cybercultures to mainstream Hollywood cinema. This concentration serves candidates intending to undertake careers involving academic research and teaching, or government and non-profit agencies focused on international relations or trade, world development, human rights, education, employment, labor relations, endowments for the arts and humanities, health and welfare, education, criminal justice, or arts administration. Private sector employment in multi-national corporations and foundations and either academic or trade publishing may also be a goal. Gender Studies Courses for the Cultural Representations and Media Practices Concentration
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Upon completion of required coursework, the student must pass qualifying examinations. The purpose of the preparation for and execution of these examinations is to ground the student’s grasp of Gender Studies with particular attention to the student’s research and teaching interests. Exams are to be scheduled approximately 8 months after the completion of coursework, and are normally held during the academic year. Exams include written and oral components. Students may repeat the written exams once. In the case that the second attempt is failed, the student will be excused from the doctoral program with the possibility of earning a Master’s Degree. Students will take the oral examination after passing the written examinations. Upon successful completion of the written and the oral exam, students are advanced to candidacy. Students will submit and defend their dissertation proposals within 6 months of the completion of the oral component of the qualifying exams. Selection of Exam Committee The first step in the exam process is the appointment of an Exam Committee. Approximately one year prior to taking the written qualifying exams, each student, in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and their faculty advisor, will select an Exam Committee of three or four faculty (ordinarily three faculty) who are familiar with the student’s coursework and areas of intellectual interest. At least two members of the committee will be Gender Studies core faculty, at least one of whom must be tenured. The Exam Committee chair will almost always be a core tenured faculty member in Gender Studies (exceptions must be approved). Additional Exam Committee members may be affiliate faculty, and will advise the student on parts B and C of the exam (see below). The Exam Committee chair will become the student’s main advisor. One committee member will represent the student’s Ph.D. minor. In the event that the most appropriate minor representative is not a faculty member in GNDR, the student’s committee will consist of four members. At least two faculty on the Exam Committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Upon selecting the committee, the student shall inform the graduate secretary and DGS about her or his intention to take the exams, and will meet with both to complete the necessary paperwork that shows the student has fulfilled all the course distribution requirements, including the minor. Written component The written examinations will consist of three parts, each to be fine-tuned with guidance from the Exam Committee. Each faculty member on the Committee will normally assume primary direction of one of the parts. Part A will assess the depth and breadth of the student’s general knowledge of the field of Gender Studies, including but not limited to major theoretical approaches; methodological strategies and their implementations; core concepts; and historical and current debates in the field. Part A will include 5 questions of which the student must answer 3. The 5 questions are chosen by the Exam Committee from a larger list of questions designed by the Gender Studies faculty (and revised over time, as appropriate) that will be circulated to the student soon after the Exam Committee is formed. Part A is a closed book and note exam (an in cameo exam), taking place over a single 6 hour period (not including lunch and other breaks). Note that there is no “official reading list” for Part A. It is the task of each student, in consultation with her/his committee, to decide what to read to prepare for Part A. As a closed book and note exam addressing broad questions about the field, expectations regarding the length of and level of detail within answers for Part A are considerably different from expectations regarding Parts B and C. The department in which the minor is taken determines the minimum requirements for the minor and qualifying examination procedure, if any. The student is responsible for consulting with the minor advisor regarding the procedure to be used. The student is responsible for arranging the time and facilities for the qualifying examination with the graduate secretary, who will proctor the exam. No more than one week after completing Part A, students will take Parts B and C together as a two-week-long, open book take-home exam. Part B of the exam will focus on the student’s chosen concentration, and will include 3-4 questions of which the student must answer two. In Part C of the exam the student will define a field of expertise within Gender Studies --usually one in which the student’s dissertation topic is likely to be situated-- and this part will consist of 2-3 questions of which the student will answer one. Part C could include forms of creative expression. Written examinations for Parts B and C are composed by the Exam Committee, may take into account student suggestions, and are preceded by student preparation of reading lists. The expected length of each answer for Parts B and C will be 2500-3000 words. The student must pass all three sections of the written exam (A, B, C) before proceeding onto the oral exam. The committee will decide whether the student is ready to proceed to the oral exam. In the event student fails any part of the written exam (Parts A, B, and C) the student is allowed one year to re-take that part of the exam. Oral Component The oral exam should normally be taken within two weeks after successful completion of the written portions. The entire Exam Committee will normally be present for the 2 hour oral exam. The oral examination will be audio-recorded and the recording will become part of the student’s file. The student will be responsible for working with the Graduate Secretary to schedule the oral component. The oral exam will: a) cover the three parts of the written exams and may include questions that go beyond those answered in the written portions; b) assess the student’s intellectual preparation for the anticipated dissertation topic as well as for teaching in the specified areas of expertise; and c) raise broad intellectual questions concerning the field of Gender Studies. The committee will grade the oral component of the exam in a similar fashion to the written component. In the event that the oral examination is failed, the committee will consult with the Director of Graduate Studies to determine whether the oral exam will be repeated. Final Grading of the Qualifying Exam & Admission to PhD Candidacy Upon completion of all parts of the exam (Parts A, B, C, & oral exam) the qualifying exam committee will assign an overall assessment of the student’s performance with the option of conferring a pass with distinction. At this point, the committee will recommend that the student be admitted to candidacy for the PhD. Once advanced to candidacy, students are required by University regulations to be continuously enrolled until the completion of the dissertation. ABD students become eligible for G901, which provides six credit hours at a reduced flat fee. Gender Studies Dissertation Proposal, Defense and Colloquium Upon successful completion of both the written and oral qualifying exams, and after consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, students will select a Dissertation Chair. The Chair of the Dissertation Committee must be a member of the Graduate Faculty approved to Chair dissertation committees and, in most instances, will be a core faculty member in Gender Studies. In consultation with this Chair, the student will invite at least three other faculty to serve on the committee, of whom at least two will be core faculty in Gender Studies, and at least one will be a tenured member of the University faculty. Dissertation Committee members can, but need not be, members of the student’s Exam Committee. All Dissertation Committee faculty must be members of the Graduate Faculty. The Dissertation Committee as a whole must be approved by the Dean of the University Graduate School. One scholar external to IU may serve on the Dissertation Committee with the approval of the Department Chair and the University Graduate School. Such approval is usually granted when the non-IU scholar can bring to the committee relevant expertise that no other faculty member from IUB or any of the regional campuses can offer. Within six months of completion of the oral component of the Doctoral Exams, the student will present a written doctoral dissertation proposal and defend it before the Dissertation Committee. The student should regularly confer with the Dissertation Committee Chair when preparing the proposal. The written proposal should discuss the interdisciplinary research question and situate it within relevant literatures, and should also include: a literature review, a discussion of methodologies to be used, a timetable for completion of the research, a description of planned chapters, and a thorough bibliography. The proposal should be given to the Dissertation Committee members at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduling of the Dissertation Proposal Defense. The Defense, normally scheduled for 2 hours, will provide an opportunity for the Dissertation Committee and the student to discuss thoroughly the proposal, and make any adjustments necessary for a successful completion of the dissertation. The student is responsible for working with the Graduate Secretary to schedule the defense. Students are required to deliver a departmental colloquium on their doctoral dissertation. The dissertation colloquium may not be given until the student has an approved topic and research committee and has defended the proposal. (Note that students are strongly encouraged to give additional colloquia at any time as they prepare conference presentations and the like.) Writing the Dissertation and the Dissertation Defense The Dissertation Committee will be responsible for directing and evaluating the dissertation. The final version of the dissertation should be submitted to all the members of the committee at least 30 days in advance of the defense. The defense of the completed dissertation is oral and is a public event. You must give formal notice of the date, time, and place of your defense to the Graduate School 30 days prior to the defense; this formal notice is posted on the web. The student is responsible for working with the Graduate Secretary to schedule the defense, Other faculty and graduate students may attend the defense. Once the dissertation is approved, you must prepare the manuscript according to strict guidelines determined by the Graduate School. Check with the Graduate School about all facets of the defense and submission process. If you want to participate in Commencement, you must submit an application for an advanced degree at the Graduate School office. Otherwise, the various sets of documentation surrounding the approval of the dissertation suffice for receiving your degree. Information about Commencement is always posted on the IUB web site early in the spring semester.
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AdvisingThe Director of Graduate Studies provides initial advising and then ongoing advising as needed. Given the interdisciplinary nature of Gender Studies, incoming students will be urged to consult with affiliated faculty who have relevant scholarly interests. Each incoming student will meet with the Director of Graduate Studies [DGS] and the department chair to discuss expectations for Year One and the overall anticipated trajectory of graduate work. In students’ first semester of study, a faculty advisor will be appointed by the DGS (in consultation with the department chair) to assist in the selection of appropriate elective courses. The assigned faculty advisor assists students in developing an initial plan of study and exploring research interests and the resources of the university; oversees the selection of initial coursework; and assists in identifying a research focus, major field, and methods appropriate to students’ research. Approximately one year prior to taking the written qualifying exams, students select an Exam Committee of three or four members (see “Selection of Exam Committee,” above). This committee takes over advising on course selection and research plans (the chair of the Exam Committee becomes the student’s main advisor).
Annual Review Review Process At the end of every spring semester, your advisor will complete a written review of your academic progress in consultation with you. Your main responsibility in this review process is to develop and keep updated your own student records, in the form of a C.V. (see below). Before the spring semester ends, you should arrange an appointment with your advisor after providing her/him with your C.V., a copy of the Graduate Student Evaluation form, and a copy of the Gender Studies Ph.D. Program Checklist (this form and checklist are included in this handbook). During this appointment, your advisor will fill out the Evaluation and Checklist forms in consultation with you. All documents, along with one or two paragraphs from your advisor regarding your progress, are then forwarded from your advisor to the Director of Graduate Studies, who subsequently writes a formal annual review. This final review is cc-d to your advisor and the department chair, and is also placed in your file.
Student Record (CV) For the Student to Complete:
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Annual review form see above |top|
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If you have a Student Academic Appointment (SAA), your position is 50%FTE, which means you are scheduled to work an average of 20 hours per week for your faculty member over the course of the semester. During peak times you may have weeks for which you are needed approximately 30 hours for grading papers or mid-term exams; during other slower weeks you may work less. Try to give your faculty member 20 hours on average in good faith every week.
A few more reminders…. In most cases, students who hold an SAA position at 50% FTE will not simultaneously earn money from an additional job or SAA appointment. All SAAs are required to enroll in at least 6 or more credit hours per semester in order to receive a fee remission. Eligibility for receiving a fee remission continues to be based on employment as a student academic appointee. Please note the policy regarding fee remissions:
Fee remission does not cover mandatory fees, which are significant. Fee remission packages do come with a very basic health insurance plan. Fee remission continues whenever you are employed and taking coursework towards your own graduate studies. Once you have finished 90 credit hours and are ready to work on your dissertation, you must enroll in G901 for one credit hour each semester. At that point there is no further fee remission -- you must pay the G901 tuition yourself. For further details, you may talk with the Gender Studies office staff or e-mail: gender@indiana.edu
Instructor Support Paychecks Classroom Scheduling Classroom Audio Visual Scheduling Ballantine Hall is an exception. It’s the only building for which a full technology portable cart is available. Ballantine has a staffed AV office open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Monday through Thursday, and on Fridays until 5 p.m.). Staff from this office can bring you DVD, VHS, computer, media projector etc. all on a cart -– you can have it brought to you only the days you need it, or you can reserve it twice a week, for every single class session for all 16 weeks if you will actually use the full equipment every day. There’s no charge for this since it’s for a regular IU class! If you are in Ballantine, and your room doesn’t have what you need, please contact ISS Media Services, yourself, right away, and make the reservations. Also, you should contact them for any technology room to obtain the passwords to use the “built-in” projector/technology. Call ISS Media at 855-8765, option 2 or email: issmedia@indiana.edu Gender Audio Visual Scheduling Course Readers Textbooks Articles on E-reserves or Oncourse E-reserve is a web-based tool for storing PDF file-formatted articles for your students via the IU Wells/Main Library staff. Each instructor can create an account per class/per semester to store readings for their students. It is password protected and restricted to your students and our department staff. Note that here are limits on how large a portion of a book or article you can copy. This is a free service to you and your students. Oncourse is another tool that is used by many of our instructors for overall course management and communications with students. You may also place copies of your PDF files on Oncourse which is restricted to registered students in the respective class and our department staff. Both of these tools have been extremely helpful for the Department of Gender Studies to build our own master archive of articles, which has been particularly beneficial in the preparation of new courses. Previous instructors have granted us access to their Oncourse and E-reserve files. We have also worked diligently to scan many older paper articles on various interdisciplinary topics in the field of gender studies. We have over 1,000 gender-related articles scanned, alphabetized, searchable and available to our faculty 24/7 via the web – best of all, we don’t have to copy them for students any more. We can also burn articles onto a CD for instructors, and they are also available in the E-reserve system under GNDR 000 – Department Teaching Archive. See our department administrator for further details and access. Student Academic Misconduct The letter must indicate: the nature of the offense; the sanction to be imposed; that the student may appeal within seven calendar days of receiving the report; that the Dean of Students is being notified and may impose additional sanctions (probation, suspension, or expulsion); that the Dean of Students will notify the student within seven (7) calendar days if there will be no additional sanctions or if additional sanctions are still being considered. |top| Core Faculty (budgeted lines in the department of 25% or more) Judith Allen, Ph.D., Professor of History and Gender Studies Elizabeth A. Armstrong, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology Allied Faculty College of Arts and Sciences and wider Bloomington campus faculty will be involved in the offering and administration of this doctoral degree program. An up to date list of allied faculty is available on our website. |top| IU Gender Studies Fact Sheet Here is some basic Indiana University and Gender Studies office information for your reference. If you have any remaining questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Gender Studies is open daily (Monday – Friday) until 5 p.m. We are closed for lunch, noon to 1 p.m. Your staff members are: Kristin Brand 812-855-6977 kbrand@indiana.edu Nina Taylor 812-855-0101 njtaylor@indiana.edu |top| Other important contact info: IU Graduate and Professional Student Organization http://www.indiana.edu/~gpso/ College of Arts and Sciences http://www.indiana.edu/~college/ Teaching and Learning Technologies http://www.indiana.edu/~tltl/ University Graduate School http://www.indiana.edu/~grdschl/ |top| Gender Studies Library/Conf. Room Graduate Student Lounge & Offices |top| Computing Matters The College provides our graduate student offices with an updated computer every three years. In addition, Memorial Hall is a “wi-fi” zone. With a wireless card, your personal laptop can make a connection to the wireless Internet easily from all floors. For tech support on departmental computers, faculty and staff can contact the College Information Technology Office (CITO) by filling out an on-line help request. Click on the CITO Help Request icon on your computer’s desktop OR type this url into your web browser: IU offers greatly discounted computer packages through Apple and Dell for work or personal purchases. In addition, we have technology staff who can assist you in purchasing computers and in their initial set up, at little to no cost to you. Faculty, graduate students, and lecturers using their own personal computers can also get routine computing advice and assistance by contacting the University Information Technology Service (UITS) at 855-6789. CITO can help faculty with their personal home computer on a limited basis when problems arise such as viruses, damaged or missing software, etc. |top| Travel We will submit the receipts to Travel Management for reimbursement. Receipts must be submitted to Travel Management NO LATER THAN 90 DAYS after your trip. Receipts older than 90 days will not be reimbursed. After beginning the paperwork with us, many instructors or graduate staff prefer to make their own airfare and hotel arrangements. Some travel agencies will bill your ticket to an IU account, if funds have been authorized. See our department administrator if you have questions about funding sources; otherwise work with Nina on all travel plans. |top| Office or Classroom Repairs Due to budget cuts and limited custodial help, faculty offices have trash removed only once each week. Hallway trash receptacles and restrooms, however, are serviced daily. You might want to put that banana peel out in the trash cans in the hall or restroom areas rather than your office. We ask for your help in the main office, recognizing that it is a personal office as well. Please use the desk and office supplies located by the window to sort your mail, organize your class materials or open packages. Please keep supplies at the desk for others to use. Please don’t leave any coffee cups or food stuffs in the main office. Furniture |top| Mailroom Your address here is: Department of Gender Studies, Indiana University, 1021 E. Third Street, Memorial Hall East 130, Bloomington, IN 47405. Keys Photocopying In general, the copier should be used for small projects only. If you need assistance with a small job, please speak with our office staff and allow two full work days for completion. We will e-mail you when the job is finished and tell you where the copies can be found. If you have a large job, contact us, and we will then send your request out to MAXI, an inexpensive IU copying division on campus. Please allow at least 72 hours for MAXI completion. Gender Studies shares the copier with OWA (Office of Women’s Affairs). Please see Linda McCammon, OWA’s Director of Administration, in room 122 if you have any problems with or questions about the copier. Contact OWA if the copier needs more paper or has a jam. Please use only Type E transparencies in the copier or you will melt the insides of the copier. |top| Faxes Supplies Gender Studies Web Site
|top| Library Currently, the Main Library holds more than 35,000 works related to “women or femininity” or “men or masculinity.” With the collections of the Kinsey Institute, our holdings on sexuality (HQ12-472) are the largest in North America, exceeding even those at the Library of Congress. In 1996, the Libraries’ holdings were evaluated against core lists in women’s studies (http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/core/coremain.htm) compiled by the Association of College and Research Libraries. IU Libraries owned 92 percent of the 1,251 titles identified. There are 46 journals currently on subscription for Gender Studies in the Main Library. Numerous additional journals relevant to the study of gender are on subscription in other subject areas. At a conservative estimate, there are 1,538 microfiche collections in the Main Library that pertain to gender. In addition, the library subscribes to two major electronic products that greatly expand our access to the Gender Studies literature. The Main Library also provides Media and Reserve Services and the Campus Audio Visual Center with large and expanding collections of pertinent films and videos. Furthermore, the remarkable library, photographic, and archival holdings of The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, established in 1948 on the Bloomington campus, provides invaluable and unique resources for the research needs of graduate students in Gender Studies. There are several other outstanding IUB resources for student learning and research. These include: the printed works and manuscript holdings of the Lilly Library; the collections relating to population, marriage and the family of the Population Institute for Research and Training; the Medical Sciences Library; and the diverse resources of the Costume Institute, the Folklore Institute, and the Fine Arts Museum and Library. The list of these materials changes every day, but is it worth mentioning that material now on the Web includes the Victorian Women Writers’ Project (initiated here at IUB), which makes scarce and little-known materials available to scholars and students; the works of Jane Austen; and the Oxford English Dictionary. Additionally, Indiana University Press sponsors several book series dedicated to women and gender studies, and serves as publisher for several national journals with themes addressing women, gender and/or sexuality in a range of interdisciplinary and disciplinary fields (e.g. Hypatia; differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Criticism; The Journal of Women’s History; and camera obscura: A Journal of Feminism and Film Theory. This version: W:\PhD\Graduate Handbooks\gradhandbook_Feb'08.doc |top| |
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