Our Department Constitution

 Indiana University, Bloomington Gender Studies

CONSTITUTION

[Adopted 4/12/98 Revised 5/3/2001 and 5/15/2002 and 8/27/2005]

Gender Studies: The Unit

Gender Studies is an Indiana University academic unit evolved from the former Women's Studies Program (1973-1997). It was renamed Gender Studies in November 1997 with the offering of the new undergraduate major, Gender Studies, as approved by the Indiana Commission on Higher Education.  Following these developments, the unit's faculty began the process of moving to department status. This constitution sets out a governance structure designed to be durable enough to meet the immediate and medium-term needs of this unit notwithstanding likely changes ahead.

The Mission

Gender Studies examines the social processes, cultural representations, relations of power, and forms of knowledge that generate a range of gendered perspectives and experience worldwide. Our focus on gender as an analytic category facilitates an array of scholarly collaborations, generating cutting-edge research across fields as diverse as the social sciences, the arts and humanities, the natural sciences, and policy studies.  Categories of difference that articulate with gender - such as race, ethnicity, class, and religion - are vertical grids of attention throughout the department. The Department emphasizes integrative and transdisciplinary modes of analysis for the study of sexualities and sexual identities; bodies and their technologization and medicalization; representation and social/cultural production; and feminist epistemologies.

Governance structure

  1. The chief officer of the unit is the Chair.  The Chair is nominated by the faculty and appointed by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The nomination procedure is begun by the Dean, when s/he informs the unit of the impending end of the term of the current Chair.  At that point, the Core Faculty will review the recent history of the unit, set goals for the future, and recommend a candidate to the Dean.
  2. Student and related instructional administration are governed by faculty subcommittees.
  3. The Director of Graduate Studies, named by the chair, executes the needs of the graduate program, in consultation with the chair and assisted by such faculty subcommittees as formed by them to execute particular projects.
  4. Other officers may be named (e.g. Director of Graduate Studies) as need necessitates.

The Faculty

The faculty of Gender Studies is constituted by four "tiers":

  • Core Faculty: 

All tenure-track faculty of 25% or more who therefore have budgetary (and teaching) implications for the department and all non-tenure track full-time, multi-year appointments. Non-tenure track but continuing faculty (e.g. long-term lecturers on multi-year appointments) must be approved by a 2/3 votes of the tenure-track faculty to be considered core faculty and receive full voting rights in the department.

  • Affiliate Faculty:

All regular and emeriti faculty - tenure and non-tenure track - who typically conduct research and teach in ways that are congruent with the missions of the Department but who do not have an appointment in the Department. Their teaching and research interests typically include a strong focus on gender and feminist issues. Occasionally, an Affiliate's primary contribution to Gender Studies will be in the area of service.   Affiliate faculty hold appointments in many different departments throughout the University. Affiliates often teach courses that count toward Gender Studies degrees. Affiliate faculty will normally teach one core, cross-listed, or joint-listed course within every six semesters of residence, will often supervise Gender Studies students, and participate in the life of the department through colloquia, conferences, committee participation when appropriate, etc. Affiliate faculty are self-nominated and/or nominated by the Chair or any member of the Core faculty and then approved by a two-thirds vote of the Core and current Affiliate Faculty for three-year renewable terms. The term may be renewed by a 2/3 vote of the Core Faculty and Affiliate faculty may be removed by a 2/3 vote of the Core Faculty.  Membership is reviewed yearly by the Chair.   Lists of affiliates will be regularly updated in our published materials and web site.

  • Gender Studies Allies:

All faculty and administration who are committed to the project of Gender Studies and who participate in colloquia, occasionally teach cross-listed courses, advise the Chair and departmental committees, etc. List of Allies will be regularly updated in our published materials and web site.  Gender Studies Allies can self-nominate or be nominated by any member of the Core or Affiliate Faculty or Chair and are then approved by a 2/3 vote of both the Core and Affiliate Faculty.  Gender Studies Allies are reviewed annually by the Chair. 

  • Instructors, Visiting Faculty, and Scholars/Artists in Residence:

These faculty hold short-term appointments in Gender Studies, either paid or unpaid, and have demonstrable research or teaching expertise in gender studies.  They teach core courses in Gender Studies or perform specific administrative duties as defined by the Chair in accordance with the academic needs of the Department.  These faculty do not hold voting rights in the department.

 

Faculty Voting: Rights and Responsibilities

  • Core faculty

All Core Faculty have full voting rights, with the obvious exceptions concerning University regulations re. promotions, tenure, and reappointments.  A simple majority may make policy and take action for the unit. Core Faculty are expected to attend all department meetings, teach core and elective courses, serve on departmental committees, mentor undergraduates, chair and serve on doctoral committees, participate in departmental functions, colloquia, conferences, plan departmental events, etc.

  • Affiliate Faculty

Affiliates can vote on all department issues except salary, promotion, and tenure. In addition, they can only vote on hiring if that affiliate has served on the search committee or been otherwise deeply engaged with the hiring process, as determined and evaluated by the search committee. Otherwise, affiliates will have a full vote on all other matters. It is requested and assumed that affiliates absent themselves from votes about those matters in which they have not been active. 

In situations deemed appropriate by the Chair, Affiliate Faculty may be asked to serve on rank and tenure committees and must then receive a 2/3 vote by the Core Faculty for this appointment on rank and tenure committees. Affiliate faculty can serve on graduate committees, but will not typically be asked to chair a Gender Studies doctoral committee. 

  • Allied Faculty

Allies are eligible to serve, upon appointment by the Chair, with full voting rights on all non-personnel governance committees (e.g. ad-hoc committees, curricular reform committees, etc.) but are not able to vote on matters when they are brought to a general departmental vote. In situations in which their expertise is valuable to a search, they may be nominated for appointment to a search committee by the Chair and must receive a 2/3 vote by the Core Faculty to serve on that committee. Allied faculty are eligible to serve on graduate committees but not, except in extraordinary circumstances, as Chair of Gender Studies doctoral committees.

Promotion and Tenure

  1. Decisions on promotion and tenure will be governed by the procedures set by the College and by the Dean of Faculties, together with procedures set forth in this document.
  2. Each candidate for tenure (including promotion to associate professor) and for promotion to full rank will be evaluated by an ad-hoc committee appointed by the Chair in consultation with the candidate. 
  3. For criteria and procedures see the separate policy documents on tenure and promotion.
  4. The vote on each candidate will be limited to those in the core faculty (with the exceptions outlined above) in rank and above
    (i.e., tenured associates and full professors vote on tenure and promotion to associate and full professor's vote on promotion to full rank).

Curriculum and Degree Programs

  1. For the present, the Faculty serves as a committee of the whole for designing and reviewing proposed initiatives, and changes in or additions to the unit's curriculum and degree offerings.
  2. Subcommittees charged with curricula and degree program design, review, or revision may be appointed by the Chair (and, if eventually formed, by representatives of the executive committee). Their recommendations are forwarded to the entire voting faculty for formal approval.

Constitutional Revision

This constitution for the department must undergo regular review and revision in response to significant changes in the situation and development of the department. The constitution and mission statement for the unit will be reviewed at least every five years, and revised as needed. In addition, at the petition of a minimum of five core faculty members, review and revision of the unit's mission statement and constitution may be undertaken at any time, and approved via a majority vote.

 

The Gender Studies Webmaster & Designer is Cierra Olivia Thomas-Williams.

The Original Website was designed by Michelle Wood and Cindy Stone.
For Maintenance and Update information contact:  gender@indiana.edu.

Last modification: December 20, 2007
Copyright © 1997-2001, The Trustees of Indiana University