The WGST senior project is the student's opportunity to demonstrate how one or more of the following objectives of the WGST major have been achieved:

1. To provide students with a systematic knowledge of the multidisciplinary scholarship about women and gender.
2. To teach students how the application of a gender lens can challenge traditional historical and cultural assumptions and claims of knowledge.
3. To acquire a language about the social and historical context of women in the U.S. and globally, including the ways systems of dominance such as sexism and racism function and have changed.
4. To teach students how gender is fundamental to the construction of identity and the organization of human relations.

Project Types

As WGST is a multidisciplinary field, the types of senior projects are infinite. Projects could range from a traditional 20+ page research paper, to a performance, a public awareness project, an art exhibit, or a multi-media project. If the type of project chosen is not a research paper, a 6-8 page paper explaining the choices made for the performance or project, showing intentionality and reflection, must accompany the project. Students are encouraged to speak with members of the WGST faculty as they formulate ideas.

Proposal Deadline

A written proposal must be submitted electronically to the director of WGST by the first day of the semester in which the project will be completed. The WGST director and board will review the proposal, give feedback to the student and help select an appropriate advisor. The student can expect feedback after the WGST board’s first meeting, typically the second week of the semester.

Grading

Each WGST senior project will have an advisor and second reader. Though the student will consult primarily with the advisor on the project, the advisor and second reader together are responsible for grading the project and presentation. The second reader must be a member of the WGST board.

Presentation

The senior project must be presented in a public forum, which traditionally has been a brown bag. Typically two or three seniors will present in the same brown bag, with the project advisors and members of the WGST board present. The presentation should be 15-20 minutes in length. Seniors should discuss the content of the presentation with their advisor. The presentation is expected to be extemporaneous and engaging.

Please consult these guidelines for public presentation.

Senior Project Proposal

The Senior Project Proposal should be approximately one-page in length and should do the following:

• Describe the type of project intended
• Explain which of the WGST major objectives are being addressed by the project
• Justify the significance of and your motivation for the project
• Suggest a time line for completing the project
• Name possible advisors for the project, indicating if you have spoken with them about the project.