OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION:

Women Studies Department Committees
The Women Studies department has a tradition of having students elect representatives for the key
departmental committees. Student participation is vital for us on several fronts, not least of which is helping us shape the department to better meet your needs. So please volunteer. The committees and the process are listed below. Committee representatives serve one academic year. This is a non-paid volunteer position.

Executive Committee: This is a sounding board for the chair to help plan meeting agendas and to respond to quick-turn around requests that I don't have time to poll/discuss with the entire department.
Curriculum Committee: Duties: Assesses availability of courses; ensures that scheduling courses coincides with the goals of the dept; prepares yearly course schedules; ensures that sufficient instructors are available to cover scheduled courses; evaluates proposals for joint listings of courses, etc.
Graduate Program Committee: Duties: Monitor and take care of all details associated with the graduate program, including graduate admissions, annual review of graduate students, assessment and review of the graduate program, selection of recipient of Doman award.
Development Committee: Duties: To prepare a plan for development of external financial support for the dept and convene a committee of both UW and external friends of the Women Studies Dept to generate ideas and programs that will share our work with a broad audience, and generate support for the dept.
Undergraduate Awards Committee: Duties: To select a recipient of the award for the outstanding senior thesis, and to select a recipient of the award for outstanding student paper/project.

Committee Eligibility:
Due to the nature of the business of each committee, we would like to have student reps for the first three committees have had at least two years of experience in the graduate program, so for Executive, Curriculum and Grad program committees, these would be limited to those who will be beginning their third year or more, this coming fall. The latter two committees, development and awards, are open to everyone. By UW policy, students are not able to participate in matters that pertain to personnel issues among the faculty or current students.

The other major criterion will be prior committee service. If you have already served as a student rep on a committee, others will have higher priority. This is because we think of committee service as a professional development opportunity, and we would like as many people as possible to have a chance to gain this experience.

Committee Process: With these two sets of criteria in mind, we have in mind a two part process:
(1) First, before autumn quarter of each year, the dept. chair will request that student's provide their top two choices of committees on which they choose to serve, if any.
(2) On the basis of this, the dept. chair will put together a ballot for students to vote on their top two choices, a first choice and a second choice, for each committee representative for that year.

Campus Resource Guide for Women Studies Majors and Minors

The WOMEN 299: Women Studies Community in Colloquia students of winter quarter 2006 compiled a fabulous campus resource guide! You can obtain a copy from the advisor (she can email it to you or you can pick one up).

Campus Resource Guide is also available at: http://depts.washington.edu/webwomen/Undergraduate Program/resources.pdf

Women Studies Departmental Honors

Women Studies Departmental Honors are open to all majors who meet the criteria below. Students who graduate with departmental honors will graduate "with distinction" noted on their transcripts and diploma. Honors courses require that the student complete additional work allowing them to engage with course content to a greater depth and with more intensity than she /he would within the framework of the regular class.

Students who are completing the UW Honors program must also complete the departmental honors. For more information about UW Honors, go to: http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/index.html

Women Studies Departmental Honors  Requirements:

• Sign up with the Women Studies adviser.
• Maintain a 3.5 GPA in Women Studies coursework
• Maintain a 3.3 GPA cumulatively
• Complete 20 credits of upper division Women Studies coursework including the senior capstone or senior thesis as an honors course.

How do I take honors credits?
All honors courses within our department are done on an ad hoc basis. Through ad hoc, a student can contract with an instructor in a give course to obtain Honors credit.

1. Contact the instructor the first day of class (or prior) to request that the course be an ad hoc honors course.
2. Before meeting with the instructor, obtain an Ad Hoc Honors form, available from the Women Studies advising office, or downloadable at: http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/faculty/adhoc.html
3. Meet with the instructor to discuss and determine what your honors work will be for that course including time frames or deadlines, if applicable, and fill out the form and sign it.
4. At the end of the quarter, have the instructor sign the form under "Instructor Approval" and submit the form to the adviser.

Transfering Coursework in Women Studies:
We regularly accept transfer coursework from other universities and community colleges. The UW Office of Admissions has information to help you plan your transfer at: http://admit.washington.edu/BeforeYouApply/Transfer/Plan

If you are transferring from a local college, you can access the UW Equivalency Guide to view how specific courses from your college will automatically transfer to your Women Studies degree:
http://admit.washington.edu/BeforeYouApply/Transfer/Plan/EquivalencyGuide

If you don't see courses you've taken in the Equivalency Guide, be sure to contact the department adviser for assistance with transferring your coursework.

Undergraduate Honors, Scholarships, and Awards Opportunities at the UW & Specific Honors & Awards in Women Studies

A. Brotman Awards (Teaching) and Tutor Recognition Home Page
For more information, go to: http://depts.washington.edu/ic/graphics/awards.php

B. A & S Dean's Medalist Award
Generally, the qualification requirements are:
- earned 90 credits or more in residence at the UW
- have a GPA of 3.85 or higher
- graduation date sometime during the summer prior to the summer coming
- must be the first BA
- nomination by a Department Chair

C. McNair Scholarships
"The University of Washington Office of Minority Affairs recognizes the importance and vital contributions of student diversity at all educational levels and affirms its commitment to increasing access to graduate degrees. At the McNair Program, our goal is to successfully prepare
undergraduates at the UW who are low-income and first-generation, or from groups underrepresented in graduate school, for doctoral study. "
For more information, go to:http://depts.washington.edu/uwmcnair/

D. Mary Gates Endowement Grants
For more information, go to: http://www.washington.edu/uaa/mge/becoming_scholar.shtml

Leadership Grants
"The development of thoughtful, engaged citizens is a central goal of undergraduate education. Through participation in a broad variety of leadership and public service efforts, students learn not merely to do good, but how to carry out the important and sometimes improbable task of "doing the right thing" in addressing the complex challenges of contemporary democratic life. This disposition of commitment, responsibility, and courage characterized former Regent and civic leader, Mary Gates.

Venture Fellowships
"Venture fellowships are intended to support outstanding undergraduates to concentrate on developing an original project over a 6-12 month period. Venture scholars can be in any discipline, and must be initially nominated by a UW faculty member. Undergraduates in excellent academic standing who have a well-defined project idea are eligible to be nominated. Venture projects should be innovative and creative in nature, may involve a product or new application, and may rely on faculty or community mentors for initial guidance. Nominations may be made at any time. Faculty mentors should send nomination letters to Janice DeCosmo, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Education, Box 352800. Nomination letters should provide information on the student's academic and creative strengths and a sketch of the project the student wishes to pursue. Nominees considered for awards by the selection committee will be asked to provide additional information including a project description. Students selected as Venture fellows are named Mary Gates Scholars and will join other Mary Gates Scholars in presenting their work in a public arena such as the annual Carlson Center Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership or the Undergraduate Research Symposium."

Research Training Grant
"Through participation in research, undergraduate students learn about the essential role of inquiry in a vital society. Competitive research training grants are available to enhance the educational experiences of students across campus who are engaged in research with faculty. Past recipients of research training grants include undergraduates involved in these faculty research projects: designing a telecommunication network to bridge five Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation economies, researching genetic mechanisms that may lead to identifying the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, researching the history of the ethnic media in the Pacific Northwest and examining its role within local ethnic communities."

Mary Gates Honors Program
"The University of Washington Honors Program and the Mary Gates Endowment for Students annually offer scholarships to outstanding high school seniors entering the UW Honors Program. Mary Gates Honors Scholars receive two years of support equivalent to resident tuition plus a book allowance. Students are identified through the Honors Program application process; there is no application process for the Honors scholarships."

E. The Undergraduate Scholarship Office
"The Undergraduate Scholarship Office (USO) provides University of Washington students with information about many of the local and national merit-based scholarships, fellowships, and grants, including the Rhodes Scholarships, Marshall Scholarships, Fulbright Grants, and the Mary Gates Endowment Grant Program. We help to prepare UW students to compete for nationally competitive, merit-based scholarships and awards. We publicize major opportunities, select the university's nominees, and provide intensive training to candidates." Some of these excellent scholarships opportunities are for study abroad for the year after graduation. For more information, go to: http://www.washington.edu/students/ugrad/scholar/index.shtml