Practicum /Internship
GSWS majors are required to do an internship, called a Practicum (GSWS 191 and 192). This course is also open to GSWS/SGIS minors and other students thinking about careers in related fields. This is an on-site supervised work experience at a local organization whose mission has bearing on your personal interests. You'll work with a faculty advisor to develop the connections between real-world experience and your theoretical study of women, sexuality, and gender.
Students begin researching and making arrangements for internship placements before the semester begins by reviewing the organizations listed below and consulting faculty members or the Career Center. For help or more information, contact the Practicum supervisor, Mary Burke (mary.burke@uvm.edu).
• Practicum Application Form (PDF)
• List of Local Advocacy Organizations
Independent Study and Senior Thesis
Working with a GSWS affiliated faculty sponsor, you can choose topics of study that deepen your knowledge of your particular interests and career goals. You'll also have an opportunity to develop a senior honors thesis under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Recent examples of theses include:
- Sarah E. Barrett, Seeking Asylum Across the International Boundary: Legal Terms and Geopolitical Conditions of Irregular Border Crossing and Asylum Seeking Between the United States and Canada, 2016-2018. Advisor: Pablo Bose.
- Somer Marie Brown, "Iranian Literature and Its Impact on Western Feminist Perceptions." Advisor: Huck Gutman.
- Elizabeth J. Chesley, "Female Auteurs and Their Perceptions of Gender, Sexuality, and National Identity." Advisor: Hilary Neroni.
- Matthew J. Ganci, "Creating Community: The Cultural Experiences of Gay Men in Hartford, Connecticut and Burlington, Vermont from 1969-1981." Advisor: Paul Deslandes.
- Erica Rose Gilgore, "Interstices of Power: Considerations of Women’s Health and Agency through Creative Nonfiction." Advisor: Pablo Bose.
- Devin C. Kane, "De Jure School Segregation as the Result of Racist Housing Policies." Advisor: Jane Knodell.
Honors and Awards
Information about our annual honors, the Daniel-McCarter Award; the Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies Outstanding Senior Award; and the Ellen Hamilton Lida Mason Award, can be found here.
Practicum/Internships
Students in our department spend a semester as interns with a local agency whose work has bearing on personal experiences. You'll work with a faculty advisor to develop the connections between real-world experience and theoretical study of women and gender.