Office of the University Secretary

REQUEST FOR DECISION

PRESENTED BY: R. Lucas, Chair, Academic Programs Committee

DATE OF MEETING: May 23, 2002

SUBJECT: Women�s and Gender Studies Honours program, and Four-year program.

DECISION REQUESTED: That Council approve the Honours program in Women�s and Gender Studies, and the Four-year Women�s and Gender Studies program.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL:
B.A. Honours in Women�s and Gender Studies � 48 credit units of WGST and cognate courses including WGST 110, 310, 311, 312, and 33 credit units senior-level WGST and/or cognate courses chosen such that at least 12 credit units are at the 300 level and at least 9 credit units are at the 400 level, including at least 6 credit units selected from WGST 409, 410 or 453. Students must participate in WGST 400 honours colloquium.

B.A. Four year in Women�s and Gender Studies � 42 credit units in WGST or cognate courses including WGST 110, 310, 311, 312 and 27 credit units of WGST or cognate courses including at least 9 credit units at the 300- or 400- level.

Several other course changes are being made, including renumbering of some courses and deletion of others, as described in the proposal document. Please note that the existing Four-year Women�s and Gender Studies programs, which require 48 credit units including completion of a specialization in Art and Art History, English, History, Economics, Native Studies, Philosophy or Sociology are continued.

RATIONALE:
An Honours program is needed by students who wish to enter post-graduate work or professional programs. The department now has sufficient faculty resources to introduce such a program; the department is focusing on its strengths, Cultural Studies, and Health and Body Studies.

A Four-year program composed of WGST and cognate courses is being introduced because the high number of credit units required for the existing Four-year program with specializations was a barrier to students who wanted to major in Women�s and Gender Studies.

IMPACT AND RELATIONSHIPS:
No changes are required to programs in other departments.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES REQUIRED:
The department does not require additional resources to implement these programs.

COMMITTEE COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATION:
Proposal received on January 14, 2002.

Academic Programs Committee: The Academic Programs Committee reviewed the department�s Honours proposal last winter, and suggested at that time that it be resubmitted when the Four-year program was also completed. The Committee supports these proposals and recommends their approval (March 1, 2002).

Budget Committee: The Budget Committee recommended approval of the proposed changes to the Women�s and Gender Studies program subject to final authorization from the Vice-President Academic for the department to recruit for a new head at the Associate Professor level. (March 28, 2002)

Planning Committee: The Planning Committee recommended approval pending confirmation of faculty resources as described by the Budget Committee. (April 9, 2002)