UW-Milwaukee: L&S: Faculty Document No. 637

UW-Milwaukee - College of Letters and Science

College of Letters and Science Faculty Document No. 637
December 5, 2002

Recommendation of the Course and Curriculum Committee to Approve a Request for Authorization to Implement a Plan for a Major in Women's Studies

Recommendation:
That the L&S Faculty recommend to the Dean approval of the Request for Authorization to Implement a Major in Women's Studies, according to the plan that follows.

Rationale:
See Sections 2.3 and III of the following plan.

Request for Authorization to Implement a Major in Women's Studies

Program Identification

1.1	Title of Proposed Program: Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies
1.2	Department or Functional Equivalent Sponsoring the Program: Center for Women's Studies
1.3	College, School, or Functional Equivalent: College of Letters and Science
1.4	Timetable for Initiation: Winter 2002: Submit Authorization to campus committees Spring 2003: Submit Format B to UW-System Summer 2003: System approves major Fall 2003: Major effective

Context

2.1

History of Program:
The Center for Women's Studies, now housed in the College of Letters and Science, has been offering a major through the College's Committee Interdisciplinary Major for more than 25 years. Currently, 18 students are enrolled in the individualized Women's Studies undergraduate major. The number of students enrolled in the individualized Women's Studies undergraduate major has steadily increased over the years, which means that there are often more Women's Studies majors at UWM than in a number of other majors in the College of Letters and Science. Because these students are technically enrolled under the Committee Interdisciplinary Major, they do not earn a degree in Women's Studies and there is no indication on their transcript that they are majoring in Women's Studies, making it difficult for students to present their background easily to employers or graduate schools. In addition, there is no way for the Center for Women's Studies to develop set requirements or a more structured curriculum for students choosing to major in Women's Studies, because students enrolled through the Committee Interdisciplinary Major, can, in theory, choose any women's studies courses they want. Through careful advising, most students do choose appropriate courses, but this must always be done on a case-by-case basis. Thus the Center for Women's Studies is requesting an independent major, modeled in some ways on the Comparative Study of Religion major, which is also a non-departmental interdisciplinary major that has been offered in the College of Letters and Science for nearly thirty years.

The Women's Studies program at UWM has long been a national leader in the field and a model of interdisciplinary education and research in the University. The first Women's Studies program in the state, Women's Studies at UWM dates back to 1974, when the Office of Women's Studies was established under the auspices of the Vice Chancellor as a response to student demand, a mandate by the Regents that all UW campuses create Women's Studies programs, and growing faculty interest. In 1978, an 18 credit interdisciplinary Certificate in Women's Studies program was established, which is currently administered by the College of Letters and Science. In 1983, the Office of Women's Studies was moved out of the Vice Chancellor's office and into the Graduate School. Shortly thereafter, in 1985, the Office of Women's Studies became the Center for Women's Studies, housing its research center in the Graduate School and its curricular program in the College of Letters and Science. In 2001, the Center for Women's Studies moved fully into the College of Letters and Science. Individual undergraduate students currently may compose a Committee Interdisciplinary Major in Women's Studies through the College of Letters and Science. Since 1995, UWM has also offered a 12-credit interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies.

2.2

Instructional Setting of Program:
Women's Studies is a preeminent model of interdisciplinary education at UWM. Women's Studies currently offers over 100 core and cross-listed courses, deriving from over 25 departments in 7 schools and colleges. (See Appendix I for a listing of these course offerings.) Of these courses, over one-third are specifically focused on international and/or urban issues. (See Appendix II.) Over 85 faculty members are affiliated with the Women's Studies program. Among these faculty members are several recipients of university-wide teaching awards. (See Appendix VI for a list of Women's Studies Affiliated Faculty.)

2.3

Relation to Mission Statement and Academic Plan:
The initiatives and future plans of the Women's Studies program at UW-Milwaukee contribute substantially to the goals of the College of Letters and Science, and the University, particularly the commitment to urban diversity and the emphasis on internationalization. Women's Studies' curricular offerings reflect Letters and Science initiatives such as Freshman Seminars, Honors Seminars, Capstone Courses, and Internship Courses.

Metropolitan Diversity
As the UWM Strategic Plan states, UW-Milwaukee is the major urban campus in the UW System, and as such, it has a "special opportunity and responsibility to provide postsecondary education to a diverse population." A recent Report of the Academic Planning Committee recommends that the University "increase the representation of diverse populations in its student body, faculty and staff." In addition, women currently constitute more than half of the UWM and UW System student population. As a discipline, Women's Studies is built on a wide range of scholarship and instruction that addresses women in all their diversity, including race, class, sexuality, age, and ability. Women's Studies courses offer all students, particularly returning students, attractive alternative curricular options that allow them to understand their diverse cultural experiences within an intellectual setting that supports their educational success and encourages them to complete their degrees.

The City and the World. Women's Studies currently offers over 60 core and affiliated courses that address women and gender in a metropolitan and/or international context. (See Appendix II.) The new major in Women's Studies builds upon this strength by allowing students to choose an area of emphasis entitled "The City and the World."
Internship Seminar and Placements. According to UWM's Strategic Plan, in order to expand UWM's urban mission, the University should "intensify efforts to use the university's metropolitan location to expand the student educational experience by providing more internships, fieldwork, co-op programs and other learning opportunities in the community." In spring 1999, Women's Studies began offering a seminar-grounded internship course entitled "Feminism in the City: Internship in Women's Studies." This course, currently taught by the doctorally-prepared former coordinator of the federally-funded Safe at Home Project of the Milwaukee Women's Center, has enabled Women's Studies students to apply their knowledge of Women's Studies scholarship to the practical experience of working in a local women's organization in the metropolitan area, such as the Milwaukee Women's Center, the YWCA, and the Women's Fund, among others.

In Spring 2002, the Center for Women's Studies implemented a program in collaboration with Women's Studies Programs throughout the UW System that permits undergraduates to participate in an Urban Semester at UWM during which they take courses at UWM, including the Internship in Women's Studies. The first students, from UW-Stevens Point, will be enrolling in Spring 2003.

Internationalization
The Women's Studies program at UWM offers numerous courses that address women, gender, and feminism in an international perspective. (See Appendix II.) The new major in Women's Studies will have an area of emphasis entitled "The City and the World" which focuses on women and gender in a global perspective. Women's Studies scholars have been exploring new questions about the roles and experiences of women in a variety of cultural, political, and social settings across the globe. This research has translated into more courses specifically focused on women and/or feminism in an international perspective, women in world history, women's global political and social movements worldwide, and a variety of other courses with an international focus. "Global Feminisms," one of the new Women's Studies core courses that were developed in 1998 with support from UTIC, is designed to reflect this new scholarship.

Freshman Scholars Program. Women's Studies is committed to offering FS sections that focus on women in an international context, such as "Global Women and Spirituality" which was offered for the first time in Fall 1999.
Capstone Seminar. The Capstone Seminar in Women's Studies will be variable in content. However its aim is to recapitulate and deepen the students' understanding of women's studies' methods and theories.
Curriculum Development Workshops. The Center for Women's Studies has organized a number of faculty and teacher development workshops led by nationally prominent experts in internationalizing the curriculum over the past four years, including two well-attended curriculum workshops designed to integrate new feminist scholarship into the international studies curriculum.
Global Connections. The Center for Women's Studies is committed to working with appropriate UWM units to develop international relationships with interested universities abroad.
Center Lectures. Women's Studies has co-sponsored numerous scholarly lectures with an international and gender focus with the Center for International Studies and the Center for Twentieth Century Studies, including international scholars such as Marilyn Waring from New Zealand and Dr. K. Rukmani of India.

Need

3.1	Comparable Programs Elsewhere in Wisconsin: Women's Studies has long been supported at the System level. In accordance with a Regents-level mandate, Women's Studies programs exist throughout the University of Wisconsin System. Each of the thirteen four-year schools in the UW System offers at least a minor or certificate in Women's Studies, while two programs, UW-Madison and UW-Whitewater, offer a permanent major in Women's Studies. In addition, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Platteville offer an individual, student-designed undergraduate major in Women's Studies. Many private colleges and universities in Wisconsin also have Women's Studies programs. For example, Beloit College, Lawrence University, and Marquette University offer undergraduate majors in Women's/Gender Studies, while Cardinal Stritch University, Carroll College, Viterbo College, Marian College of Fond du Lac, and Edgewood College offer undergraduate minors or certificates in Women's Studies.
3.2	Comparable Programs Outside Wisconsin There are several Women's Studies programs in the neighboring state of Minnesota, with which the UW system has a reciprocal agreement. The University of Minnesota (at both the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses) has a major and minor in Women's Studies, as does Minnesota State University in Mankato. In addition, both Moorhead State and St. Cloud University have minors in Women's Studies. The first Women's Studies program in the U.S. was formed at San Diego State University in 1970; since that time, the number of Women's Studies programs has grown to 611. Of this number, 79% offer undergraduate minors, and 40% offer majors in Women's Studies. Furthermore, the number of graduate programs in the U.S., as well as the number of Women's Studies programs internationally, has grown considerably over the last decade. Among UWM's peer institutions, 60% (18 out of 30) offer undergraduate majors in Women's Studies, and 90% (27 out of 30) offer the undergraduate minor.
3.3	Regional, State and National Needs: Women's Studies prepares students for careers in non-profit organizations, business, the creative arts, education, government and public policy, journalism, law, medicine, publishing, science, the social sciences, and social work. For example, health professionals of all types, including physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists, focus on issues of concern solely to women or more likely to be faced by women. Manufacturers, retailers, advertising agencies and marketing firms analyze the purchasing patterns and preferences of female consumers, in their efforts to design and sell products that will sell more widely. Lawyers and their staffs often specialize in family law, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, or other issues of special concern to women. Students who major or gain an undergraduate certificate in Women's Studies go on to graduate study in many fields, including the social sciences, humanities, and professions. They also often combine their interest in Women's Studies with another major, and their broad interdisciplinary background makes them attractive candidates for graduate schools. Having an independent clearly-labeled major rather than the more obscure "Committee Interdisciplinary Major" on their transcript will make students' backgrounds clearer to both prospective employers and graduate schools.
3.4	Student Demand - Future Enrollment: The number of students enrolled in Women's Studies core and cross-listed courses has increased steadily since 1974, when the program began at UWM. Even during past periods of enrollment decline at UWM, the Women's Studies program has maintained or increased its enrollments. Women's Studies core and cross-listed courses produce over 5,000 Student Credit Hours (SCH) annually. This number has increased or remained stable over the last nine years, even when overall enrollments in the College have been in decline. (See Appendix VII.) In the current accounting system, Women's Studies accrues credit only for those courses taught within our curricular code, about 300 SCH last year, or roughly 6% of the total number of students enrolled in Women's Studies affiliated courses. Yet, students are not aware of the distinction between curricular codes; to them, cross-listed courses and core courses form one seamless whole called Women's Studies. While splitting credit for the two types of courses between Women's Studies and departments may, at first glance, appear rational from an administrative perspective, this accounting system renders invisible major sources of interdisciplinary SCH production. In reality, both departments and Women's Studies produce and receive enrollment from the interdisciplinary nature of the Women's Studies Certificate and Major. For example, lower-division, large survey courses that address gender--such as Biology 246, Economics 248, and History 141--serve as gateway courses into the Women's Studies certificate and major. Women's Studies then feeds these students back into upper-division cross-listed courses necessary to complete their certificates and majors in Women's Studies. In addition, Women's Studies has subsidized the development of new courses by offering seed money to faculty who create new courses that address gender and has organized well-attended campus-wide course development workshops designed to teach faculty how to mainstream considerations of gender into the discipline-based curricula. In short, interdisciplinary programs like Women's Studies rely on departmental cooperation, but in return Women's Studies bolsters departmental enrollments and course offerings. We anticipate that the number of majors will remain steady, and perhaps increase, once an institutionalized major replaces the individualized major. Here at UWM, the number of students enrolled as individually-composed Women's Studies majors has steadily increased at the same time that the number of undergraduate certificate students has increased. Women's Studies currently has 32 undergraduate certificate students enrolled. Women's Studies historically has had one of the highest enrollments of any undergraduate minor or certificate program in the College of Letters and Science, at times (e.g., during the 1998-99 academic year) exceeding the enrollment numbers in all other undergraduate minor and/or certificate programs in the College of Letters and Science. Women's Studies also attracted 21 new graduate certificate students in its first two years. This rapid expansion of the graduate program in Women's Studies suggests that the expansion of the undergraduate program in the form of a Women's Studies major will also be received enthusiastically. The documented growth of the Women's Studies Program, even during periods of overall enrollment decline at UWM, indicates that offering a permanent major in Women's Studies would improve the retention and graduation rates of students already enrolled at UWM.
3.5	Collaborative or Alternative Program Exploration: Through the auspices of the Women's Studies Consortium, the UW-Milwaukee Women's Studies Program collaborates on conferences, programs, and initiatives such as the Women in Science program. As noted in 2.3 above, we have recently established an "Urban Semester" program for students enrolled at any UW campus, and are discussing ways that this model could be used for other system-wide programs. The Women's Studies programs at UW-Milwaukee and UW-Madison are also currently discussing the development of a joint MA program that would make use of both of our strengths. An independent major in Women's Studies at UWM would serve to enhance this joint MA, as it would provide a more direct feeder into it. In terms of alternative programs, in many ways Women's Studies has been operating under an alternative program for more than 25 years, by offering the major through the Committee Interdisciplinary major. That option is now less satisfactory for our students than an independent major.

Program Description and Evaluation

4.1	Objectives: The permanent major in Women's Studies will allow for the development of clear requirements and a more structured curriculum for students choosing to major in Women's Studies. At present, students majoring in Women's Studies must do so through the Committee Interdisciplinary Major, which means they can, in theory, choose any courses they want. Through careful advising, most already choose appropriate courses, but there is no way that a certain progression or mix of courses can be required unless Women's Studies becomes a permanent major. In addition, student transcripts currently record the major simply as "CIM," making it difficult for students to present their background easily to employers. The UWM Women's Studies major integrates theoretical understanding and practical experience, in the context of the unique opportunities offered by UWM's metropolitan setting. The age of information technology and international communication necessitates that urban citizens become global citizens. Community-specific and cross-cultural knowledge is no longer the province of one or several well-bounded disciplines. Looking ahead, global and metropolitan contexts will be best explored within interdisciplinary educational and research programs, such as Women's Studies, which cross disciplinary boundaries, as well as draw on and from the older vision of the world upon which the traditional disciplines are based. Finally, in the twenty-first century, educational and research programs must be tailored to explore and impart interdisciplinary knowledge in a manner that emphasizes the relationship between theoretical and practical learning. This is a clear goal of the Women's Studies Major.
4.2	Curriculum: The Women's Studies major will be interdisciplinary and consist of 30 credits drawn from Women's Studies core and cross-listed classes. Students will be required to complete six credits in Humanities courses and six credits in Social Science courses. It will be recommended, but not required, that students also complete three credits in the Natural Sciences and three credits in the Fine Arts. Students must complete at least 15 of their credits in residence at UWM in upper-division courses (numbered 300 or above) in the major (See Appendix I) with a GPA in credits attempted, including transfer work, of at least 2.5. The following courses, all of which are currently in place, will be required for the major: WMNS 200 or 201: Introduction to Women's Studies (3 credits). Students will be required to complete Wmns 200/201 Introduction to Women's Studies prior to taking the remaining core courses required for the major. Students may appeal this prerequisite based on equivalent alternative experience/coursework. WMNS 400: Women's Studies Research and Methods (3 credits). Prereq: Junior standing; Wmns 200 or 201. WMNS 401: Global Feminisms (3 credits). Prereq: Junior standing; Wmns 200 or 201. WMNS 402: Capstone Seminar in Women's Studies (3 credits). Prereq: Junior standing; Wmns 200 or 201. OR WMNS 489: Feminism in the City: Internship in Women's Studies (4 credits). Prereq: Junior standing; Wmns 200 or 201. Students may elect to take Wmns 489 Feminism in the City: Internship in Women's Studies in lieu of Wmns 402 Capstone Seminar in Women's Studies. Although not required to do so, depending on their interests and career goals, students may want to choose an area of emphasis within the major. The major will offer four areas of concentration: "The City and the World," "Family, Parenting, and Reproduction," "Sexuality Studies," and "Cultural Studies and Media Arts." Students who wish to focus their Women's Studies Major in one of the four areas of concentration will select 9 of their elective credits from among cross-listed courses particular to that area.(See Appendix II for examples of "City and the World" courses; see Appendix III for examples of "Family, Parenting, and Reproduction" courses; see Appendix IV for examples of "Sexuality Studies" courses; and finally, see Appendix V for examples of "Cultural Studies and Media Arts" courses.) A list of approved courses will be available from the Center for Women's Studies. However, students will be encouraged to consult with their advisors in women's studies if they feel that newly offered courses, or particular versions of courses not listed, might be appropriate to the concentration. With the institution of the Women's Studies Major, the Program would also move to abolish the Undergraduate Certificate in Women's Studies and replace it with a Minor in Women's Studies. Just as the Certificate does now, the Minor will require 18 credits drawn from Women's Studies core and cross-listed courses, at least 9 credits of which must be completed in residence at UWM in upper-division courses numbered 300 or above. Students will be required to complete six credits in Humanities courses and six credits in Social Sciences courses. In addition, students must attain a 2.5 GPA in all minor courses attempted, including transfer work. The required courses for the minor will be: WMNS 200 or 201: Introduction to Women's Studies (3 credits). Students will be required to complete Wmns 200/201 Introduction to Women's Studies prior to taking the remaining core courses required for the minor. Students may appeal this prerequisite based on equivalent alternative experience/coursework. WMNS 400: Women's Studies Research and Methods (3 credits). Prereq: Junior standing; Wmns 200 or 201. WMNS 401: Global Feminisms (3 credits). Prereq: Junior standing; Wmns 200 or 201.
4.3	Interrelationship with Other Curricula: UW System Women's Studies Consortium UWM's Women's Studies program is a charter member of the internationally renowned UW System Women's Studies Consortium. Most recently, the Consortium received the prestigious 1998 Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to the field of Women's Studies from the American Council on Education. The Consortium was established as a UW Center for Excellence in 1989. Its major purposes are to foster the continued development of Women's Studies in the UW System and to further develop the national prominence of UW System Women's Studies programs through its unique inter-institutional model for instructional and research innovation. Consortium programs include the UW System Women's Studies Librarian and the Women and Science Program. The UW System Women's Studies Librarian publishes resource periodicals and numerous topical bibliographies, maintains a comprehensive Web site which has received national recognition as a leading site for information about Women's Studies, and offers instruction in using print, non-print, and electronic resources. The mission of the NSF-funded Women and Science Program is to attract and retain qualified female and minority students in science, mathematics, and engineering by improving the quality of undergraduate science education for both women and men through faculty development and other activities. The Women and Science Program offers an annual Curriculum Reform Institute and a Women and Science Consulting service, offering campuses throughout the country the chance to invite a consultant, or team of consultants, to their institution to advise on both climate and pedagogy. It also offers an introductory workshop for all incoming science, mathematics and engineering faculty and their mentors in the UW System each fall. Committee for Institutional Cooperation In addition, UWM's Center for Women's Studies is an active participant in the Committee for Institutional Cooperation's (CIC) consortium of Women's Studies programs, departments, and research centers. Other members include Indiana University, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Illinois-Urbana, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Consortium holds a meeting each fall at the Big Ten Center in Chicago and cooperates on various projects throughout the rest of the year. Freshman Scholars Program The Women's Studies program participates in the Freshman Scholars program, an initiative of the College of Letters and Science designed to attract and retain new students. The goals of the Freshman Scholars program—to provide students with a small, interactive classroom environment led by a supportive professor/mentor, to improve students' communication skills, and to develop students' ability to work collaboratively with other students—are hallmarks of feminist pedagogy and the principles around which Women's Studies courses have long been organized Honors Program The Women's Studies program participates in the Honors Program, which is administered by the College of Letters and Science. The Honors curriculum is defined by its emphasis on engaged learning through small seminars devoted to studying fundamental texts and topics in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Each seminar provides a forum for discussion as well as intensive practice in analysis, writing, and speaking. Women's Studies offers an Honors Seminar in Women's Studies: Women's Studies 380. In addition, various Honors courses from other departments are available for Women's Studies credit, including Honors Seminars in Anthropology, Biological Sciences, History, Political Science, and Psychology. (See Appendix I.)
4.4	Method of Assessment or Evaluation: Appropriate UWM faculty governance bodies have regularly and positively reviewed the Center for Women's Studies and its program. The program received a favorable formal review from the Graduate Faculty Council in 1989, and in its 1990 review, the Academic Program and Curriculum Committee (APCC) unanimously recommended that the administration earmark additional resources to support the program. During the 1998 Program Array Review (PAR) process, the Faculty Academic Planning and Budget Committee, the Committee on Reviews, and the APCC identified Women's Studies as one of four high quality undergraduate programs in Letters and Science in need of greater resource allocation. In 1999, the College of Letters and Science and the Graduate School submitted PAR proposals, which were approved and provided funding for further development of the Center for Women's Studies, including the Center's first faculty line. The standard institutional review processes for the program, as a whole, will continue after the major is in place, within the regular UW-System schedule for review of new programs. Student evaluation of individual instructors will continue, and a new exit interview process developed to assess student learning across the entire program will be introduced. Once Women's Studies is a formal and permanent major, students will be required to take a capstone experience, which also will serve as a means of assessing and enhancing student learning.
4.5	Accreditation Requirement: None
4.6	Strengths or Unique Features: The UWM Women's Studies major integrates theoretical understanding and practical experience, in the context of the unique opportunities offered by UWM's metropolitan setting. The internship program--now offered to students at all the UW campuses through the "Urban Semester" program--combines service learning, now viewed as increasingly important both to students and the community, and experience in the type of employment setting that many Women's Studies majors envision for themselves. The broad array of cross-listed courses, including many in the professional schools as well as the College of Letters and Science, allows students to combine their intellectual interests in women and gender with more specific specialized training. Looking ahead, global and metropolitan contexts will be best explored within interdisciplinary educational and research programs, such as Women's Studies, which cross disciplinary boundaries, as well as draw on and from the older vision of the world upon which the traditional disciplines are based. Finally, in the twenty-first century, educational and research programs must be tailored to explore and impart interdisciplinary knowledge in a manner that emphasizes the relationship between theoretical and practical learning. This is a clear goal of the Women's Studies Major.
4.7	Career Advising: Assistant Director and the Director currently advise undergraduate majors and certificate students about employment opportunities and graduate school, as well as providing individualized advice about their programs of study. We anticipate that the amount of time taken by the latter type of advising will actually do down once the program requirements are spelled out explicitly.
4.8	Outreach: Milwaukee Public Schools Essay Contest. Every year, the Center for Women's Studies holds an essay contest for students attending Milwaukee Public Schools. Students submit papers on the theme "Wisconsin Women Making History," and cash prizes are awarded to the best papers at a variety of grade levels. Each March in celebration of Women's History Month, the Center for Women's Studies sponsors an award ceremony and invites MPS students, their teachers, and families into UWM to celebrate the accomplishments of the award winners. Fundraising. In 1997 Women's Studies established a fundraising initiative focusing on scholarships to assist low income women students in completing their degrees. Seven Women's Studies Equal Educational Opportunity Scholarships have been awarded since 1997. Of the seven recipients: one graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude; one went on to receive a Wisconsin Women in Government scholarship; and, one was admitted to the UWM Social Work graduate program and was awarded an Advanced Opportunity Program Diversity Fellowship and participated as a McNair Scholar in the UWM McNair Achievement Program. The success of our fundraising efforts has allowed us to establish a permanent endowment account at the UWM Foundation, the earnings of which will contribute each year to our scholarship fund. Our long-term goal is to realize enough growth in our endowment account to be able to fund at least one additional scholarship each school year.
4.9	Integration of Technology: Many undergraduate and graduate courses in Women's Studies already use technology in a variety of ways, ranging from course assignments on the Web to PowerPoint presentations in the classroom. One of the Women's Studies Affiliated Faculty in the School of Education is a specialist in the use of technology for adult learners, and will be offering a workshop on this to the entire UW-System Women's Studies Consortium in the spring of 2003. Students can already take a web-based version of the Introduction to Women's Studies offered by the UW-Colleges, and the Consortium is developing additional collaborative offerings, which would be accepted in the UWM major.
4.10	Distance Education: Women's Studies courses have linked UWM's urban campus with more rural campuses throughout the UW-System. For example, in spring 1998, a Women's Studies cross-listed course, "Women and Poverty," utilized compressed video and coordinated four campus sites. More recently, in Spring 2002, UWM's Center for Women's Studies, in partnership with the UW System Women's Studies Consortium, implemented the Semester in the City Program. Through their participation in this program, students from UW campuses throughout the state of Wisconsin have the opportunity to study at UWM and experience a semester in the city. The proposed permanent major will expand these offerings, as appropriate.

Personnel

5.1	Faculty Participating Directly: Merry Wiesner-Hanks, Professor of History and Director, Center for Women's Studies (50% administrative appointment) Christina Ewig, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies (joint appointment) See Appendix VII for curriculum vitae
5.2	Advisory Faculty Any of the affiliated faculty listed in Appendix V may be members of our Certificate Committee or Advisory Council; the membership rotates on a regular basis.
5.3	Additional Faculty Requirements: No new faculty will be required for this program.
5.4	Academic Staff: Kathy Miller-Dillon, Assistant Director (100% appointment) No new academic staff will be required for this program.
5.5	Classified Staff Maria Carrizales, Program Assistant (100% appointment) No new classified staff will be required for this program.

Academic Support Services

The current library holdings and other resources are adequate for this program.
Facilities

No new facilities are required for this program.
Finances

The vast majority of student credit hours in Women's Studies are non-majors and so will not be impacted by this change. Thus no additional resources are required for this new degree program, as it simply substitutes a permanent major for the existing Committee Interdisciplinary Major for students majoring in Women's Studies.

Appendices I-VIII (pdf 71K)