Doctoral Program Proposed for KU Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

    The Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program (WGSS) at the University of Kansas submitted a proposal for a graduate program on Nov. 17.  Yesterday the executive council of graduate faculty reviewed the proposal, in what was the first of many steps in creating the new program. If approved, it would be the first graduate program in Women's Studies in the region.  
    John Younger, director of the program, said women's studies fields were becoming more important because of their varied approach to learning.
    "Most departments are like little boxes and people don't move out of them, but women's studies is interdisciplinary."
    "What I love about women's studies is it makes you more open-minded about everything," said Emily Jones, Independence, Mo., senior and WGSS major.
    Since its beginnings in 2006 under former director Anne Cudd, the new program has had the support of Joseph Steinmetz, dean of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He said a graduate program was important for establishing a presence in the field, as well as attracting new faculty to KU.
    But the impending budget cuts the university could face in the next fiscal year could be an obstacle for the new area of study. According to a September news release, the University has experienced a 3 percent budget cut this year. For the CLAS, that means $3.5 million in cutting corners.
    "Everybody's always asking for something," Steinmetz said. "It's not quite the same as the federal government. I can't run a deficit."
    Steinmetz said the school addresses its financial limitations by reallocating resources, which he said would be more difficult this year. Still, he said he had set aside funds for the WGSS graduate program.
    "If students want something, the administration will listen," Younger said.
    Younger and Steinmetz said the new program would require more faculty, and because of financial as well as interdisciplinary reasons, would have to be able to teach in two departments. Most of WGSS faculty is dually appointed in other departments, which limits the number of WGSS classes they can teach to one. As a result, many requirements are cross-listed and cross-referenced in other departments.
    Jones said she liked the different viewpoints the trans-departmental curriculum offered, but that there were also some bad aspects.
    "I look at a lot of the things from a feminist viewpoint, and a lot of them don't. I'm a token feminist in the class at some points," she said. "There are also less chances to meet people in your major."


    Still, many are eager for the chance to offer graduate work in the women's studies program, which was began at KU in 1972 and was among the first in the nation.
    The state budget director Duane Goossen recommended a 7 percent cut for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2009. Steinmetz said the CLAS planned to cut 25 faculty positions. He is confident that an established presence in WGSS through a doctoral program will be better for the entire university.
    "Everyone knows the value of what a Harvard degree is, regardless of the field. The value of a degree, regardless of the field, goes up," Steinmetz said. "The recognition is increasing the value of everyone's degree."
The program currently offers a graduate certificate in WGSS, but Younger said that wasn't enough. This semester, WGSS introduced a minor in sexuality as well as the program's only full-time faculty member, Ayu Saraswati. He said it important to the program to provide more because it inspires students to become active in the field.
    "Most academic programs don't do anything. They invite you to think about something," he said. "Well this should actually do something."
    The Provost and the Kansas Board of Regents will vet the program. Younger said the program is expected to begin in 2010.