Like acronyms, names flood our York existences. As women’s and gender studies folk, we know that naming is a very political act. To help keep you informed and the confusion at bay, here’s a quick explanation of our program’s relationship to its name. You are joining the Gender, Feminist, and Women’s Studies (GFWS) Graduate Program, formerly known as the Women’s Studies Graduate Program. Like many women’s studies programs, ours has followed suit in the transition towards “gender.” Unlike many other programs, however, we have maintained both the “women” of women’s studies as well as the “feminist.” Most of us think this is a good thing.
GFWS is housed in the School of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (GSWS) which is part of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LAPS). GSWS operates as the broadest operating body that different entities are grouped under and organized by. In addition to the graduate program, there are two undergraduate programs also housed within the school of GSWS: Sexuality Studies and Gender & Women’s Studies.
Many students in our grad program teach within these two undergraduate programs or have previously achieved their undergraduate degrees within one of these programs. There are also two certificate programs within GSWS: the Certificate in Gender & Women’s Studies and the Certificate in Sexuality Studies. And finally, the school hosts the Bridging Program for Women and the LGBTQ Bridging Program. More information about all of the above can be found on the school website: https://www.yorku.ca/laps/gsws/
As a graduate student, decisions about your funding and coursework, as well as administrative decisions throughout your journey, are the responsibility of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS).