Jonathan Driver, Dean of Graduate Studies

DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES

SUBJECT:

Ph.D. in Women's Studies

January 2003 Senate Graduate Studies Committee passed the

following motion:

"that the proposed Ph.D. program in Women's Studies be approved and be forwarded to

SCUP for approval"

This proposal was reviewed in detail by the Assessment Committee for New Graduate

Programs before evaluation by SGSC. Documents forwarded to SCUP include the

proposal from the Department of Women's Studies, external reviews, and relevant

memos concerning the program.

CS. 2003 .4

Senate Graduate Studies Committee

DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES

MEMORANDUM

TO:

FROM:

Jonathan Driver, Dean of Graduate Studies

SUBJECT: Ph.D. in Women's Studies

Dr. S. Wendell, Chair, Graduate Program Committee, Women's Studies

I am pleased to forward a proposal for a Ph.D. in Women's Studies for your

consideration. This proposal has been approved by the Assessment Committee for New

Graduate Programs, and now requires SGSC approval before it moves on to SCUP,

Senate and the Ministry.

The package consists of the proposal, the reports of external assessors, and the

department's response to the assessors. Faculty cv's will be included as this proposal

moves forward, but I have not included them for individual SGSC members, in order to

reduce paperwork. These items can be inspected in the Dean of Graduate Studies office.

One issue raised by a number of reviewers concerns course offerings for Ph.D. students.

ACNGP examined these comments in some detail, and considered the Department's

response to the comments. ACNGP concluded as follows:

the course requirements are similar to other Ph.D. programs at SFU, to the Ph.D.

in Women's Studies at UBC, and to other Ph.D. programs across the country;

b. it is common practice at SFU and other universities for M.A. and Ph.D. students

to enroll in the same classes;

for students who have already completed an M.A. at SFU there will be plenty of

opportunity for new courses at the Ph.D. level. These opportunities include:

taking courses at UBC (under a cooperative arrangement between the two

programs), taking relevant courses in other SFU departments, and taking

advantage of special topics courses (e.g. such as might be offered by the Ruth

Wynn Woodward professor).

In summary, ACNGP regards this as a well conceptualized program that has received

strong support from the external assessors.

PROPOSAL FOR PH.D. PROGRAM

IN WOMEN'S STUDIES

11 April

2001

Approved "in-principle" by Senate Committee on

University Priorities

11 October 2001

Approved by Faculty of Arts

22 October 2001

Received by Dean of Graduate Studies

09 January 2002

Reviewed by Assessment Committee for New

Graduate Programs

23 April

2002

Sent proposal to five external reviewers by Dean of

Graduate Studies

12 August 2002

Received external reviewers' reports by Dean of

Graduate Studies

04 September 2002

Sent external reviewers' reports to Women's Studies

by Dean of Graduate Studies

04 December 2002

Reviewed and approved by Assessment Committee

for New Graduate Programs

41.

Assessment Committee for New Graduate Programmes

COV-WS.doc 12/11/02

Office of the Dean, Faculty of Arts

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

OCT 2

MEMORANDUM

To:

Jon Driver, Dean

From:

Roger Blackman, Chair

Graduate Studies

Faculty of Arts Graduate

Studies Committee

Subject:

New Ph.D. Program

The Faculty of Arts Graduate Studies Committee, at its meeting of

Date:

15 October, 2001

October 11, 2001, approved the attached items, submitted by the Department of

Women's Studies.

• the full proposal for a new Ph.D. Program in Women's Studies;

• new course proposal WS 899 (to accommodate students choosing

the M.A. Extended Essay Option);

• the two new course proposals: WS 997 and WS 998 (to accommodate

the Comprehensive Examination and Thesis requirements of the new

Ph.D. Program.

Would you please place these items on the agenda of the next ACNGP

Committee meeting?

Thank you.

Roger Blackman, Chair

Faculty of Arts Graduate

Susan Wendell, Graduate Chair

FACULTY OF ARTS

MEMORANDUM

To:

Roger Blackman, Chair

From:

Faculty of Arts Graduate

Subject:

At its meeting of July 25, 2001, the Department of Women's Studies approved the attached Full Program

Proposal for a Ph.D. in Women's Studies. There are also 3 new course proposals: two for the new Ph.D.

and one for the existing MA.

Would you please place this on the agenda of the next meeting of the Faculty of Arts Graduate Studies

Committee.

4A4

6IJ.1t/P LL

Susan Wendell, Graduate Chair

Women's Studies

(p.

October 15, 2001

FULL PROGRAM PROPOSAL FOR A Ph .D. IN WOMEN'S STUDIES

AT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

General Information and Background:

This document is the full proposal for a new PhD in Women's Studies at Simon

Fraser University, to start in September 2002. The program will be located within and

administered by the Department of Women's Studies. This proposal has been developed

in consultation with colleagues from the Centre for Research in Women's Studies and

Gender Relations at the University of British Columbia, with the understanding that

they have submitted and received approval for a similar proposal, for a PhD in Women's

Studies and Gender Relations, which began there in September 2001. We are proposing

two independent degrees, each of which could function separately, that will co-operate to

share resources (faculty and courses) where appropriate, to the benefit of students and

faculty at both universities.

The Department of Women's Studies at SFU has 26 years experience in interdisci-

plinary research and teaching. Our MA program, which began in 1985, offered one of

the first graduate degrees in Women's Studies in North America; it continues to attract

excellent Canadian and international students, and 37 students have now completed the

degree. The development of a PhD is a logical and timely extension of graduate education

in Women's Studies at SFU. Like our IVIA program, the proposed PhD will be interdisci-

plinary in. nature, taking advantage of the diverse expertise of our eight regular faculty,

our Ruth Wynn Woodward endowed professor, and our eight Associate faculty from other

departments at SFU. The Letter of Intent for the proposed PhD has received approval

from Simon Fraser University and the provincial Degree Program Review Committee, as

well as strong support from other BC institutions.

The new program will fill a need for doctoral level instruction in Women's Studies in

BC, the rest of Canada, and internationally. Although many Canadian universities and

colleges now have undergraduate and Masters programs in Women's Studies, and there-

fore need qualified interdisciplinary professors with PhDs to teach in them, only York

University in Ontario currently offers a PhD in Women's Studies. Three BC universi-

ties now offer Masters programs in Women's Studies and/or Gender Studies (SFU, UBC

and UNBC), and some students graduating from those programs would like to pursue

their studies to a PhD without leaving the province. Moreover, we know from articu-

lation meetings with college instructors of Women's Studies in BC that some of them

are eager to improve their academic qualifications in Women's Studies without having

to leave their jobs at the colleges to study in Ontario. Of course, a PhD in Women's

Studies will also be relevant to other professions in which interdisciplinary analyses of

women's and gender issues are of increasing importance, such as Law, Social Services,

Health Sciences and International Development; this relevance is demonstrated by the

fact that some of our MA graduates are now working in these fields. In addition, SFU's

MA program in Women's Studies has always attracted talented international students

seeking to improve their qualifications to work on women's issues in government, non-

governmental organizations and the private sector, and we expect international students

to be equally attracted to the PhD. The co-operative PhD will give students access to

the combined expertise and experience of faculty at SFU and UBC, creating a centre in

Western Canada for the training of scholars of women's studies and gender.

requirements, including registration,

residence requirements and time limits for the completion of the degree. It is expected

that students normally will complete the PhD in Women's Studies in four years. However,

we intend our PhD program, like our current MA program, to allow part-time study and

to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate students who have diverse responsibilities.

Normally, students will be required to complete three courses. However, the Gradu-

ate Committee, in consultation with the student's supervisory committee, may require a

student to take additional courses, either to obtain breadth of background in Women's

Studies or to acquire specific preparation in the topic of the student's proposed thesis.

Two of a student's required courses may be from Women's Studies at UBC or relevant

offerings in other departments, at SFU or UBC, with the approval of the student's super-

visory committee. Students who have completed the SFU or UBC MA program before

admission to the PhD will not be permitted to duplicate courses they completed during

their MA programs. Given that there are ten courses now available in our MA program,

it will not be necessary to add new courses for the PhD, other than Comprehensive

Examination and PhD Thesis.

Students will also be required to complete comprehensive examinations and a doctoral

thesis. Comprehensive examinations, which will be set by the student's supervisory com-

mittee in consultation with the student and subject to the approval of the departmental

Graduate Committee, will be relevant to the student's thesis plans and professional goals.

Students will present and defend a PhD thesis proposal to the department as a whole

after completion of the comprehensive examinations. There are eight regular faculty

and eight associate faculty in Women's Studies available to supervise doctoral students,

and, where appropriate, colleagues from other departments at SFU or from UBC may be

invited to serve on supervisory committees.

For admission, applicants must fulfill all the general Graduate Studies admission re-

quirements, including high academic standing, and demonstrate adequate preparation

in Women's Studies to undertake doctoral work. Normally, a Master's degree will be

required. They must provide a sample of written scholarly work, a statement of their re-

search interests in Women's Studies, a description of previous relevant coursework and/or

employment, and three letters of reference commenting on their ability to undertake sub-

stantial. original research. They will be admitted only if a suitable Senior Supervisor is

available. We expect to admit 2 to 4 PhD students per year.

Resources:

The SFU library collection in Women's Studies, built over 26 years and kept up-to-

date with a departmental budget for new acquisitions, is excellent, and there is now

on-line access to many other collections and relevant journals. Moreover, we anticipate

that, as part of our co-operative program, students will make use of the full resources

of the UBC library. Women's Studies at SFU has the space provided to a university

department, which includes a graduate students' office, a teaching assistants' office, a

student computer room, a staff office for the graduate secretary, and a departmental

lounge. Because our department has been running an MA program for 16 years, we

already have the administrative structures to implement and run a PhD program. No

new resources would be needed.

PhD applicants and students would be eligible for the SFU Entrance Scholarships,

which offer a full year's support, and for the 3-4 Graduate Fellowships our department

receives every year, each of. which supports a student for one semester. There are also

seven smaller bursaries and scholarships (ranging in value from $500 to $1500) that are

available to Women's Studies graduate students. In each academic year, we have four

Teaching Assistantships and three Tutor Marker positions; each position supports one

graduate student for a semester. There is one Research Assistantship attached to the

endowed professor position in the department, and faculty who are successful in major

grant competitions hire Women's Studies graduate students as research assistants. Grad-

uate students who meet the financial qualifications are eligible for work-study positions,

and regular faculty often apply for work study grants for small research projects. In

addition, the department employs sessional instructors to teach several undergraduate

courses each term. PhD students who have completed all degree requirements except

their theses (ABDs) would be eligible for sessional instructor positions in Women's Stud-

ies. This could be a significant source of support for PhD students working on their

theses, and their teaching would be a valuable resource for the department as well as

important professional training for them.

At SFU, as at UBC, there is a climate of intellectual challenge and exchange, and an

ongoing effort to link academic research to social policy and community involvement in

women's issues. The proposed PhD program will enable more scholars to benefit from ou

existing resources and to participate in research development, teaching and community

outreach.

2. LETTER OF INTENT AND COMMENTS FROM OTHER INSTITU-

TIONS

Letter of Intent: Ph.D. in Women's Studies at SFU

JANUARY 2001

NOTE: This proposal is for a free-standing doctoral degree at SFU. A parallel

programme has been proposed at UBC and is proceeding according to the

UBC internal time lines. We are proposing two degrees (each of which could

function separately) that will co-operate to share resources (faculty, courses)

where appropriate to the benefit of students and faculty at both universi-

ties. We would like the SFU programme to begin in September 2002, which

coincides with our normal annual intake of graduate students.

A. INSTITUTIONAL AND PROGRAMME IDENTIFICATION

Simon Fraser University

Department of Women's Studies

Web-site: www.sfu.ca/womens-studies

Fax: 604-291-5518

Dr. Meredith Kimball, Chair

Professor of Women's Studies and Psychology

Phone: 604-291-5526

email: kimball©sfu.ca

Dr. Susan Wendell, Chair, Graduate Studies Committee

Professor of Women's Studies

Phone: 604-291-5525

email: wende1lsfu .ca

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Women's Studies

Contribution to SFU's mandate and strategic plan

Women's Studies was founded at SFU in 1975 as an interdisciplinary programme.

Since that time we have grown from a programme to a department with 4 full time

faculty, 4 jointly appointed faculty, an endowed professor position, and 8 associate faculty.

The faculty represent training in a wide range of humanities, social science and science

disciplines, and all have had extensive experience with interdisciplinary research and

teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate level. At the undergraduate level, we

offer a major, seven joint majors, a minor, an extended minor, and a certificate. More

than 300 students have graduated with an undergraduate Women's Studies degree in the

25 years that the programme has been offered at SFU. A number of these students have

gone on to graduate work; for example, in 1999 one of our graduates was awarded an

NSERC to pursue graduate studies in primatology.

In 1985 we initiated an M.A. degree in Women's Studies at SFU. Over the past 15

years, 31 students have completed an M.A. in Women's Studies. Of these, five students

have gone on to a Ph.D., either through Special Arrangements at SFU or in disciplinary-

II,

unicourversseit-ibaes

essays options. Currently, 10 students are enrolled in the thesis/extended essays options,

and three students are taking the course-based option. We have in place 10 graduate

courses which we have been offering for 15 years. Because we were one of the first

programmes to offer a graduate degree in Women's Studies in North America, we now

have extensive experience in graduate education. This experience will serve us well in

the implementation of a Ph.D. which is designed as a logical extension of our M.A.

programme. The institution of a Ph.D. programme in Women's Studies is one of the

primary initiatives in our current three-year plan for the department.

5. Intended schedule for implementation

We expect to admit students in September 2002. Some of the current first-year M.A.

students have expressed interest in continuing their studies in the new Ph.D. programme.

UBC plans to admit their first students in September 2001. Because we already have

regularly offered graduate courses in place, UBC students who begin in September 2001

will have access to graduate courses at SFU through the Western Deans Agreement as

soon as they begin their studies.

B. PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

i. Economic/industrial/social-cultural goals of the programme, relation to

market niches or societal needs

Over the past 30 years, the growth and influence of Women's Studies as an interdis-

ciplinary field of study have been phenomenal. Academic journals of Women's Studies

have been established internationally and are flourishing. In addition, Women's Studies

research is published in an impressive number of interdisciplinary monographs and an-

thologies, and in articles in traditional disciplinary journals and newer cross-disciplinary

journals. Thisresearch is both pure and applied and has had an impact on thinking and

practice in public and private institutions. Many universities and colleges throughout

the world offer courses and degrees in Women's Studies at the undergraduate level. In

Canada as elsewhere, there is a growing need for programmes to train scholars to teach

Women's Studies and to conduct interdisciplinary analyses of women's and gender issues

in government and the private sector. Because of our long history conducting research

yQ_.

and teaching as an interdisciplinary department, Women's Studies at SFIJ is particularly

well-placed to offer interdisciplinary training at the doctoral level. Although many Cana-

dian universities and colleges have undergraduate programmes in Women's Studies, only

York University currently offers a Ph.D. in Women's Studies. The creation of a Ph.D. in

B.C. would provide more opportunities for students, and the combined resources of SFU

and UBC would create for British Columbia a Western Canadian centre for the training

of the next generation of scholars in Women's Studies and the study of gender.

The demand for doctoral studies in an interdisciplinary Women's Studies programme

is strong. York University currently has about 100 applications per year for graduate

study (M.A. and Ph.D. combined). And as long as our M.A. programme has existed at

SFU, we have received 5 to 10 inquiries per year asking if we offer a Ph.D. programme.

2. Employment destination for graduates/research and development/job cre-

ation

A Ph.D. in Women's Studies is a desirable option for those planning academic careers

as university teachers in Women's Studies programmes, both in Canada and abroad.

Because of the strong interdisciplinary training that would be offered in the SFU Ph.D.

in Women's Studies, many graduates would be qualified to apply for positions in profes-

sional faculties, such as law and education, in traditional disciplines that are branching

into interdisciplinary work, such as sociology and political science, and in some of the

many interdisciplinary programmes, such as humanities and Canadian Studies, that are

growing in our universities. Moreover, provincial and federal agencies, as well as interna-

tional governmental programmes, private industry and nongovernmental organizations,

are increasingly focusing on issues that affect women and gender equity. Scholars trained

in interdisciplinary research skills in a Women's Studies Ph.D. programme would find

jobs open to them in these sectors as well.

Two of the graduates of our M.A. programme who have gone on to complete Ph.D.s

have obtained academic employment. One is a faculty member in Communications at

SFU, and another is a recent Canadian Research Chair appointee in Political Science

at York University. Those students who completed their education with an M.A. in

Women's Studies have found diverse sources of employment, including policy analysis

for Health Canada, research for provincial governments, community college teaching,

social work, counselling, student services in universities, running small businesses, and

union advocacy. One of our recent M.A. graduates is now in medical school. Thus, our

M.A. graduates, several of whom were international students, have found a wide range

of employment open to them, and we expect that, although Ph.D. graduates may be

more likely to take academic appointments, they will also be in demand for other jobs in

Canada and internationally.

Expected time

required for programme completion

It is expected that students will complete the programme in four years, meeting the

SFU residency requirements for Ph.D. students.

Specialties offered and relation to M.A. Programme at SFU

There are eight regular faculty in the Women's Studies Department, four full time

and four joint appointments. Their interdisciplinary expertise covers a wide range of ar-

eas, including Feminist Literary Studies, Feminist Critiques of Science, Feminist Ethics,

Women and Disability, Women and Development, Feminist Economics, Public Policy,

Labour Studies, Theories of Gender, History of Women in Psychology and Psychoanaly-

sis, Women and Film, Popular Culture, and the History of Women in France. In addition,

the department has an endowed professor who is hired for a two year term. Although

the endowed professor does not supervise graduate students, s/he is qualified to offer

graduate courses, which enriches considerably our graduate curriculum. A diverse group

of scholars has held the Ruth Wynn Woodward Professorship, including a psychiatrist,

a politician, a literary critic, an economist, a biologist, a sociologist, and a. novelist and

poet. In addition to the regular faculty and the endowed professor, eight faculty who are

appointed in other SFU departments hold Associate Faculty positions in our department.

They have served as supervisors and committee members for several of our M.A. students

and will continue to do so for Ph.D. students. Their areas of expertise include Criminol-

ogy, Midwifery, History of Women in the Arts, Anthropology of Migration and Diaspora,

Medical Anthropology, Women and the Criminal Justice System, History and Philosophy

of Science, Feminist Sociology, Feminist Literary Theory, and Feminist Geography.

The Ph.D. programme will consist of the course work, examinations, and a disser-

tation. Our M.A. programme allows part-time study and flexibility to accommodate

students who have diverse responsibilities. We expect that our Ph.D. will allow similar

flexibility. Given the ten courses that are already available in our M.A. programme, it will

lt1

notbe necessary to develop new courses for the Ph.D. Co-operation with IJBC through

the Western Deans' Agreement will enable students registered in either progr

me to

take some courses, as appropriate, at the other university. Students may also include

faculty members from the other university on their supervisory committees, where the

faculty members' expertise is relevant. Efforts will be made to maximize available re-

sources by sharing them, and to broaden the students' experience by bringing faculty

and students from both universities into contact with one another.

Programmes at other B.C.

institutions with similar content or objectives

No university in B.C. currently offers a doctoral programme in this area. Co-operation

between UBC and SFU has been discussed from the start of each institution's consid-

eration of the Ph.D., and we hope that eventually UNBC and UVIC may join us in a

province-wide co-operative effort at the doctoral level. There are now three M.A. pro-

grammes in Women's Studies in B.C. (at SFU, UNBC, and UBC), which will provide

candidates for the Ph.D. The University of Victoria also hopes to propose an M.A. in

the near future. At annual Women's Studies articulation meetings, representatives of all

the B.C. universities and colleges have expressed strong support for a Ph.D. Programme.

Some college instructors are particularly eager to up-grade their qualifications without

leaving the province, but the only free-standing Ph.D. programme in Women's Studies

is currently at York University in Ontario. The co-operative nature of the two Ph.D.

programmes at SFU and UBC and the different expertise of their faculty will differen-

tiate the offerings in B.C. from those of York University. Both our universities have

the distinguished faculty to attract excellent students. By implementing a co-operative

arrangement between the universities that highlights the strength of each institution,

we will be able to offer students access to a wide range of faculty expertise at two of

Canada's leading universities. Another advantage of the co-operative nature of the SFU

and UBC proposals is that it will encourage and increase intellectual exchanges among

students and faculty at both universities.

Relation of programme to other programmes at SFU

Through 15 years of experience in graduate studies at SFU, the Women's Studies

Department has developed a network of relationships with many other SFU departments.

Our graduate students take courses in other departments, and we usually have both Ph.D.

and M.A. students from other departments and programmes at SFU, and from UBC, in

our regularly offered graduate courses.

7. Will

any other programmes be eliminated or reduced because of the new

programme?

While we might attract some students who would otherwise complete their degree in

another programme, the majority of our students will be those who would otherwise have

had to leave the province or the country in order to pursue their Ph.D. degrees.

C. ADMISSION AND TRANSFER

Who are the intended students?

The programme will accept students with high academic standing and a relevant

masters degree or equivalent preparation to undertake a Ph.D. in this field. Since several

of our own M.A. students have gone on to pursue a Ph.D. elsewhere, we expect that

some students will complete both an M.A. and a Ph.D. at SFU. However, given the

range of inquiries we receive about the possibility of doing doctoral work in Women's

Studies at SFU, we expect that some students will come into the programme from other

departments at SFU, some will come from other Canadian universities, and some will be

international students.

What enrolments are anticipated?

We expect to admit 2-4 doctoral students per year, beginning in September 2002.

We expect a good proportion to come from outside B.C. and that a number will be

international students.

D: WHAT RESOURCES, EXISTING OR NEW, WILL BE REQUIRED FOR

THIS PROGRAMME?

Courses:

The Women's Studies M.A. curriculum consists of 10 graduate courses, some

of which have fixed and others variable content. Thanks to our networks with other

departments at SFU through our Associate Faculty, our students also have access to a

number of graduate cognate courses. Because of the richness of these graduate offerings,

it will not be necessary to develop new graduate courses for the Ph.D.

Faculty:

We currently have four full-time faculty, four faculty jointly appointed with

• other departments, one endowed professorship, and eight associate faculty members. One

regular Women's Studies faculty member serves as the Chair of our Graduate Committee,

and all regular and associate faculty are involved in serving as supervisors and committee

members for M.A. students. Given the small number of Ph.D. students that is expected,

the faculty resources are fully adequate to meet the teaching and supervisory needs of

the programme.

A dministration:

In addition to an ongoing Graduate Studies Committee with a regular

faculty member who chairs the committee, we have a part-time graduate secretary who

keeps records, helps with admissions, and communicates with graduate students about

scholarship deadlines, etc. Hence, the administrative structures already exist that are

necessary to implement and run a Ph.D. programme.

Library Resources:

Students will have access to the combined resources of the SFU and

UBC libraries. The SFU library already has a substantial collection of material related to

Women's Studies, including the key journals, archival resources, and access to networked

indices. In addition, the department has a budget for new acquisitions, a regular faculty

member who serves as the departmental library liaison, and the assistance of a librarian

• who, as part of her duties, is responsible for the Women's Studies collection. As with any

field, adding new monographs will be necessary to keep the Women's Studies collection up

to date, but this already takes place. Thus, no special library resources will be necessary

to implement the Ph.D. programme.

Funding for graduate students:

Scholarships:

Our M.A.

students have been very successful over the years in obtaining

SFU graduate entrance scholarships such as the C.D. Nelson. At least two of our M.A.

students who have gone on to Ph.D. programmes elsewhere have received SSHRC doctoral

fellowships. As a department, we receive 3-4 Graduate Fellowships per year, each of

which supports a student for one semester. There are also seven smaller bursaries and

scholarships (ranging in value from

500to1500)

that are available to Women's Studies

graduate students.

Teaching A ssistantships:

In each academic year, we have four Teaching Assistantships

and three Tutor Marker positions. Each position supports one graduate student for a

semester.

Research A ssistantships:

There is one Research Assistantship attached to the endowed

professor position in the department, and faculty who are successful in major grant

competitions hire Women's Studies graduate students as R.A.s.

Sessional Teaching:

The department employs sessional instructors to teach several under-

graduate courses each term. Ph.D. students who have completed all degree requirements,

except their dissertations (ABDs), would be eligible for sessional instructor positions in

Women's Studies. They would be a valuable teaching resource for the department.

W ork-Study Positions:

Graduate students who meet the financial qualifications are eli-

gible for work-study positions, and regular faculty often apply for work study grants for

small research projects.

Bursaries and other Funding Sources:

Through our part-time graduate secretary and our

graduate brochure, information about scholarships and bursaries is regularly provided to

students. Other possible sources of support that come to the attention of the Graduate

Chair are also regularly communicated to students.

Space: As

an established department, we have the space provided to a department. For

the use of graduate students, we have one graduate office, one T.A. office, a student

computer room, a staff office for the graduate secretary, and a departmental lounge.

Although it would be helpful to have one more office, so that the M.A. students could have

one office and the Ph.D. students another office, this is not essential for the establishment

of a Ph.D. in Women's Studies at SFU.

(NO NEW RESOURCES NEEDED)

Comments from other institutions on the Letter of Intent are appended to this docu-

ment.

CURRICULUM

3.1 Goals of

the Curriculum:

The PhD in Women's Studies will offer advanced training in interdisciplinary research

and analysis of issues affecting women worldwide and in gender analysis of issues affecting

both women and men. Graduates will be prepared to teach Women's Studies at the

university level and to conduct advanced research and analysis in both the public and

private sectors. They will have gained a solid general knowledge of the field and its

methods as well as experience in completing substantial, specific and focussed research

on a PhD thesis topic. To this end, students will have access to the wide range of

interdisciplinary expertise of the SFU Women's Studies faculty and Associate faculty as

well as the UBC faculty. The PhD program will build upon the SFU department's 16

years experience of teaching MA students in Women's Studies, enabling students and

professors to work together on the most intellectually challenging projects.

3.2 Requirements for the PhD in Women's Studies:

Normally, PhD students will be required to complete three graduate courses, pass com-

prehensive examinations, present a PhD thesis proposal to the department, and complete

and defend a PhD thesis. However, the Graduate Committee, in consultation with the

student's supervisory committee, may require a student to take additional courses, either

to obtain breadth of background in Women's Studies or to acquire specific preparation

in the topic of the student's proposed thesis. Two of any student's required courses may

be from Women's Studies at UBC or relevant offerings in other departments, at SFU

or UBC, with the approval of the student's supervisory committee. Students who have

. completed the SFU or UBC MA program before admission to the PhD will not be permit-

ted to duplicate graduate courses they completed during their MA pro

rams. Normally,

students will complete their coursework before taking their comprehensive examinations,

and complete the comprehensive examinations before presenting and defending a PhD

thesis proposal. They will be expected to complete their coursework and comprehensive

examinations within two years.

The following ten graduate courses presently existing in the Women's Studies Depart-

ment at SFU will be part of the PhD program:

WS 800-5, Methodology in Women's Studies Research

VS 820-5, Graduate Seminar in Women's History

WS 821-5, Graduate Seminar in Psychology of Women

WS 822-5, Graduate Seminar in Feminist Theory

WS 823-5, Graduate Seminar in Feminist Art/Literary Criticism

WS 824-5, Graduate Seminar on Women and Social Policy

WS 825-5, Graduate Seminar in Women, Technology and Social Change

WS 830-5, Selected Topics Graduate Seminar I

WS 831-5, Selected Topics Graduate Seminar II

WS 840-5, Directed Studies

The only additional courses required for the PhD program will be WS 997, Compre-

hensive Examinations, and VS 998, PhD Thesis.

Comprehensive examinations will consist of three major scholarly/professional tasks

to be set by the student's supervisory committee in consultation with the student, ap-

proved by the Women's Studies Graduate Committee, and completed to the satisfaction

of the supervisory committee. These may include, but are not limited to: writing reviews

of the literature; taking exams on specific areas of Women's Studies research; preparing

a research paper for publication in a scholarly book or journal; preparing a substantial

grant proposal for the student's PhD thesis research; developing a detailed course out-

line (with reading list, lecture schedule, assignment descriptions) for an undergraduate

course in Women's Studies; preparing a suitable non-print media project, such as a video

documentary. One of the three tasks must be an exam or a review of the literature.

All PhD students will prepare a PhD thesis proposal and defend it in a presentation

open to the department as a whole. Students will also complete a PhD thesis giving

evidence of independent research and critical abilities in the interdisciplinary study of

women and gender.

3.3 Course Structure, Class Size and Student/Faculty Ratios:

Like virtually all other small graduate programs at SFU, Women's Studies currently

offers graduate courses in three ways:

1) Students may take graduate seminars. Since the implementation of our course

option MA degree, there have been enough MA students to have graduate seminars with

5 to 12 students (frequently including graduate students from other departments). We

are now offering one of these seminars in each of the Fall and Spring semesters and hope to

VID

. increase this number, as the Graduate Committee considers these seminars the preferred

form of instruction. With the addition of Women's Studies PhD students at both SFU

and UBC, we expect the class size of graduate seminars to be 10 to 20 students.

Students may take upper-levels undergraduate courses, doing extra work and having

additional seminar meetings with the course instructor, for graduate credit; this arrange-

ment is made only in courses taught by permanent faculty or the Woodward endowed

professor. These courses will continue to be available to MA students, but to them only.

PhD students will

NOT

be permitted to take combined undergraduate/graduate courses

to fulfill their course requirements, because the Graduate Committee does not consider

them suitable for instruction at the PhD level.

Students may take graduate courses on a tutorial or directed-studies basis with a

Women's Studies faculty member. Such courses frequently have 2 to 3 students meeting

regularly together with the instructor. This method of instruction will be available to

both MA and PhD students.

Women's Studies faculty teach graduate seminars as part of their normal course load.

They teach graduate students in joint undergraduate/graduate courses and graduate

tutorial or directed-studies courses (2 and 3 above) on overload. The department recog-

nizes the importance of faculty overload teaching to the graduate program and attempts,

wherever possible, to compensate accumulated overload teaching with release time from

undergraduate teaching, according to a formula decided upon by the Women's Studies

Coordinating Committee. This system will apply to teaching PhD students as well as

MA students.

Women's Studies PhD students may also take up to two of the required number of

courses in other departments at SFU and at UBC (under the Western Deans' Agree-

ment), with their graduate committees' approval, for Women's Studies PhD credit. This

arrangement will be reciprocated, as it is in our MA program, with students from other

departments at SFU and UBC taking Women's Studies graduate seminars and sometimes

joining directed-studies courses with Women's Studies graduate students. Although this

creates more work for faculty, we consider having graduate students with a variety of

academic backgrounds in a course, as well as being able to reciprocate with other depart-

ments at SFU and UBC, very desirable.

SFU has eight regular Women's Studies faculty and eight Associate faculty available

to supervise PhD students and/or serve on their supervisory committees. Where ap-

propriate, faculty from UBC or faculty from other departments at SFU will be invited

to serve on supervisory committees. With an intake of 2 to 4 PhD students per year

and a completion time of 4 years, each regular faculty member would be supervising a

maximum of 2 PhD students at any given time.

3.4 Research Expectations and Implications:

PhD candidates will be expected to make original contributions to research in Women's

Studies. They will work on their own projects and, in some cases, join a collaborative

effort with faculty and/or other students. Their presence will strengthen our faculty's

research grant applications. The PhD program will help to create a larger pool of re-

searchers in Women's Studies and Gender Relations in BC. Moreover, PhD students will

be expected to attend and contribute papers, panel presentations and/or workshops to

conferences in Canada and abroad, enhancing our department's and SFU's connection

to national and international research efforts and the reputation of Women's Studies

research at SFU and UBC.

4. LEARNING METHODOLOGIES

4.1 Learning Environment:

PhD students will be part of lively feminist research communities at SFU and UBC,

where ideas are exchanged both formally and informally. The SFU Women's Studies De-

partment, especially through the Ruth Wynn Woodward Professorship, sponsors many

guest speakers from whom graduate students can benefit and community outreach pro-

grams in which they can participate. There is also an active Graduate Caucus in Women's

Studies at SFU, where students form work groups to discuss their own projects and

writing, and an on-line graduate student Women's Studies journal, begun by the UBC

Graduate Research Network in 2000, in which SFU graduate students are encouraged to

participate. Our graduate students are also encouraged from the first year to develop

papers for presentation at conferences, and they often attend national conferences in

groups, sometimes making presentations together.

The SFU Instructional Development Centre (formerly the Centre for University Teach-

ing) and the Teaching Support Staff Union offer many workshops for graduate students

. and teaching assistants on pedogogical issues, and the department encourages students to

attend them. The department will expect PhD students to obtain experience as teaching

assistants or tutor markers for undergraduate courses while completing their coursework

and comprehensive examinations, and, where possible, to teach sessional undergraduate

courses in the department while working on their theses. These three kinds of pedogog-

ical experience will help prepare them for university and college teaching and develop

leadership abilities applicable in both the public and private sectors.

4.2 Use of

Alternative Methods of Instruction and Promotion of Employabil-

ity

Skills:

Graduate students are, of course, encouraged to use all legitimate on-line resources

for their own research, to publish on-line where appropriate, and to establish internet

connections with researchers interested in similar topics across Canada and internation-

ally. The Women's Studies department does not currently have plans to offer graduate

education in any distance education format.

The presence of a professor specializing in filmmaking among our regular faculty

(Jacqueline Levitin) creates the possibility of including a film or video component in

some PhD students' thesis work.

WS 800, our research methodology course, has for several years included a component

on academic life and professional skills, including such topics as submitting and revising

papers, presenting at conferences, job searching, tenure, etc. Most PhD students (except

for those entering from the SFU WSMA program, who will have had WS 800 already)

will take this course, as it is the first graduate seminar offered each September. We

find that discussion of these issues early in a student's graduate career fosters her/his

continuing effort to acquire professional skills and experience. In addition, supervisory

committees will encourage students to present papers at conferences, to publish, to gain

teaching experience, and to participate in community outreach programs.

FACULTY

No new faculty positions will be required to offer a PhD in Women's Studies. There

are eight regular faculty in the Women's Studies Department, four fully in Women's

Studies and four joint appointments. (One full Women's Studies position is currently

vacant due to retirement, but the faculty search for this position has been authorized,

and we expect it to be filled at the Assistant Professor level by September 2002.) The

faculty's interdisciplinary expertise covers a wide range of areas, including Feminist Eco-

nomics, Public Policy, Labour Studies, Women and Development, Globalization and the

Feminization of Migration, Feminist Critiques of Science, Feminist Ethics, Women and

Disability, Theories of Gender, History of Women in Psychology and Psychoanalysis,

Women and Film, Popular Culture, and the History of Women. In addition, the depart-

ment has an endowed professor who is hired for a two year term. Although the endowed

professor does not supervise graduate students, s/he is qualified to offer graduate courses,

which enriches considerably our graduate curriculum. A diverse group of scholars has

held the Ruth Wynn Woodward Professorship, including a psychiatrist, a politician, a

literary critic, an economist, a biologist, a sociologist, and a novelist and poet.

In addition to the regular faculty and the endowed professor, eight faculty who are

appointed in other SFIJ departments hold Associate Faculty positions in our department.

They have served as supervisors and committee members for several of our M.A. students

and will continue to do so for PhD students. Their areas of expertise include Criminology,

Midwifery, History of Women in the Arts, Anthropology of Migration and Diaspora,

Medical Anthropology, Women and the Criminal Justice System, History and Philosophy

of Science, Femi

cul

iol

ogy,

itae

Fetmhe iniresgult Liater rWaromy Tehen'ors

faculty are appended to this proposal.

6. PROGRAM CONSULTATIONS AND EVALUATION

6.1 Consultations:

This proposal was developed in consultation with our colleagues at the UBC Centre

for Research in Women's Studies and Gender Relations, the University of Victoria, the

University of Northern BC and the BC colleges. All Women's Studies programs at these

institutions have expressed support for our proposed PhD in Women's Studies. Formal

letters of response to our Letter of Intent are appended to this document.

6.2 Other Consultations:

We consulted the Director of the Graduate Programme in Women's Studies at York

University, Professor Meg Luxton, early in the development of our proposed PhD and

have asked her for an evaluation of the full PhD program proposal. A copy of her

1/j

evaluation is appended to this proposal.

6.3 Procedures for Evaluation:

The Department of Women's Studies, like other departments at SFU, undergoes an

external review by senior scholars in Women's Studies, including a review of the graduate

program, every seven years. The next review is scheduled for 2001-2002.

6.4 Committee Guiding and Evaluating the Program in Future Years:

The Women's Studies Graduate Committee oversees the development and operation

of graduate programs in Women's Studies at SFU. It is responsible for ensuring that

our graduate programs remain current. The Graduate Committee consists of all faculty

members and Associate faculty members, two graduate student representatives, a staff

representative, the Graduate Secretary and the Departmental Assistant. All are voting

members, except that the student representatives absent themselves for decisions con-

cerning individual students. The Graduate Student Caucus raises concerns and makes

suggestions through the graduate representatives. All policy decisions are brought by the

Graduate Chair to the Graduate Committee as a whole.

7. ADMISSION AND TRANSFER

For admission, applicants must fulfill all the general Graduate Studies requirements

for admission to a doctoral program at SFU and demonstrate adequate preparation in

Women's Studies to undertake doctoral work. Normally, a Master's degree will be re-

quired. Applicants must provide a sample of written scholarly work, a statement of

their research interests in Women's Studies, a description of previous relevant course-

work and/or employment, and three letters of reference commenting on their ability to

undertake substantial original research. Students will be admitted only if a suitable Se-

nior Supervisor is available, and a Senior Supervisor will be assigned to each student

upon admission.

The Women's Studies Graduate Committee may request that the Dean of Graduate

Studies grant transfer credit for relevant graduate courses to students entering the PhD

program from another PhD program at SFU or at another university. This will be done on

a case-by-case basis, so that the Graduate Committee, in consultation with the student's

supervisory committee, can assess the relevance of course content to the student's current

program of study. We have found that this method works well for students with previous

graduate work corning into our MA program.

Students must fulfill all general Graduate Studies requirements, including registration,

residence requirements and time limits for the completion of the degree. It is expected

that students normally will complete the PhD in Women's Studies in four years.

Appendices:

Responses to the SFU Letter of Intent.

Professor Meg Luxton's Evaluation of the Full Program Proposal.

3. SFU Library Report.

4. Curricula vitae

of regular faculty and Associate faculty..

BRIRSH

COLUMBIA

June 21, 2001

Dr. Michael Stevenson

President and Vice-Chancellor

2001, the Ministry's Interiial Degree Program Review Committee reviewed

8888 University

BurnabyBC V5A1S6

Dear Dr. Stevenson:

File: 60555-20IIDPRC/LO1

•/

On June 18,

Simon Fraser University's (SFU) Letter

Intent

for a Doctor of Philosophy in

Women's Studies,

and I am pleased to advise you that SFU is invited to proceed to the Full Program Proposal (FPP)

stage.

The Committee understands that SFU already offers a Master

of Arts

degree in

this program area

and that the doctoral program is a logical extension of offerings in this subject area.

Once the FPP has been finalized, please forward 16 copies to the Ministry so that it may be

scheduled for review at a subsequent meeting of the Degree Program Review Committee.

Dr. John Waterhouse, Vice-President, Academic and Provost

Degree Program

Review

Committee Secretariat

.-,

T46 GOVENUNT 0! 511I1N COL UI&$IA IS AN

'EMPLOYMENT EQUITY 1MPL0YE

Ministry of Advanced Education

Universities and Institutes Branch

Telephone: (250) 387-6166

Post Secondary Education Division

FacsImile: (250) 356-8851

1 3

0 Box 9177 Stn Prov Govt

Victoria BC V8W $H8

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

1111en

Vice President Academic and Provost

6328 Memorial Road

Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6T 1Z2

Tel: (604) 822-4948

Fax: (604) 822.3134

BY FAX TO: 250-356491

Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology

Dear Ms Hocking:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Letters of Intent for (1) PhD in Women's Studies, and

(2) Masters of Public Policy and Management from Simon Fraser University. I forwarded the proposals

to the Faculties of, Arts, Commerce and Business Administration, and Graduate Studies, for review and I

have received the following comments.

PhD IN WOMEN'S STUDIES

Professor Dawn Currie, Chair of the Women's Studies program in the Faculty of Arts:

We are pleased to see that SF1.1 is proposing a PhD program in WS. With an undergraduate

program established in 1975 and MA in 1985, Simon Fraser University has a strong history of

leadership in women's studies. This leadership was acknowledged by receipt of the Ruth Wynn

Woodward Chair in Women's Studies.

Since the inception of their programs, SPU has graduated more than 300 students with a BA in

women studies, and 31 students with a Masters. Currently, the Women's Studies Department has

4 full-time appointments, 4 joint appointments, an endowed professorship, and 8 associate

professors. This level of staffing has enabled the Department to develop and offer 10 graduate

courses; clearly. SFU has the both the expertise and human resources for this important

undertaking.

Given the dearth of doctoral programs in Women's Studies in Canada, the current demand for this

initiative is strong. It is "ironic" that our undergraduate students have such little access to the

level of training required for an academic career in Women's Studies. This initiative will not

compete with the introduction of the new PhD in Women's Studies and Gender Relations at UBC;

on the contrary, there has been discussion over the past few years about the possibility of a co-

operative venture between SFU and UBC, perhaps extending to the University of Victoria in the

future. While I would like to see more detailed discussion on both the governance and the

content of a collaborative program, approval for a PhD program at SF1.1 is a first necessary step.

We give this initiative our strongest support.

COO/ TOO IPJ

3DId.O S3c1 30I1

PCIC ZZ9 I'09,,

IrC:ct

I0/T/90

SFU PhD in

Studies

and Master of Public Policy and Management

Professor Sneja Gunew, Acting Director, Centre for Research in Women's Studies and Gender Relations:

We welcome this proposal. We have been consulting with Professors Sue Wendell and Meredith

Kimball over the past year on both of our PhD programs. While both programs are free-standing,

we anticipate considerable interaction and sharing of expertise via the Western Deans agreement

For example, students

will

be encouraged to avail themselves of the resources of both universities

in relation to graduate seminars and in composing their graduate committees.

While UBC has only recently begun its MA program and will launch its PhD program in

September 2001, its network of over fitly faculty associates who are engaged in work relevant to

women's studies has established a substantial tradition of expertise over many years. Together

with SPU's own graduate tradition and network of researchers and teachers we expect to

consolidate British Columbia as a center for excellence in this field over the coming years. We

hope to articulate our programs with University of Northern British Columbia and the University

of Victoria in the future to strengthen this expertise even further.

requested, I am forwarding a copy of my letter to SFU.

BariyC.Mc ride

Vice President Academic and Provost

/cp

Alison Watt, Director, Secretariat Services,

T0/t/90

. i4

14:1

D :

PRE3DENT3 0FiE SFU

604 2914860

PAG E,

05/2Er01p,U 16;32 PAZ 250 721 7216

Provost-cerrt Laundy

J001

Univarifty of Victoria

PO Box 1700SrnCSC

Vlrrôria

eniRt

Coh..nib'a

Canada

yew

2Y2

rax

(250) 721 715

hupi/wih

svi Wvpac

chIf,,ie ml

ch.s,4V/,1

Office of the

Vice-President

Ace

Tqwiw 2Ofl21-110I2

May 24, 2001

Ms Vicki Hocking

DPEC Secrsrta

MIthaty of Advanced Education, Training and Technology

Far 364852

1.t Floor, 835 Humboldt

Street

Victoria BC vaw9H8

DearMu. Hockin&

Re: Lettet of Intent - Simon Fraser Univenfty -

Ph.D. Program In Women's Studies

Thank Y

o u for the opportunity to co1ncnt on the pxopoud Ph.D. program in

Women's

Smdievat Sinwri Fraser Univerairy. My

comments

arc

based

on consultation with

the Dep

rtment of Women Studies.

It iss well thought plan and Simon Fraser Univeriii&y has

the reaouxces to mount this

program. Cooperation with the University of Bzi t

ish Col"nbii'v new inrcrdisdplinaxy Ph.D.

in Women's Studics vnr.-hei

this

plan, and the connections with other depa.rttnenta at Simon

Fasar Univezaity via associate faculty ercate good.

varied

possibilities for prospective

er4dcnta,

The Department of Women's Studies at the Univetsity of Victoria is

eager to see

the

development oIthe larger allisnc. of Simon Fmaer Unicrairy, the University of Bti*iab

Columbia,

he University of Victoria and the

Univcrsity

Northern Bri

t ish

Columflü

inter-university, lnterdiadplin*ry Ph.D., u it would be

an innovative,

rcsource-rith approach

to provincial graduate education in

W oman's

Studies.

I hope

that these comments

prove

helpful to the Minietty

and colleague at

the

University of British CoLUmbia.

Sincerely,

Valerie S.

Associate Vice-President Academic

Alison Watt Director. Secretariat Seivicos, SF11

(604/2 1-4U0J

WEB: www.langara.bc.ca

LANGARA

June 1, 2001

COLLEGE

Vicki Hocking

DPRC Secretariat

Ministry of Advanced Education, Training & Technology

Box 9177

Stn Prov Govt

Victoria, BC

V8W9H8

Dear Ms. Hocking,

Thank you for circulating the letter of Intent submitted by

Simon Fraser

University for Ph.D. in Women's Studies

and

Master of Public Policy &

Management

for review and comment by Langara College. We have reviewed

the proposals and, in principle, have no objections.

Sincerely,

Ma in Gerson

Dean of Instruction

Copy to:

Dr. Meredith Kimball, Chair

Professor of Women's Studies & Psychology

Dr. Susan Wendell

Chair, Graduate Studies Committee

Professor of Women's Studies

Dr. John Pierce

Dean, Faculty of Arts

Simon Fraser University

TECHNICAL UNiVE Ail TY 01

BRII') C0t.tS'UIA

Ministry of Advanced Education. Training & Technology

P0 Box 9177 Scn Prov Govt

Victoria, BC

V8W 9H8

Dear Ms. Hocking:

I am writing to inform you that we have reviewed the Letter of Intent submitted by Simon

Fraser University for their PhD in Women's Studies degree program.

During our review of the proposal an issue of concern arose with respect to the course

requirements for the doctoral degree. In the proposal it is stated that no new courses will be

developed for the PhD degree. This raises a concern as to what will a student study in the PhD

program if they completed their Master's degree at SFU in the same program?

We thank you for the opportunity to provide our feedback and wish SFU well in the continued

development of their program.

Thank you.

rs sincerely.

Vice President, Academic

/ C:

Alison Watt. Director, Secretariat Services, SFU

Graduate Pwgrwnme in

YO RK

Women's Studies

.,9!k

UNIVERSITY

F A C L L]'t OF GR.-\DL'ATE STUDIES

4700 KEELE STREET. NORTH YORK

Professor Susan Wendell

Graduate Chair

Burnaby, British Columbia

8888 University Drive

V5A 1S6

Dear Susan Wendell:

You have asked me to write a letter of support for your proposed new PhD programme in

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been developed in consultation with the Centre for Research in Women's Studies and Gender

relations at the University of British Columbia which will offer a PhD in Women's Studies and

gender relations starting in September 2001. The programmes are independent but will co-operate

to share resources(faculty and courses) where

appropriate.

As the Director of the Graduate programme in Women's Studies at York, currently the

1,. m.,.

i:n.r

ci. .

tt,..

0flj naveiSit'y

aat

OULL

programnnes

are. There is huge student demand that we cannot meet. This year we received about 50

applications for 9 places. More importantly, graduates of PhD programmes-will- become the next

generation of professors. To have the field dominated by graduates from one programme

diminishes the diversity of debate in the discipline. Once these new programes are established,

each universit y

can specialize in key areas; this will create greater diversity and enliven the

L&fl'.4LLLA 1111V /I ISO 1/

The proposed PhD at Simon Fraser is, for the most part, well designed and the Department

VIVO

rnt,

Based on the information provided in the proposal, the PhD programme has the following:

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1. faculty: If they accept four students each

ear, and students t

y pically

take four years to

complete the degree. they could have about 20-2

students in flve or si' years (assuming not all

students graduate in four years). As the department has eight regular facult y

, it would be possible

for those facult

alone to supervise the maximum number of students

M—h,

to be in the

programme at that time. As the department also has eight Associate facult

and can draw on other

facult y

from Simon Fraser and U.B.C;. the proposed supervisor

load is manageabk.'

course offerings: With an existing programme of ten course

offerings

and the possibilit y for

students to take up to half

eir courses elsewhere., PhD students should be able to meet their

course requirements of three courses. The department should monitor what actuall

happens over

the first few

ears to make sure this is the case. It ma

be difficult for part time students to find

enough courses in their area. In some

years,

given sabbaticals and release time for research, the

department may have to rel

heavily

on directed reading courses which impose an increased

workload on faculty.

requirements: The admission and degree requirements are appropriate and conform to those at

other universities. The proposed comprehensive examination format is innovative and invites

exciting creative work on the part of students while ensuring students are prepared both to teach

and do research. Mv one concern is that the course load, of three 13 week courses, seems

comparativel y

light. If it conforms to S.F.U. or general B.C. practices, then it is appropriate. The

typical graduate course load in most Ontario universities is twice as many.ie. six half course

equivalents (where a half course is 12-13 weeks at 3 hours each week).

administrative support: The proposal says that Simon Fraser Universit

and the Women's

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identifies excellent library resources and appropriate administrative resources at the departmental

level. It also identifies various other resources for raduate students such as a graduate students'

office, a teachin

assistant's office, a student computer room and a lounge. These resources are

nta

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financial support: I gather from the report that while S.F.U. c

annot guarantee graduate student

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teaching assistant ships and other sources of funding to offer some support to some students.

In conclusion, I welcome this proposal for a PhD programme in Women's Studies at

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congratulate the facult

, staff and administrators at the university whose 'vision, hard work, and

dedication have put in place the resources needed to make this graduate programme a major centre

for Women's Studies in Canada. I wish you ever

success in this endeavour:

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W.A.C. Bennett Library

To: Susan Wendell, Graduate Chair

Memorandum

From:

Todd M. Mundle

Head, Collections Management

tmundle@sfu.ca

Subject:

Library Report for the proposed

Ph.D. in Women's Studies

Date: August

27, 2001

Cc: Lynn Copeland, University Librarian

Carole Goldsmith, Liaison Librarian for

Women's Studies

Here is the Library Report regarding the proposed Ph.D. in Women's Studies.

According to the report the proposed Ph.D. program appears to be an extension of the existing MA in

Women's Studies. The existing 10 courses will form the content along with new course proposals for

the associated Comprehensive Exam and Ph.D. thesis. On page 11 of the proposal the author states that

"Students will have access to combined resources of the SFU and UBC libraries." The SFU Library

collection has been supporting the MA program since 1985. Carole Goldsmith, Liaison Librarian for

Women's Studies has built a strong collection over the recent years and more materials get added

yearly.

Given that the proposed Ph.D. program is an extension of the existing MA program and that only 2-4

new students will be added each year, I see no reason why the Library's current resources are not

adequate to support the Ph.D. program.

Future requests for materials to support this program will be borne by the existing Library book and

periodical budgets assigned to the various subject areas that make up the support for Women's Studies.

Any request for materials will be handled under existing procedures.

As with all programs, the addition of each new course is subject to review by the Library for the

adequacy of the SFU collection to support the new course. This letter can serve as the required report

on library resources for WS 997 Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination and WS 998 Ph.D. Thesis.

Costs:

THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL LIBRARY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH STARTING THIS

PROGRAM.

If you have any questions regarding this report, please don't hesitate to contact me by phone (3263) or

by email, tmundle(sfu.ca .

3')

DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN'S STUDIES

PhD Program

Admission Requirements

Applicants must satisFi the' women's studies graduate program

committee that they are prepared academically to undertake

doctoral level work in women's studies. Normally, a Master's

Degree will be required. Applicants are required to submit

three letters of reference.

In addition to University requirements for admission to a

doctoral level program, listed in

the Graduate General

Regulations

section, the program requires:

• a sample of scholarly work in the form of a substantial

essay which is scholarly in format and approach.

• a short statement of research interests and goals in

women's studies; normally students will be expected to

present a definite proposal for their research.

• a short description of previous relevant course work

and/or employment. Previous work should include both

specialized disciplinary training and broader inter-

disciplinary work concerned with women and/or gender.

Degree Requirements

Normally, the student will complete the following requirements:

• Three graduate courses. The Graduate Committee, in

consultation with the student's supervisory committee, may

require a student to take additional courses, either to obtain

breadth of background in Women's Studies or to acquire

specific preparation in the topic of the student's proposed

thesis. Two of any student's required courses may be from

Women's Studies at the Universit y

of British Columbia or

relevant offerings in other departments. at SFU or UBC,

with the approval of the student's supervisory committee.

Students who have completed the SFU or UBC MA

program before admission to the PhD will not be permitted

to duplicate graduate courses they completed during their

MA programs.

• Pass comprehensive examinations. Comprehensive

examinations will consist of three major scholarly/

professional tasks to be set by the student's supervisory

committee in consultation with the student, approved by the

Women's Studies Graduate Committee and completed to the

satisfaction of the supervisory committee. One of the three

tasks must be an exam or a review of the literature.

• Prepare a PhD thesis proposal and defend it in a

presentation open to the department as a whole.

• Submit a PhD thesis giving evidence of independent

research and critical abilities in the interdisciplinary study

of women and/or gender. The student will be examined

on her or his thesis in accordance with

Graduate General

Regulations.

Nonnallv, students will complete their coursework before

taking their comprehensive examinations, and complete the

comprehensive examinations before presenting and defending

a PhD thesis proposal. They will be expected to complete

their coursework and comprehensive examinations within two

years.

For f urther inf ormation concerning requirements, consult the

departm ental graduate handbook .

EXTERNAL REVIEW FOR PH.D. PROGRAM IN WOMEN'S STUDIES

Dr. Dawn Currie

Department of Anthropology & Sociology

University of British Columbia

6303 N. W. Marine Drive

Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH

Department of Anthropology and Sociology

6303 N.W. Marine Drive

Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6T 1ZI

Tel: (604) 822-2878

Fax: (604) 822-6161

http://www.arts.ubc.ca/anso/anso.htm

Dr. Jonathan Driver

Dean of Graduate Studies

Professor of Archaeology

Simon Fraser University

8888 University Drive

Burnaby, British Columbia

V5A 1S6

April 28th, 2002

Dear Dr. Driver:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review the proposal for a new

doctoral programme in Women's Studies at Simon Fraser University. Please find

my comments in the attached report. As you will see, I strongly support the

proposed initiative. I can be contacted at <Dhcurrie@aol.com

> should you have

further queries; I will be away from my email, however, from May 4th until May

15th.

Sinc

ry,

awn H. Currie

Professor of Sociology

Past Chair, Women's Studies

Ph.D. in Women's Studies

Simon Fraser University

May 5th, 2002

Reviewer: Dr. Dawn Carrie

Professor of Sociology

Past Chair of Women's Studies

University of British Columbia

History of Women's Studies at Simon Fraser University:

Simon Fraser University was among the first Canadian universities to offer

Women's Studies as a distinct programme. Established in 1975, as an

undergraduate programme SFU currently offers a major, seven joint majors, a

minor, an extended minor, and a certificate. During the past 25 years more than

300 students have graduated from the undergraduate programme. In 1985, an

M. A. in Women's Studies was established. The result is a current offering of 10

graduate-level courses. During the past 15 years, 31 students have completed an

M.A. in Women's Studies.

Since its inception, Women's Studies has remained committed to SFU's mandate

of linking the university to its local communities and of ensuring community

accessibility to post secondary education. Establishment of the Harbour Centre

downtown embodies this commitment. One result is that SFU was able to offer

an originating 'home' for FREDA, one output of a SSHRCC initiative to foster

excellence in research and advocacy on violence against women.

Reflecting regional leadership in Women's Studies, SFU houses the Ruth Wynn

Woodward Chair in Women's Studies. In short, Women's Studies has a lengthy

and successful history at SFU. The basis for the current proposal is 30 years of

experience in Women's Studies, reflected in SFU's reputation, both nationally and

internationally, for excellence in feminist teaching. Establishment of a Doctoral

programme is a logical extension of the history of Women's Studies at SFU.

Need for a Doctoral Programme in Women's Studies:

Currently, two Doctoral Programmes in Women's Studies are offered at

Canadian universities: York University and the University of British Columbia.

York University currently has far more applications a year than it can accept. For

example, Professor Luxton indicates that of 50 applications received last year, 9

students were accepted. The programme at UBC had its first intake of students in

September 2001; it similarly accepted fewer students than had applied. it is clear

that these two programme cannot meet the present demand for Doctroal

Studies. Moreover, this demand is likely to grow in the foreseeable future.

The demand for Women's Studies Ph.D.s reflects the establishment of Women's

Studies Programme, Departments, and Institutes across Canada and elsewhere.

Ph fl

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In the past, faculty positions were filled by scholars with degrees in cognate

disciplines; very few of the early 'pioneers' in Women's Studies have specifically

Women's Studies credentials. While these appointments have served Women's

Studies very well in the past, the growing complexity of feminist scholarship

demands specialized training and specific credentials. Recognition of this

requirement underlies the demand by current college instructors across BC for

an opportunity to complete a terminal degree in Women's Studies. However, the

demand for Women's Studies is not limited to candidates seeking academic

employment. As governmental agencies recognize the need for gender-specific

policies and services, training in Women's Studies will increasingly become an

asset. Trained graduates in Women's Studies are particularly needed in the field

of overseas aid and development work. The private sector likewise recognizes

the extent to which gender issues impact on workplace productivity; as a

consequence, many firms require employees with Women's Studies training.

As well as teaching, Women's Studies doctoral programmes act as centres for

research and innovation. My professional experience in SE Asia has sensitized me

to the extent of international interest in distinctly

Canadian

WomeWs Studies

(contrasted favourably to US feminism). This reputation is reflected in high

regard for GDA, a visible expression of Canadian Foreign Aid. Such a positive

international profile can only be maintained through the strengthening of

current WS Programmes across Canada; while scholars trained abroad are

always an asset to any programme, Canadian-trained feminists are needed if a

distinctly Canadian Women's Studies is to continue to flourish.

Resources to Mount a Ph.D. Programme:

Reflecting the lengthy history of Women's Studies at SFU, the Women's Studies

Department currently has 4 full time faculty, 4 jointly appointed faculty, an

endowed professor position, and 8 associate faculty. This number of faculty

compares favourably to UBC, for example, where Women's Studies currently

holds 7 permanent faculty positions, only one of which is full time in Women's

Studies. The current proposal indicates that 2-4 doctoral students will be admitted

each year; as noted by Dr. Luxton, this number of admissions appears suitable

for a department of eight regular faculty.

As well as 'quantity,' however, the 'quality' of faculty is to be considered. The

faculty of Women's Studies at SFU includes internationally renown scholars.

They bring to the new programme an impressive range of expertise. Areas of

specialization range from poetry and literary criticism to film studies and

psychology, from political science, philosophy and history to biology. Associate

faculty bring with them additional expertise in law, criminology and sociology.

The Ruth Wynn Woodward Chair adds to this diversity. Missing from this list,

however, is expertise in aboriginal

First Nations issues. Given the importance

of this field, I recommend that a position in aboriginal

First Nations studies be

prioritized for the near future. Importantly, the current faculty includes both

senior and junior scholars. Overall, the research and publication history of the

PrAnncil

faculty,

as a whole, is impressive. Each faculty member has extensive history of

successful supervision of Graduate Students.

In addition to faculty, students of the Doctoral programme will have access to a

substantial library collection of materials relevant to Women's Studies.

Moreover, the Department has a budget for new acquisitions. This budget is

supervised by a regular faculty member who serves as departmental liaison,

working with a librarian whose duties include responsibility specifically for the

Women's Studies collection.

It appears that the necessary administrative structure for a doctoral programme

is already in place. Women's Studies governance includes an ongoing Graduate

Studies Committee comprised of regular faculty members, and the department

has a part-time graduate secretary. No mention is made in the proposal of

Graduate Student representation on this Committee; it is my suggestion that (at

least) one MA and one Ph.D. student serve on the Graduate Studies Committee

in order to facilitate and maintain a regular channel of communication between

faculty and students. Also absent in the proposal is mention of an 'equity

committee' or its equivalent. I further suggest that a mechanism for timely and

equitable adjudication of faculty

student conflict be included in the governance

of the new programme.

Graduate students at SFU have access to a variety of sources of financial

assistance. The department receives 3-4 Graduate Fellowships each year. Seven

. smaller bursaries and scholarships are available to Women's Studies graduate

students. It appears that the Women's Studies students have been very successful

in the past in obtaining entrance scholarships. In addition to scholarships, the

department has four Teaching Assistantships and three Tutor Marker positions.

One Research Assistantship is attached to the endowed professor position;

additional RA positions are regularly available through individual faculty grants.

Graduate students who meet financial qualifications are eligible for Work Study

positions. Ph.D. students who have been advanced to Candidacy will be eligible

and encouraged to teach as sessional lecturers, in order to gain teaching

experience as part of their training. In conclusion, it is my impression that the

range of sources of financial assistance available to Doctoral students at SFU

exceeds that available at UBC.

Reflecting the history of the MA Programme, SFU currently offers 10 graduate-

level courses that will be available to doctoral students (see comments below). I

also consider the extensive linkages which Women's Studies has forged with its

local communities to be an asset for a doctoral programme.

In conclusion, SFU is rich in the resources needed to mount a lively, innovative

Doctoral Programme in Women's Studies. Moreover, the collaborative nature of

the programme will give students access to the resources of UBC and, it appears,

in the future those of the University of Victoria and the University of Northern

British Columbia.

Prnr,ni1

Merit and Integrity of Ph.D. Proposal:

The stated focus of the proposed programme is advanced training in

interdisciplinary research. Programme requirements include completion of three

graduate courses and comprehensive examinations, followed by a departmental

PhD. proposal defense and successful completion of a PhD. Thesis. Additional

coursework can be required by the student's supervising committee. Applicants

to the Doctoral Programme must fulfill all the general Graduate Studies

requirements for admission to SFU, and demonstrate adequate preparation in

Women's Studies to undertake advanced work. Applicants will only be admitted

if a suitable senior supervisor is available. In the final analysis, while innovative

in many respects the doctoral requirements outlined in the proposal conform to

those set by SFU Senate. Students will be expected to complete their coursework

and comprehensive examinations within two years, and their entire programme

within four years, with provisions for part-time study. Below I discuss the key

elements of the proposed programme.

Coit rsework:

Coursework can be pursued through regular graduate seminars or tutorials

and

lor

directed studies. Doctoral students will be able to complete up to two of

the required number of courses in other departments at SFU and at UBC. I share

Dr. Luxton's concern that the course load - three 13-week courses - is

comparatively light. One stated goal of the proposal is preparation for a teaching

career in Women's Studies. In my view, research training must be central to this

preparation, as graduates of the doctoral programme will be responsible for

teaching upcoming generations of Women's Studies scholars. Moreover,

research is central to the production (rather than simply reproduction) of

feminist knowledge. During the 'early years' of Women's Studies scholarly

debate surrounded the search for a distinctly feminist methodology. Today, the

notion of a singular, uniquely feminist way of conducting research has been

replaced with agreement that feminist research is characterized by distinct

principles of conduct, and that methods of data collection and data analysis are

those best suited to the research question(s). As a consequence, during the past

several years I have supervised Women's Studies students working with a broad

range of research methodologies, including life histories, focus groups,

unstructured interviewing, participant observation, content analysis, discourse

analysis and quantitative surveys.

In the past, Women's Studies students have been supervised by non-WS faculty

such as myself, who hold degrees in relevant disciplines. One consequence of

moving to a situation where Women's Studies appointments will hold terminal,

specialized Women's Studies degrees is the need for WS faculty to undertake this

type of teaching. While doctoral students should be encouraged to take

methodology courses outside the WS Department, at the same time they should

graduate with the ability to teach 'overview' courses which introduce students to

a diverse and broad range of methodologies. I am doubtful that 13 weeks of WS

800-5 (Methodology in Women's Studies Research) is sufficient training for this

task, although it is possible (but not specified) that the Selected Topics are used

Ph fl

Prnnnc.I

for this type of training. In my teaching experience, 13 weeks is a MINPvIAL

amount of time to train students in basic skills of fieldwork, let alone the skills

needed to work with other sources of data, such as archival documents and

other texts. While I agree that training on 'academic life and professional skills,

including such topics as submitting and revising papers, presenting at

conferences, job searching, tenure, etc.' (page 17) is important (but often

neglected) aspect of graduate training, I recommend that this type of training be

offered as non-credit. More time could then be devoted in WS 800 to the

preparation of a research programme, an overview of various methods of data

collection and data analysis, and strategies that link research to social change. I

am also therefore surprised that WS 800 is not a required course, and that 2 out

of 3 courses can be taken outside the Women's Studies Department. Is it really

possible that a Women's Studies teacher, who will go on to supervise graduate

students, can graduate without completing required, comprehensive courses in

feminist research (or feminist theory)?

Comprehensive Examinations

Normally, students will complete coursework before taking comprehensive

examinations and preparation of their research proposal. Comprehensive

examinations will consist of three major scholarly/ professional tasks to be set by

the student's supervisory committee, in consultation with the student and the

WS Graduate Committee. One innovative aspect of the proposal includes the

opportunity for students to gain practical skills as part of their comprehensive

. training. For example, tasks for their Comprehensive Examinations can include

preparation of a scholarly publication, preparation of a substantial grant

proposal, development of a detailed course outline for an undergraduate course

in WS, and preparation of a suitable non-print media project, in addition to either

an examination in a substantive area of WS research or a critical review of

literature.

T hesis

The Ph.D. Thesis must give evidence of independent research and critical abilities

in the interdisciplinary study of women and gender. As in the case of all/most

doctoral programmes, Ph.D. candidates in Women's Studies will be expected to

make original contributions to their field. Page 16 of the proposal, however,

indicates that 'In some cases they may join a collaborative effort with faculty or

other students.' While skill in collaborative research is integral to the training of

Women's Studies scholars, it is not clearly indicated in the proposal how such

collaboration will be assessed as meeting the requirement for

evidence of

independent research.

Learning Environment

Given the diverse backgrounds of faculty appointments in WS and an extensive

feminist network across campus, SFU will provide a lively intellectual

community for doctoral students. Importantly, this community extends beyond

the SFU campus, as the WS Department has a history of community outreach. As

Ph D Prnnnzal

Lj3

well, the department sponsors internationally renown guests through a well-

established speakers series. The Ruth Wynn Woodward Professorship provides a

further opportunity for students to work with outstanding Canadian feminists

not normally holding academic appointments. The university's Instructional

Development Centre and Teaching Support Staff will be an important resource

for the new programme as, noted above, doctoral students will be provided with

both the encouragement and opportunity to gain teaching experience before

graduation. There is also an active Graduate Caucus in Women's Studies at SFU.

The unique aspect of this proposal is the collaborative nature of the new

programme. While the doctoral programme at SFU will be free-standing,

through the Western Deans' Agreement there will be considerable interaction

and sharing of expertise with the WS Doctoral Programme at UBC. It is expected

that this collaboration will extend to a Doctoral programme in Women's Studies

at the Universities of Victoria and Northern British Columbia in the future. This

type of collaboration not only broadens the resources available to students, it

provides a unique opportunity for students to participate in a collaborative,

inter-institutional project. Such experience is relevant for future employment,

whether in the academic or private sector.

Potential Contribution of the Proposed Programme:

The Women's Studies Department at SFU has a long history of feminist teaching

and research. Underlying this initiative is a strong Women's Studies faculty and a

vibrant feminist community. Given the dearth of doctoral programmes in

Women's Studies in Canada, the current demand for the proposal initiative is

strong. Doctoral programmes in Women's Studies are overdue, and the

proposed programme has the potential to meet student demand. Given the

collaborative nature of Women's Studies research, the new programme will

enhance inter-disciplinary scholarship at Simon Fraser University. Because this

collaboration extends beyond the university, the new programme will enhance

the presence of SFU in its local communities. The proposed programme does not

'compete' with existing programmes in the region; on the contrary, the

collaborative linkage to UBC, together with future linkages to U Vic and UNBC,

has the potential to consolidate British Columbia as a centre for excellence in

Women's Studies and Gender Relations during the upcoming years. Such a

centre has the potential to train both Canadian and international scholars,

enhancing the profile of Women's Studies not only nationally, but abroad. In

conclusion, I give this important initiative my strongest recommendation.

The End

Ph fl

Pr,rn1

EXTERNAL REVIEW FOR PH.D. PROGRAM IN WOMEN'S STUDIES

Dr. Margrit Eichler

Institute for Women's Studies and Gender Studies

New College - University of Toronto

40 %Villcocks Street

Toronto, ON M5S 106

the requirement that courses taken during the MA will not count toward the

1/S

)

INSTITUTE

f or

WOMEN'S STUDIES

and

GENDER STUDIES

University of Toronto

www.0 oronto.ca/iwsgs

A'JUATE

OFFICE

Assessment of the Proposed Ph.D. Program in Women's Studies

at Simon Fraser University

Margrit Eichler

Director

Institute for Women's Studies and Gender Studies

University of Toronto

Dr. Jonathon C. Driver

Dean of Graduate Studies

June

2002

Dear Professor Driver:

This is in response to your request of April 23 to provide you with a review

of the proposed program in Women's Studies at your university. I have read

the proposal carefully. I have organized my assessment around the questions

you identified as important in your letter to me.

The academic merit and structural integrity of the proposed program:

The department has a considerable amount of experience in administering a

graduate program through its longstanding MA program. The proposed

Ph.D. program builds on the current MA program. There will be two new

courses added, otherwise the same courses that are currently in place will

serve the Ph.D. program. This might raise the question whether there a

sufficient number of higher level courses available. Given that there will be

the possibility of independent reading courses, of courses taken at UBC and

Ph.D. degree, I believe that the course offerings are sufficient.

I am impressed by the fact that the program will admit only students for

whom a supervisor is available. This will ensure that students will not be

floating unsupervised through the program. I am furthermore impressed by

the modest scope of the program. It is a reasonable start that will allow close

supervision of the students.

Looking at the nature of the courses, I have no question about the integrity

and worthiness of the proposed program.

The adequacy of the faculty and other resources available to the

proposed program

(a)

Faculty resources:

Looking at the vitae, all of the core faculty, with the exception of Prof.

Brand, i.e. Prof s Cohen, Kimball, Levitin, MacDonald, Stewart, Wendell

and Zaman have considerable experience in supervising graduate students.

Their areas of expertise are sufficiently diverse to allow for a range of topics

to be studied by the students. Given that these faculty members will be

supplemented by the associated faculty and by the UBC Women's Studies

faculty, I consider the faculty resources sufficient. Prof. Brand is a nationally

known poet and intellectual whose work is relevant for Women's Studies.

Her presence will enrich the program and the students' learning experience

in other ways than via thesis supervision.

(b)

Other resources

The library resources, space and financial resources seem adequate, although

more financial support for students would - I am sure - be welcome.

Demand for the program among prospective students:

The proposal makes a convincing case that there will be students within BC

who will want to apply to the Ph.D. program. I have no doubt that this is

highly likely, particularly given the small number of students who will be

admitted. In addition, I know from my position as Director of the Institute

for Women's Studies and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto that

/ la-

there are many international students who are looking towards Canada for a

Ph.D. in Women's Studies, particularly from Asia. Overall, looking at the

availability of graduate degrees in Women's Studies in Canada as a whole,

we are clearly underserviced in this particular area.

Demand for graduate of the proposed program

This is a difficult question to assess in the abstract - the future will tell.

However, all indications are that there will be a demand for Ph.D.s in

Women's Studies. The number and range of Ph.D. programs internationally

is expanding, and universities with such programs will be looking for faculty

actually trained in that area. There is a relatively large number of research

institutes on women's issues who regularly look for employees. In addition,

governments and NGOs will be interested in graduates of this program.

Overall, I would expect that there will be a considerable demand for these

Ph.D.s

Summary assessment:

Overall, I consider this a well-thought through and developed proposal for a

Ph.D. program, with realistic aims.

Please contact me if you wish to to expand or elaborate on any of the issues

Institute for Women's Studies and Gender Studies

lif

EXTERNAL REVIEW FOR PH.D. PROGRAM IN WOMEN'S STUDIES

Dr. Ruby Heap

Faculté des Etudes Supérieures et Postdoctorales

University of Ottawa

Pavilion Hagen

115 Seraph in-Marion

Ottawa, Ontario KiN 6N5

Burnaby, British Columbia

Prof. Jonathan C. Driver

Dean of Graduate Studies

Professor of Archaeology

Canada V5A 1S6

i110 2

-J TE

,FICE

Université d'Ottàwa' University of Ottawa

Fac'fté des etudes u

Ipirieures

facidtv of Gduate and

You will find enclosed my report on the proposed Ph.D. program in Women's Studies at Simon

Fraser University. I hope you will find my comments useful. It was a pleasure to review this

proposal and hope this new program will be established soon.

As I indicated to Ms Blaker, I sent my report by attachment in a e-mail dated May

281h

All

seems to indicate that the message didn't get to her, as I had serious problems with the university

server during that period of time. I do apologize, then, for this late submission. I hope this will

not cause too much inconvenience.

Sincerely yours,

Ruby ea "

_ifIV

Doyënne associée / Associate Dean

Etudes interdisciplinaires

Interdisciplinary Studies

450,

Ottawa (Ontario) KiN 6N5 Canada

Ottawa, Ontario K1 N' 6N5 Canada

(613i 5625742

REVIEW OF PROPOSED DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN

T,4c/ax (613) 562-5992

WOMEN'S STUDIES AT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Ru )

1. Introduction

This proposed Ph.D. in Women's Studies at Simon Fraser University (SFU) is more than timely,

and I am pleased to offer it my full support. It is a highly marketable program. It will respond to

a growing demand that needs to be met soon if we want to retain the best students in Women's

Studies who have completed or are about to complete in Canada a master's degree in the field.

In fact, the number of programs has increased over the last decade. Two models have

developed: the free-standing master's in Women's Studies, such as the one offered at York

University, and collaborative programs which lead

a master's in a discipline, with a

specialization in Women's Studies, like the one offered by the University of Ottawa's Institute of

Women's Studies. Based on my own experience, many graduates from both types of programs

are eager to pursue doctoral studies in Women's Studies in Canada. At the present, there are very

few options opened to these students: York University offers the only free-standing Ph.D. in

Women's Studies in this country, and many applicants are turned down each year. The

University of Toronto offers a collaborative program at the doctoral level which leads to a

specialization in Women's Studies. Many students decide to pursue feminist research on women

within a discipline-based doctoral program, while others choose to study abroad. The proposed

PhD program at SFU, and the proposed Ph.D. in Women's Studies and Gender Relations at the

University of British Columbia, will train a growing body of qualified individuals who will meet

an important demand for their services both in the private and public sectors.

It is also imperative that we train a sufficient number of professors/researchers for the various

Women's Studies Departments, Institutes and Centres that are offering both undergraduate and

graduate programs, or are considering establishing graduate programs in the near future. Some

Women's Studies programs already have regular, full-time professors on staff, and it is more

than likely that other programs will benefit from regular full-time appointments in the near

future.

In sum, if the field of Women's Studies is to continue to expand as a legitimate academic and

scholarly field in Canada, it will need to rely on the pool of graduates from Ph.D. programmes.

This new generation of scholars will also play a key role in the promotion of Women's Studies

abroad, and they will help attract international students

This report is divided in two parts. I will first identify the strengths and innovative aspects of the

proposed program. I will then review various aspects of the proposal and submit some of my

main questions and concerns for your consideration.

•1

Strengths and innovative features of proposed program

The proposed program presents many strengths and innovative features, which can be

summarized as follows:

The program will be located within a Department of Women's Studies, which has 26

years of experience in interdisciplinary teaching and research. The Department has also

been offering a free-standing master's degree since 1985, which has since produced more

than 37 graduates. The new program will thus be supported by a sound institutional

infrastructure (office space, lounge, computer room, administrative support, etc).

Students will also benefit from the existing system of financial support currently offered

to master's students (scholarships, teaching assistanships, sessional teaching, etc) at SFU.

The Department of WS will cooperate with UBC's Centre for Research in Women's

Studies and Gender Relations, which will soon be offering a free-standing Ph.D. in

Women's Studies and Gender Relations. Although each program will function

independently, they will co-operate to share faculty and courses, as well as library resources.

Ultimately, a larger consortium could be established, with the inclusion of UNBC and the

University of Victoria. It could form the basis of a strong and dynamic regional graduate

teaching and research Center in Women's Studies.

The Department is well served with respect to faculty (four full-time, four jointly-

appointed, eight associate professors and one endowed professorship), and course

offerings (ten WS courses are offered).

The proposed format for the comprehensive examination is pedagogically innovative and

stimulating, with its combination of applied and theoretical work.

Questions and Areas of Concern

A. Co-operation between SFU and UBC doctoral programs

The document is rather vague on this important matter. It is not clear how this "co-operative"

PhD will function in practice if the two new doctoral programs are independant. Will this be a

"loose" cooperation, as opposed to a well articulated cooperation involving the Senate of both

universities? Will a joint administrative structure be established to set uniform guidelines with

respect to program requirements? How will the sharing of faculty operate? For example, will

professors from UBC act as supervisors for students from SFU? (There is mention of a Western

Deans Agreement; however, there should be some preliminary discussion about the various

Comparisons with other doctoral programs:

The document should explain more clearly how the proposed program will differ from the one

offered at York University and from the other program to be established at UBC. Has the

Department of Women's Studies identified specific "areas of strength", cIusters" or "fields"

that will distinguish its PhD program from the others with respect to teaching and research

activities? It is important to identify these fields very soon to make the program more attractive

and marketable, and to be able to attract the best possible students and faculty members.

Funding for students

With the arrival of doctoral students, how will the Department of Women's Studies

divide up the existing Graduate Fellowships (3-4 at the present time), Teaching Assistanships

and Tutor Marker positions between them and the master's students? Will seniority be an issue?

Will doctoral students be able to cumulate fellowships and assistanships? Are there any

collective agreement issues that need to be addressed beforehand or that qill require special

funding arrangements? ( I do not know if there is a Graduate Student Association or a Part-Time

Professors Association at SFU).

Faculty workload

For obvious reasons, it would be wise to set a maximum limit of thesis supervision for each

regular professor in the Department of WS. Some thought should also be given to the volume of

supervisory work performed by associate faculty members. I presume that some agreement has

already been made with their respective home department with regards to the recognition of their

overall contribution to the new doctoral program. The increased size of the graduate seminars

(possibly between 10 and 20 students) and the probable demand for more directed-studies course

by the new doctoral students are also a source of concern

Curriculum and Program Requirements:

This is the area where I have the most concerns. I will thus divide my comments according to the

following themes: 1. Number of required courses; 2. Course format; and 3. Course requirements.

Number of required courses

The course requirements (3 half-courses) appear quite light for a doctoral program. For

example, the PhD program offered at York requires three full-courses, while the

collaborative Master's program at the University of Ottawa requires 2 compulsory half-

courses in Women's Studies. A source of concern, in fact, is that students are not

required to complete identified core courses within the existing ten graduate courses. It is

stated that most PhD students (except those MA graduates who have already taken it)

will take the research methodology course, WS800, because it is the first graduate

seminar offered each September (

17). I would recommend that this course he

•1

mandatory for all and that another core course, such as WS822: Graduate Seminar in

the

qui

cour

ses courses that can be completed in other departments.

Is there any effective system to monitor the offering of these courses as well as their

content?

In sum, the absence of compulsory core courses and the option to take two of the three

required courses in other departments leads me to ask: what is the specific body of

knowledge which students enrolled in the doctoral program are expected to acquire at

SFU? What are the specific intellectual and professional goals linked to this program?

The approach outlined in this proposal is likely to lead to a pot-pourri" of research

initiatives, with little or no focus. Again. I would recommend that the program committee

try to identify clusters of research and/or fields that will give it more focus.

Course format

The proposal indicates that the graduate seminars will potentially include students from

the MA and PhD programs and from other departments, as well as PhD students from

UBC. Has consideration been given to the pedagogical implications of this diverse

student body, especially with regards to their background preparation? There is a risk that

such diversity could undermine the quality of the doctoral program.

The proposal also suggests that tutorials or directed-studies will be available to both MA

and PhD students. Will professors admit students from both programmes in these courses?

It is stated that the comprehensive examination will include, on a mandatory basis, an

exam or a review of the literature (

14) More details on what is meant by "the

literature" would be necessary.

Course requirements

Following the comments made above in 2., I am concerned about the course

requirements for doctoral students enrolled in the graduate seminars and, possibly, in the

tutorials or directed-studies courses. Will the assignements be the same for both MA and

PhD students? Will the latter be required to do additional readings and write a more

elaborate paper?

Conclusion

The proposed PhD program illustrates clearly the impressive growth of women's studies in the

Canadian academic landscape over the past 25 years and its rapid institutionalization in our

universities. The establishment of doctoral programs in this country will play a critical role in the

continuing (re)definition of the field and in the transformation of bodies of knowledge both

within and outside Women's Studies. It will also help provide answers to the many questions

• raised by the expansion of interdisciplinary programs in universities, including those linked to

governance to research and pedagogical methods. and to curriculum types and content. As the

comments I have outlined above suggest, I am particularly concerned with issues of academic

standards and regulations. These issues must be explored carefully to ensure the effective

delivery of a high-quality program. I hope these comments and the suggestions which

accompany them will help strenghten this much-needed new PhD program. I congratulate all

those who have devoted time and energy to the drafting of this proposal, and I wish them the

best of luck in the implementation of this exciting new academic initiative.

EXTERNAL REVIEW FOR PH.D. PROGRAM IN WOMEN'S STUDIES

Dr. Marilyn Porter

Department of Sociology

Memorial University of Newfoundland

St. John's, Newfoundland A1C 5S7

Proposed Ph.D. programme in Women's Studies:

Department of Sociology

Review of

UATE

uFFCE

I have read the submitted material carefully and will frame my comments under the four heads

suggested in the letter of request.

The academic merit and structural integrity of the proposed program

The main rationale for the introduction of a Ph.D. in Women's Studies at Simon Fraser

University is the long and substantial commitment to Women's Studies teaching and research

to that 'the development of a Ph. D. is a logical and timely extension of graduate education in

Women's Studies at SFU.' By and large, both the claim and the rationale are well founded.

The Department of Women's Studies and the university are well able to support such a

programme and its introduction would be of benefit not only to the intended students but to the

health of Women's Studies across Canada. I do have some queries and concerns but these

should be read in the spirit of constructive criticism to enable this programme to be of

maximum benefit.

SFU instituted undergraduate Women's Studies in

1975,

graduating 300 students in the last

years. They have a variety of programmes, including a full major and various minor joint

programmes. Since the introduction of an M.A. in

1985,

they have graduated 31 students,

whom have gone on to do Ph.Ds at SFU or elsewhere. This M.A. can be carried out by either

a thesis option or a course based option. Apart from the distinguished endowed Ruth Wynn

Woodward Professorship in Women's Studies (one of

such chairs across Canada) the

department has 8 faculty (4 full time and 4 joint appointed) with a further 8 associate faculty

members. It is a full department with appropriate administrative support.

UBC has already initiated a Ph.D. in Women's Studies and Gender Relations, which took its

first students in 2001. The organisers of the two programmes have worked closely together and

it is intended that students and faculty in the two programmes will be able to share resources,

courses and supervisors. This plan will clearly maximise the use of resources in the two

universities and across Vancouver. There are suggestions (as yet unformulated) of further

cooperation with U.Vic and UNEC, possibly moving towards a fully integrated, inter-

university programme. I am interested in the very different name selected by UBC - Women's

Studies and Gender Relations. It indicates a somewhat different approach and ideological

stance. These issues may not be divisive but it is suggestive of the amount of consulation and

work needed to put in place a fully integrated inter-university programme.

It is intended that the proposed Ph.D. will be grafted onto the current arrangements for the

M.A., with minimum disruption and minimum demands for new resources. It is not intended

surF

OPP

ORTUNI

St. Johns, NF, Canada A1C 5S7 • Tel.: (709) 737-7443 • Fax: (709) 7372075

FUND

to increase the the faculty resources, the administrative support or the financial support for

graduate students. The 2-4 entrants to the Ph.D. programme per year will, essentially, follow

the same programme (with additional requirements and courses) and share the same resources

as the existing M.A. entrants (there are no numbers given for the size of the M.A. cohort,

although simple division suggests that it is around 4 entrants per year).

Admission to the programme will be competitive and the standard will be in keeping with

other SFU programmes. Those without adequate background in Women's Studies will be

required to take supplementary courses. Ph.D. students are expected to complete 3 graduate

courses (selected with the approval of the student's supervisory committee) from the 10 listed

Women's Studies graduate courses at SFU or from courses available from other SFU

departments or from the UBC Women's Studies offerings. In addition, the Ph.D. candidates

will complete a Comprehensive examination and a thesis. Both the form of the Comprehensive

examination and the use of alternative methods of instruction point to a flexible and innovative

approach to teaching and includes a focus on preparing the student for the 'real world' as well

as providing challenging and enriching tasks and experiences.

As the proposal points out, the Ph.D. students will contribute to Women's Studies research

across the province, either in their own work or in collaboration with other researchers. It will

also greatly improve applications for research money and for participation in large scale

research projects. I suspect that applicants to the programme will come from across Canada

and will include some strong applicants from overseas. This should make for a diverse and

strong student body.

My concerns with this section of the proposal are as follows:

As noted by Dr. Luxton, Director of the only other Ph.D. programme in Women's

Studies in Canada, the requirement of only 3 graduate courses seems a little light -

really only allowing for a course in Theory, Methods, some kind of graduate seminar

and one other in the student's area of interest. While this may be standard for doctoral

programmes, it may leave the students somewhat unprepared as they enter the second

and most demanding phase of their programe in the research for and writing of their

thesis.

I am concerned that there are no courses

specifically earmarked

for the Ph.D.

students. Ph.D. study is not only more advanced, but qualitatively different to study in

a Master's programme. If this programme is not to simply be 'more of the same' then,

in my view, it is imperative that the Ph.D. students are provided with at least one (and

preferably more) opportunities to study as a cohort and separate from the Master's

cohort. I would like to see Theory and Methods, in particular treated in this way.

This concern is intensified by the suggestion that some of the courses taken by Ph.D.

students will also include undergraduate students. While Women's Studies is not a

'cumulative' discipline in the same way that some of the 'hard sciences' are, there are

(or should) be real maturation in background knowledge of the literature and analytic

skills. Care should be taken that Ph.D. students are sufficiently challenged in their

course work.

There is a suggestion that some of the Ph.D. students will be drawn from graduates of

the M.A. in Women's Studies at SFU. If this is the case, then the 'doubling' up of so

many courses may make it difficult to avoid repetition of material for some of these

students. I note that they will not be allowed to take the same courses for Ph.D. that

they took for M.A., but in the case of theory and methods, that will lead to them not

studying these topics in the requisite depth and in other cases may lead to them having

to select course that they are not especially interested in.

I will deal below with the issue of faculty resources, but I should note here that while

the regular and joint appointed faculty are of a high standard, and between them, cover

a number of areas of expertise, they cannot cover all possible topics students might

select for their research. The assumption is that if a student needs expertise outside that

which is available in the Women's Studies department they will be able to advice or

supervision from the faculty at UBC. This is true but it might be better for this

programme to lay out a number of well developed 'specialities' or 'concentrations' that

the existing faculty can address particularly well. The UBC programme might do

likewise. This would not preclude admitting students with different interest, but it

would attract a concentration of students in particular areas. This, in turn, would lead

to more fruitful interactions with faculty, greater opportunities for grant proposals and

the creation of a series of intellectual fulcrums within Women's Studies at SFU.

The adequacy of the faculty and other resources available to the proposed program for

achieving its intended goals

The proposal states that there are 4 full time faculty in the department of Women's Studies,

with

more faculty joint appointed and 8 more 'associated' with the programme. There is

also a research professor who could also provide some teaching although she is not available

for supervision. The existing faculty cover a wide range of interests and areas of expertise,

including Feminist Economics, Public Policy, Labour Studies, Women and Development,

Globalisation, Feminisation of Migration, Feminist Critiques of Science, Feminist Ethics,

Women and Disability, Theories of Gender, History of Women in Psychology and

Psychoanalysis, Women and Film, Popular Culture and the History of Women. The full C.V.s

of all faculty associated with the programme are provided, and present an impressive picture of

both reseach and publication and academic service. While it is not an overlarge group, the

quality is outstanding.

It is not stated how the Supervisory team is made up, but I am working on the assumption that

there will be a

or senior supervisor and two other committee members. It is estimated that

each faculty member will have a maximum of 2 Ph.D. students at any one time - although

presumably they will sit as committee members on several more committees, in addition to

their supervisory load of M.A. students. I think the calculation of the extra load of supervision

is somewhat optimistic, especially if students do not move through the programme and

graduate exactly on schedule.

While there is no detail provided in the proposal, the existence of a strong programme in

Women's Studies for so long indicates that the library holdings will be more than adequate. In

addition there is evidence of creative use of internet resources and of visual and audio material

- all of which will help to support the programme.

Funding for Ph.D. students is available in a number of forms including SSHRC doctoral

fellowships, 3-4 SFU graduate fellowships, other smaller bursuries and scholarships, 4

teaching assistantships, research assistantships, work-study positions and sessional teaching

positions. The proposal does not ask for additional funding, so that all these financial resources

will have to be shared with the M.A.s in the programme.

The existing administration, including a faculty Chair of the Graduate Committee and part-

time secretary would seem to be able to absorb the extra students. There seems to be a

reasonable space allocation, including several offices and lounges and a computer room. The

proposal suggests that an office dedicated to the Ph.D. students would be useful, and I would

strongly support this request. It would go a long way towards helping the cohort of Ph.D.

students develop and identity and provide mutual support for each other.

My concerns with this section of the proposal are as follows:

The proposal is at pains to stress that no new resources of any kind are needed to

launch this programme. I would suggest that while this is true, if no extra resources are

made available, the resulting strain on the existing faculty will be too great, and the

programme will suffer accordingly. An excellent programme does need resources, and

money spent ensuring that a programe of this kind is fully supported will pay off in the

long run. For reasons I point out below, I think the additional load of the Ph.D.

programme may be too much without the prospect of at least one additional

appointment.

The faculty are all talented and productive and cover a wide range of interests. But

their very success and involvment in research, writing and other activities draws time

and energy from teaching and administration. Dionne Brand, for example, is a stellar

addition to any department - but, she is very prolific and she also travels widely to

present her work as well as giving writing workshops and so on. She even provides a

Toronto address, rather than a Vancouver one. I wonder how available she will be, on

a day to day, basis for teaching, supervision and all the myriad forms of support

needed by graduate students. Other faculty, such as Marjorie Cohen, are involved in

multi-researcher, multi-year, large scale research projects. If there is no release time

for these activities, there should be, and that, too, will reduce the faculty resources

available to the programme. Virtually all the faculty whose C.V.s are provided are

actively engaged in fieldwork, writing, other forms of intellectual production or

presentations of their work. While much of this can be balanced with teaching

commitments, there is not much room for extra involvement with Ph.D. students.

Even without these kinds of activities and the possible release time accompanying them,

the proposal does describe a large part of the teaching (joint UG and Graduate courses

41,0

and graduate tutorial and directed studies courses) as being done on overload. Overload

teaching is compensated with release time, which inevitably produces stresses

somewhere in the system. In this case, the release comes from undergraduate teaching,

but if there is a considerable increase in overload teaching, then the undergraduate

programme will have to be strengthened to compensate.

I find the prospect that the incoming Ph.D. students will share the existing funding with

the M.A. students alarming. In any event, it does not appear that existing students are

fully funded, which makes it more likely that Ph.D. students will receive partial

funding at best. In my experience, if a student is not fully funded for at least 3 years,

the likelihood of them completing their thesis drops dramatically. Of course, some

funding, such as the possibility of sessional teaching, will only be available to Ph.D.

students. Learning to teach is a valuable part of graduate training, but it has to be used

with caution and awareness of how much time teaching takes from research and writing

and how much stress it puts on the students.

The demand for the proposed program among prospective students

Women's Studies progammes at all levels and across the country have been well subscribed

since their inception. As the stature and scope of Women's Studies increases, the demand will

continue to grow. This means that the demand for graduate programmes at both the masters'

and doctoral levels will also grow. As we graduate more Masters in Women's Studies, the

demand for Ph.D. programmes is increasing. At the moment, the York University programme

is the only one in Canada providing Women's Studies training at the Ph.D. level. To have a

strong programme (two programmes, in fact) on the West coast will provide choice for

Canadian applicants and will prove extremely attractive for overseas students as well. Thus,

the inception of a Ph.D. programme in Women's Studies at SFU and UBC will strengthen the

overall position of Women's Studies in Canada, not just in BC.

The increase in Women's Studies programmes also has the effect of increasing the demand for

faculty fully trained in Women's Studies. The older generation of Women's Studies teachers

came from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, but increasingly there is a demand for

teachers thoroughly grounded in and prepared in all aspects of Women's Studies.

The figures provided in the proposal are indicative. York University receives 100 applications

a year. SFU has received 5-10 enquiries a year for a Ph.D. programme.

SFU Women's Studies are already well known throughout Canada as an excellent programme

with a strong faculty. This reputation will ensure committed and able students will apply for

the programme as soon as it is open. Many Master's graduates from the East coast and central

Canada will see it as an advantage to continue their education in the different environment of

BC.

The demand for graduates of the proposed program:

Women's Studies graduates at all levels have always proved to be remarkably employable,

finding positions not only in the obvious fields of gender related research, teaching and

community work but in a wide variety of other sectors, especially those which are looking to

strengthen their understanding of gender in society. As the proposal points out, a major

demand for Ph.D.s in Women's Studies will be as academics, teachers and researchers. With

so few opportunities for obtaining Ph.D.s in Women's Studies in Canada, there is every

chance that graduates from the SFU programme will enter the workforce with a strong

advantage. As Dr. Luxton pointed out in her letter, the fact that York has been the only source

of Women's Studies Ph.D.s has meant a very narrow pool of Ph.D.s. The introduction of two

more programmes at SFU and UBC will go a long way towards broadening and enriching the

pool of Ph.D.s.

As well as academic posts, graduates from a Women's Studies doctoral programme would be

well placed to apply for positions in professional schools, such as Law and Education and in

interdisciplinary programmes. They will also be attractive to federal and provincial agencies,

the non-profit sector and private industry. They will also be sought after in international

development, especially as Canadian oversears aid assumes gender sensitivity and awareness

and insists on gender as a key factor in its projects. Many other sectors are becoming aware of

the need to include gender considerations in their work, and Ph.D.s in Women's Studies will

be well prepared to rewrite and institute new policies.

Conclusion:

While I have raised a number of concerns, especially under the first two heads, I am broadly

supportive of the proposal to establish a Ph.D. in Women's Studies at SFU. It is high time we

saw more Ph.D. programmes in Women's Studies in Canada and SFU (as well as UBC) are

well qualified to deliver such a programme. The faculty are able and productive and clearly at

the cutting edge of the discipline. The undergraduate and master's programmes are well

established and smooth running. The infrastructure is in place and university and departmental

experience is more than adequate for the task. I do think that to make the programme the

success it should be, they should be supported in any further resources (financial, faculty and

space) that, on reflection, the programme organisers feel would strengthen the programme.

I wish the organisers well and hope that we soon see students entering the proposed

programme at SFU.

Marilyn Porter

Professor: Sociology and Women's Studies

Memorial University of Newfoundland

6' May 2002

(/c

EXTERNAL REVIEW FOR PH.D. PROGRAM IN WOMEN'S STUDIES

Dr. Gerda Wekerle

Department of Geography

York University

4700 Keele Street, N410 Ross Building

Toronto, ON MM 1P3

EXT-COV2 .DOC 09/04/02

UNIVERSIT

Telephone (41b),3o.2'

FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

4700 KEELE STREET • TORONTO • ONTARIO • CANADA • M3J 1P3

August

7,2002

Jonathan C. Driver

Dean of Graduate Studies

Burnaby, British Columbia

V5A 1S6

Dear Dean Driver:

Attached is my review of the proposed PhD program in Women's Studies at Simon Fraser

University.

Academic merit and structural integrity of the proposed program

The proposal demonstrates substantial academic merit. It would be only the second PhD

program in Canada in Women's Studies and meet substantial demands from Canadian

students in British Columbia, in Western Canada, in the rest of Canada, and internationally.

The faculty's curriculum vitae reveal a highly accomplished and, in many cases,

internationally recognized faculty complement. The broad range of fields and disciplines

represented by core faculty members and associated faculty offers students opportunities to

study within an interdisciplinary programme. The collaborative arrangements made with

UBC so that students from both universities may take courses at either and the opportunity

students at Simon Fraser have to include faculty from UBC on committees enriches the

programme. Further, the strong support from other universities in British Columbia for this

programme, and the potential to expand the programme to involve these other universities, is

an exciting future scenario which could build on the nucleus of the PhD in Women's Studies

at SFU. The proposed programme promises to strengthen the research profile of the

university as a whole, as well as contributing to a larger pool of researchers in British

Columbia.

The requirements are appropriate. I noticed that Professor Luxton, Director of York

University's Graduate Program in Women's Studies, raises a question about requirements.

Although the proposed program requires less course work than is

required in York University's PhD in Women's Studies, in the Faculty of Environmental

Studies, York University, which also grants an interdisciplinary PhD,

the requirement is only one full year course. I found the comprehensive options particularly

appropriate as they address the diversity of fields and learning styles that are represented in

an interdisciplinary PhD in Women's Studies. Also, the review of dissertation proposals by

the whole department promises to provide students with diverse frameworks, while fostering

a collective commitment to the progress of each student in the programme.

My only query is the expectation that students will take four years to complete the PhD. This

expectation is not framed within a discussion of the length of time to completion within other

programmes at Simon Fraser University, within interdisciplinary programmes, or within

other Women's Studies programmes. The experience at York University has been that some

students take longer than four years to complete the programme. The experience in

Environmental Studies at York, is that four years represents the minimum rather than a mean

length of completion. This has implications for student funding and faculty workloads.

Adequacy of faculty and resources

The size of the existing programme of 8 core faculty members and 8 associate faculty

members from other parts of the university is adequate to meet the needs of 2-4 PhD

students per year. In particular, the agreements between SFU and UBC which allow students

to take courses at each university and to draw supervisors from each creates a very rich array

of courses and potential supervisors. In addition, this proposed interdisciplinary programme

draws upon courses in the rest of the university at SFU.

PhD students in this proposed programme can benefit from an existing and well-developed

research infrastructure and learning communities, including a lively feminist research

community both within the university and in the Greater Vancouver Area, activities

associated with the endowed chair, and a graduate caucus in Women's Studies. From the

proposal, it is clear that faculty have given thought to support for student conference

participation, and will include professional development issues and skills in a required

course. In addition, since faculty in the proposed programme have demonstrated skills in

research, publication, and community service, these networks will serve as a resource for

PhD students.

PhD students will also be able to develop skills in teaching by drawing upon the Instructional

Development Center and gain apprenticeship training in teaching through opportunities as

Teaching Assistants and Sessional instructors.

I am impressed by the very strong support from administration and other units at UBC and

the letters of support from other universities in British Columbia and from York University.

man

rop

d p

ogr

for

uat

Director of the Graduate

Programme in Women's Studies at York University. There is a substantial demand among

students for a PhD programme in Women's Studies. York can admit less than 10% of the

applicants to its programme each year. Students also turn to other interdisciplinary

programmes to meet their needs. For instance, the PhD programme in Environmental Studies

at York attracts applicants whose primary interest is women's studies. As a past member of

the admissions committee in Women's Studies at York, I can attest to the exceptionally high

academic quality of applicants to the programme. Applicants are from all over Canada, many

of them from British Columbia. There are also a substantial number of applications from the

United States, where there are a very small number of PhD programmes in Women's Studies,

from Europe, the UK, China, South Asia, India, Africa, Latin America and South America.

In many parts of the world, women's studies is a newly emerging field of study and there are

no opportunities for graduate work. For instance, this is the case in China. Applicants to a

PhD programme in Women's Studies tend to include students who are interested in pursuing

an academic career, in addition to students deeply interested in making change through

government service or the non-profit sector. This proposal for a PhD in Women's Studies at

SFU addresses these multiple objectives and provides courses and faculty that will meet such

a range of demands.

There is a high demand for graduates with a PhD in Women's Studies. As the proposal

argues, this includes teaching in women's studies programmes in universities in Canada, the

digrsacduaiplinates ry

been hired by international agencies such as the UN or CIDA, by research institutes, by the

non-profit sector, and by governments at all three levels. Outside of Canada, where women's

studies is gaining more visibility and momentum, there may be even more future potential for

the employment of graduates.

In summary, the proposal for a PhD program in Women's Studies at Simon Fraser University

promises to make a contribution to teaching at the university and to the university's research

profile; it will attract and serve to build a critical mass of researchers in the region; there is a

potential for building upon this initiative to enhance collaboration among several BC

universities. There is a substantial deficit in the number of spaces for students to study in a PhD

program in Women's Studies in Canada. This programme, if approved, will be a net gain.

I very much support the proposal.

Yours si,ncerely,

r"4

kerle

Professor in Environmental Studies and

Graduate Programmes in Women's Studies, Sociology, and Geography

NGP2001-8

EXTERNAL REVIEW

FOR PH.D. PROGRAM IN WOMEN'S STUDIES

Response of the Department of Women's Studies

COV-RESPONSE.DOC 11/26/02

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niticritp

jfElcmoranbum

Jonathan Driver, Dean of Graduate Studies

from:

Susan Wendell, Graduate Chair, Women's Studies

ubte

ct:

Doctoral Program Proposal

Here is the Women's Studies Department's response to issues raised by the

five

external

reviewers of the full proposal for a new Ph.D. Program in Women's Studies. We will

summarize the reviewers' views on each of the major areas they were asked to cover, and

we will respond to concerns and criticisms they raised in each of these areas.

The academic merit and

structural integrity

of the proposed program:

Dr.

Eichler points out that the proposed program builds on the current MA program and

states that she is "impressed by the modest scope of the program. It is a reasonable start

that will allow close supervision of the students." Dr. \'Vekerle says that the proposal

"demonstrates substantial academic merit" and "the proposed programme promises to

strengthen the research profile of the university as a whole, as well as contributing to a

larger pool of researchers in British Columbia."

Dr. Heap suggests that our proposal should explain more clearly how the proposed

program will differ from those offered at York University and UBC in order to make our

program more attractive and marketable. Other reviewers state that the PhD programs

in Women's Studies at York and UBC, the only WS PhD programs in Canada, cannot

handle all the qualified applicants from Canada and other countries that they attract. We

will hardly be entering into fierce competition with these two programs; indeed, at this

stage, competition seems unnecessary, given the scarcity of PhD programs in Women's

Studies. We expect to attract PhD students who want to work with our faculty.

It is the faculty who make a PhD program unique and give it areas of strength in research

and teaching. The research areas of our faculty and Associate faculty are described in

the PhD proposal, on our departmental websites, and in our Graduate Program Booklet,

which is sent to all students inquiring about graduate studies in our department.

COURSES:

Dr. Eichler says she believes that the course offerings are sufficient, and "looking at

the nature of the courses, I have no question about the integrity and worthiness of the

proposed program." Dr. Heap remarks that the department is well served with respect

to course offerings.

Dr. Currie, Dr. Heap and Dr. Porter express concern that the required courseload of

three 13-week courses of five credit-hours each is

comparatively

light. Let us compare it

to the course requirements of the new UBC PhD program in Women's Studies:

UBC requires a minimum of 12 graduate course credits, and the proposed SFU PhD in

Women's Studies requires a minimum of 15 graduate credit-hours. UBC requires three

13-week courses of three credit-hours each, plus one year-long course which consists of

attendance at a weekly public lecture series and completion of some assignments on a

Pass/Fail basis (for three credits). This does not seem like a significant difference in the

course requirements for the two programs. Indeed, the SFU proposal was designed to

be comparable to the UBC proposal, to minimize any disadvantage to either university

in attracting students and to maximize the potential for cooperation between the two

programs.

Dr. Wekerle calls our proposed course requirements "appropriate" and points out that

York University's PhD program in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, where she

teaches, requires only one full year course, the equivalent of two SFU graduate courses.

Moreover, our PhD proposal stipulates that the Graduate Committee, in consultation

with a student's supervisory committee, may require a student to take more than three

courses, either to obtain breadth of background in Women's Studies or to acquire specific

preparation in the topic of the student's proposed thesis.

Dr. Currie makes some very specific recommendations for required training in social sci-

ence research methods. However, since past MA students have used

humanities

research

methods to work with texts, films, or photographs, and at least half of our current MA

students intend to use humanities methods, we anticipate that a significant percentage

of our PhD applicants will not need or want intensive training in social science research

methods. Our current graduate methodology course deals with research issues in both

humanities and social sciences (giving approximately equal time to each), so that all

graduate students acquire some knowledge of the problems and advantages of a wide

range of research methods. When a student needs additional training in a method, such

as interviewing, to carry on research for her/his thesis, the senior supervisor may send

the student to a course in another department or accomplish this training in directed

studies or in the process of preparing the thesis proposal. In the case of some methods,

such as ethnological fieldwork, a student would have to have some previous training or

experience in fieldwork, or a plan to acquire training in fieldwork, to be admitted to the

PhD program with a proposal to do fieldwork. This way of approaching interdisciplinary

training in research methods has worked well for the department in the MA program.

If it does not work as well in the PhD program, we will modify the course offerings or

requirements.

Dr. Heap expresses concern that there are no required courses in our proposal and

recommends that WS 800 and one other course, perhaps WS 822, be required for the