Women's and Gender Studies Department
Student Advising

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#1 What can I do with a Women's and Gender Studies major?

#2 Who is my WGS Advisor?

#3 How do I know if I am on track to graduate?

#4 What are the Internship (WGS 499/395) requirements and how do I register?

#5 What are some Internship/CIP possibilities?

#6 What opportunities for graduate work exist in Women's Studies?

#7 Where can women get support at SSU?

A Women's and Gender Studies degree is very flexible. Like majors in other Social Sciences and Humanities the Women's and Gender Studies major does not prepare students for one job, but for many different kinds of employment. Women's and Gender Studies courses train students in critical thinking skills, social science research methods and writing. Coursework provides knowledge about the interplay of gender, race, class and sexuality in the United States and globally. The required internship program allows students the opportunity to evaluate possible careers and also provides employment experiences which help graduates find employment. A major in Women's and Gender Studies, with its combination of cross-disciplinary, analytic and practical skills, prepares a well-rounded graduate who has the tools to adapt to a world of rapidly changing work and family structures.

Women's and Gender Studies prepares students for a variety of employment opportunities and for professional and graduate education in a number of fields. The required internship, and the ability to integrate a minor (including the Women's Health minor) into the major or facilitate a double major, permits students to build their academic credentials and acquire career-specific skills and expertise.
The following are jobs and graduate work of a few recent graduates from our Department.

Sample Employment of Alumni with the B.A. degree

Domestic Violence Prevention Educator, Project Sanctuary, Ukiah;
Experiential Education Facilitator; Princeton University;
YWCA Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services Program, Santa Rosa;
Director of the Eating Disorder Forum and Task Force, Petaluma Health Care District;
Events Coordinator, Stanford University;
Youth Ministry Coordinator, Sebastopol Community Church;
Advocate, Sonoma County Victim Assistance; Prevention Education Coordinator,
United Against Sexual Assault of Sonoma County;
Peer Educator, New Visions Youth Treatment Program, Rhode Island;
Graduate Administrative Coordinator, Psychology Master's Programs SSU;

Graduate and Professional Education

Ph.D. Programs: California School of Professional Psychology; History, UC Irvine; Sociology, UC Santa Cruz; American Studies, University of New Mexico
MA Programs: Public Policy, Claremont Graduate School; American Studies, CSU Fullerton; Prescott College, Arizona; English, SSU; Counseling, Dominican University
Teaching Credential Programs: SSU, San Jose State University, Dominican
J.D. Programs: Hastings Law School, San Francisco

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Dear WGS majors and minors:

In an effort to provide the best academic advising possible, we have instituted a new departmental policy. Each WGS major and minor will have an assigned faculty advisor.

You are strongly encouraged to contact your advisor for an advising session at least once each semester. You are required to bring your transcripts (from SSU and any other universities) to your advising session. A copy of your most recent unofficial SSU transcript (available on-line) is acceptable for advising purposes. Advising occurs during faculty drop-in office hours and by appointment with your advisor. Remember that you are ultimately responsible for staying on top of your requirements, not the faculty. We are here to be of assistance to you.

See below to find your advisor and their contact information. The advisors are assigned by the first letter of your last name. For example, if your last name is Adams, your advisor will be Professor Charlene Tung.

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Advisor Assignments

WGS Majors and Minors:

Charlene Tung: last names beginning with A-M
Don Romesburg: last names beginning N-Z

Women's Health Minors (aka Career Minor in Women's Health):

Charlene Tung; All students

Contact Information:

Don Romesburg
11 Rachel Carson Hall
664-2574
romesbur@sonoma.edu

Charlene Tung
31 Rachel Carson Hall
664-2086
Tung@sonoma.edu

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FAQS: ADVISING FOR WGS STUDENTS (pdf)

When do I submit the Major/Minor Requirements form? You should complete this form (with your advisor) two semesters before you graduate (e.g., if you plan to graduate in spring 2006, you should submit the form in spring 2005). The form will be “evaluated” by the university and you will receive feedback on the coursework you need to complete in order to graduate as well as whether there are any loose ends (e.g., transfer credits, incompletes in courses, WEPT, etc.) that need attention.

Can I count WGS 350 and WGS 375 for both general education and the major? Yes. However, the course is worth only 3 units toward the total of 120 units required for graduation. For example, while WGS 350 counts toward both the major and GE; it still only amounts to 3 units of credit toward the 120 unit graduation requirement.

What is a disciplinary concentration? As part of the 44 unit requirement in WGS you must complete 15 units in any other major or minor on campus. We call these 15 units a disciplinary concentration. With careful planning, it is often possible to pursue a minor or double major in the field of your disciplinary concentration.

Are there any special issues to think about if I am a double major? Yes. WGS will allow you to “double count” your disciplinary concentration units with the requirements for a double major. However, be aware that you must have 24 units in each major that do not count for the other major. You are responsible for finding advising in both departments. WGS faculty can only advise you on the WGS major.

I finished all my requirements for the major and GE, but my graduation evaluation indicates that I am 6 units short. How can this be? You need to complete 120 units to receive a degree at SSU. The WGS major is 44 units and the GE requirements are between 48-51 units – a total of 92-95 units. This means that you will need to complete additional units (in a double major, a minor, or any other classes that interest you – perhaps prerequisites for graduate school) in order to achieve the 120 unit minimum.

When should I start my internship?
Typically students begin in their junior year, although you may begin at any time. You may take your 4 units in different semesters and different sites (e.g. 2 units in fall at the D.A.’s office and 2 units in spring at the homeless shelter).

I need to take WGS 425 but it is not offered in the spring. What should I do? You will have to wait until the fall to take that course. WGS is a small department and some of our courses are offered only in the fall (WGS 425) or spring (WGS 485 and WGS 390). Pay close attention to this when planning your coursework.

I need someone to tell me what to take in the major and in general education. Who should I talk to? You have been assigned an advisor according to your last name.

Majors and Minors:
A-M Charlene Tung
N-Z Don Romesburg
Women’s Health Minors: A-Z Charlene Tung

Faculty office hours change each semester and are available from the department office (Rachel Carson Hall 18 or by calling 664-2840) and on-line at www.sonoma.edu/womenstudies). WGS urges students to seek advising at least once during the semester. Students are strongly encouraged to have a “take charge” attitude about their advising. Faculty advisors offer advice for the major and other university requirements, but we cannot make you follow that advice. Faculty members are not with you as you add and drop classes throughout your SSU career. Only you can keep track of your progress toward graduation on a daily basis.

I turned in my graduation evaluation form and then I decided to take different courses than those listed on the form. Will this cause a problem? Yes, but this is a problem that you can easily solve. You’ll need to complete an “addendum” that indicates the changes in your coursework. The chair of WGS will need to sign the form.

Where can I find more information about graduation requirements? You can talk to your WGS advisor, review your degree progress on-line, look over the campus catalog, learn about the WEPT or the general education requirements (http://www.sonoma.edu/sas/advising/gepattern.shtml).

Why do I have to check my Sonoma.edu e-mail on a regular basis? The university will communicate with you through this address. In addition, WGS maintains a listserv for announcements, internships and other school matters and you may be subscribed through your Sonoma.edu e-mail address.

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WGS 395/499 Interships/Community Involvement Program (pdf)

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INTERNSHIP REGISTRATION CONTRACTS ARE DUE BY
THURSDAY 2ND WEEK OF CLASSES. ********************************

Faculty Instructor Contact Information

Charlene Tung
31 Rachel Carson Hall
Tung@sonoma.edu
664-2086

Don Romesburg
11 Rachel Carson Hall
romesbur@sonoma.edu
664-2574

Number of hours required to receive credit (CR/NC only)

WGS 395 (CIP units) WGS 499 (Internship Units)
1 unit = 30 hours
2 units = 60 hours
3 units = 90 hours
4 units =120 hours

WGS 499 (Internship Units)
1 unit = 45 hours
2 units = 90 hours
3 units = 135 hours
4 units = 180 hours

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CIP AND AN INTERNSHIP?
WGS 395: Community Involvement Program (CIP). The Community Involvement Program (CIP) allows students to earn units for their volunteer community service work. CIP is intended to assist students in clarifying career and/or academic interests in a variety of work settings. The CIP placement should involve direct contact with and meaningful service to people within the community, usually in an off-campus setting.

The placement is strictly volunteer. Students may not receive monetary compensation for work that leads to CIP academic credit. Credit/No Credit basis only. Students may enroll in CIP for a maximum of four units in any one semester.

NOTE: A maximum of six units of CIP credit may be applied towards graduation.

WGS 499: Internship. An internship is a pre-professional experience designed in close consultation with a faculty advisor, which gives the student an opportunity to apply knowledge from the classroom in an employment setting consistent with the student’s chosen career field. Internships may pay a wage or stipend or may be unpaid. The internship program is designed for students as a means to incorporate qualified and supervised work into their educational program and gain academic credit while making valuable career connections. You may complete 1-4 units of internship during a semester.

HOW DO I FIND AN INTERNSHIP/CIP AND SIGN UP FOR UNITS?
1. Find an internship/CIP site. A list of some possible internships is attached. Also see the listings in Rachel Carson Hall 18 and in Career Services (Salazar 1070 or www.sonoma.edu/sas/crc/). It is also possible to arrange your own CIP/internship setting in consultation with any WGS faculty supervisor. Be sure to consider what new skills and abilities you would like to develop from the CIP/internship.

2. Phone one or more potential internship settings. Discuss 1) the duties the internship might include and 2) the number of hours you are available (and need) to work during the semester in order to complete your CIP/internship.

3. Meet with your on-site supervisor to complete official forms. Bring with you either the "internship agreement" form (for WGS 499) or "volunteer agreement" form (for WGS 395). Both forms are available from RCH 18 or your instructor. Discuss how you will maintain an official log of your hours. Be sure to discuss any special requirements (expectations for individuals working in that setting, such as confidentiality or safety issues).

4. Submit completed forms to RCH 18 (put in Charlene Tung’s box) by 3:00, THURSDAY OF 2ND WEEK OF SEMESTER. WGS will obtain signatures from the Dean, assign you a WGS instructor (Romesburg or Tung) and file the internship agreement with Admissions and Records.

Note: If you do not submit the paperwork in a timely manner, you may not receive credit for the internship/CIP course.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Find your Instructor. You will be assigned a WGS instructor for your internship. You can find your instructor by checking your schedule sometime in the middle of September (after the paperwork for your CIP or internship is processed and posted on-line). You should contact your WGS instructor if you have any problems at your internship site. Please turn you end-of-semester paperwork into your WGS instructor's box (not necessarily the same person as your WGS academic advisor).

2. Log/Schedule. Maintain a log of hours spent working on the internship/CIP. Keep in mind the total number of hours necessary to earn your units.

3. Progress Report. Each student must schedule a meeting with your assigned instructor to provide a progress report on the internship at least once during the semester. The meeting should occur BY MID-SEMESTER, WEEK. It is your responsibility to do this!

4. Internship Supervisor Letter. You must provide your WGS instructor with a letter from your supervisor verifying that you have completed the necessary hours and duties to complete the units. This letter (typed or hand-written) should: 1) be on the organization's letterhead and 2) state the number of hours you completed during the internship. DUE by FRIDAY OF WEEK 16 ( 5:00) to your WGS instructor’s mailbox/via e-mail.

5. Summary paper. (1 unit =3-5 pages, 2 units =4-6 pages, 3 units =5-7 pages, 4 units =6-8 pages). DUE BY FRIDAY WEEK 16 (5:00) to your WGS instructor's box. Assignment details are on the following page.

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WGS Internship Possibilities

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THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING ALL INTERNSHIP
FORMS is End of Week 2 classes
********************************

Below are just a few of the opportunities available to WGS students (and others interested in obtaining credit through WGS). Note that all WGS majors are required to complete 4 units of Internship. See WGS 499/395 Syllabus for details and requirements.

If you would like to speak to current WGS students who have interned at these locations, ask the WGS faculty. Speaking to current WGS students can also provide other referrals to various agencies. You are also welcome to look online at http://www.sonoma.edu/womenstudies to see past WGS Newsletters—all list past internships and community involvement projects.

OFF-CAMPUS

Circle of Sisters is an after school program for girls in Sonoma County Schools (e.g Guerneville, Rohnert Park). Circle of Sisters serves girls ages 10-14. They strive to help girls sustain wholeness in body, mind and spirit throughout their lives. Service opportunities include assisting facilitators in planning and conducting workshops and/or developing curricular and promotional materials for the program.
Contact Amy Chevrolet, 525-5311. achevro@stjoe.org

Community Action Partnerhips of Sonoma County
This is a network of organizations who partner with low income families and individuals to help them achieve economic and social stability, to build community, and to advocate for social and economic justice. Their programs and services include: Head Start & Early Head Start;Housing; Health; Youth, Family & Neighborhoods; Centro Laboral de Graton; Family Resource Center; and Fair Housing of Sonoma County. http://www.capsonoma.edu. Contact: nhon@capsonoma.org

The Family Connection is an award winning nonprofit program that uses volunteers to help families transition out of homelessness (www.thefamilyconnection.org). They create teams of volunteers who, under the supervision of a professional Family Support Coordinator, form support systems for families who have been homeless. Each team is matched for up for one year with one family. Interns become team members and also participate in a weekly intern seminar. Contact Sara Jones, 579-3630. Sara.thefamilyconnection@cots-homeless.org

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society (GLBTHS) in San Francisco is a community-based archives and museum dedicated to preserving the histories of GLBT communities in Northern California. This internship program provides students with the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience working with a community based non-profit historical organization. Contact: Karen Bullock-Jordan, 415.777.5455, ext. 5#, email: karen@glbthistory.org.

The Living Room The Living Room, a drop-in center for homeless/at-risk women and children only, provides breakfast, lunch, toiletries, diapers, writing supplies, stamps, bus tickets, telephone, message service, post office box, peer support, and referrals for housing, jobs and social services. Interns are needed to work at the front desk and help coordinate other activities. Contact: Tanya Wulff, Living Room Volunteer Coordinator at 579-0142.

Petaluma City Schools offer many service opportunities including an after-school enrichment program at the junior high school and multi-cultural projects as well as advising senior projects at a high school. Most of these projects involve one-on-one work with students and mentoring opportunities. Contact: afterschoolprogram@hotmail.com

Sonoma County Women's Voices is looking for interns to contact and coordinate young women writers of articles, fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry for publication in Women's Voices; write for the newspaper, including coverage of SSU events of interest to other women; or ther duties as well. Contact: Jane Boyle, 792-1819 or e-mail wv@sonic.net..

United Against Sexual Assault of Sonoma County. Various internships available through Prevention Department including: Presenter for the Child Abuse or Teen Assault Prevention Projects (CAPP/TAPP); Present Self Defense workshops to female teens; Present same-sex sexual assault workshops to LGBT youth. You will receive 10-20 hours of training on presenting prevention of sexual assault or self-defense or same-sex sexual assault. Contact: Rebecca Plachte-Zuieback, 545-7270, ext. 12,
becky.plachte-zuieback@uasasonoma.org. For training/working the 24-hour crisis line, contact: Karel Oswald@uasasonoma.org, 545-7270 ext. 11

YWCA. Focus of agency is on domestic violence. Operates only Safe House in Sonoma County, as well as a therapeutic preschool serving children who have witnessed violence. Various internship opportunities including gaining experience in case management, staffing 24-hour hotline (40-hour training required—applicable to internship hours), assisting with support groups, and collecting/analyzing data for the YWCA. Contact: Jennifer Lake, Director of Domestic Violence Services.
546-7115 ext. 1. ywcasafe@sonic.net.

ON-CAMPUS

Women’s and Gender Studies Newsletter Intern. Newsletter comes out 1x/semester. As an Editorial Assistant, valuable experience to be gained in desktop publishing, editing, writing, and layout design. Contact: Prof. Charlene Tung, tung@sonoma.edu

Women’s and Gender Studies Development Intern. Gain experience in basics of fundraising and alumni relations development. Valuable for those considering a career in the non-profit sector (or maybe even starting your own organization!). Contact: Prof. Charlene Tung, tung@sonoma.edu

Center for Cultures, Genders and Sexualities. Newly formed center on-campus (formerlyWomen’s Resource Center and Intercultural Center). Gain experience in progam development, event planning, and student services. Contact: Bonnie Sugiyama, bsugiyama@sonoma.edu

Women’s Oral History Project. On-going project interviewing women from Sonoma County. Gain experience in interviewing and transcribing interviews, archival research and curating exhibits. Contact: Professor Michelle Jolly. jolly@sonoma.edu

ON-LINE RESOURCES TO ASSIST IN FINDING A SITE

Sonoma County Volunteer Program. There are a few paid internship positions with the County of Sonoma and many or more unpaid volunteer opportunities working in County agencies. Recent volunteer opps include working in a youth nutrition program and with pregnant teens (esp. appropriate for Women’s Health internships). For more information, see:
http://www.sonoma-country.org/hr/volunteer/index.html

Volunteer Center of Sonoma County. This organization coordinates up to date information about internships for various orgs throughout Sonoma County. For example, Girl Scouts, Hospice of Petaluma, Council on Aging, and Sonoma County Legal Aid. http://www.volunteernow.org.

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What opportunities exist for graduate work in Women's Studies?

For a comprehensive list of web sites that refer to graduate work, please visit the following:http://research.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/programs.html and especially:http://www.smith.edu/wst/gradlinks.html

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Where can women get support at SSU?

Check out the web page for SSU's Center for Genders, Cultures, and Sexualities to get more information. You can also visit the office on the first floor of the Student Union (enter through the Intercultural Center Gallery) or call at 707/664-2845.

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