Gustavus Adolphus College

Description of a Cognate Course:

A cognate course is one which is not part of the Women's Studies core but in which students are able to apply what they have learned in core courses in a meaningful way. Students will do work (papers, projects, or performances) which focus on the lives, work, values and ideas of women. Cognate courses may be courses, which while not meeting the definition of a core course, already include some aspect of the experience of women. Alternatively, they may be courses which do not currently include the study of women but in which students, in consultation with the instructors, are able to undertake work which brings the study of women to those courses.

Requirements:

1. This application must be approved prior to the semester in which the cognate course is taken.
2. Students must gain the approval of a Women's Studies advisor and must notify the instructor of the cognate course of their intention to use the course to satisfy the WS cognate course requirement.
3. Students must have successfully completed the Introduction to Women's Studies course before enrolling in a cognate course.
4. If the work produced in the course, (papers, projects, performances, etc.) is different from the work produced to complete the cognate requirement, then you must explain to the course instructor that she/he is not responsible for evaluating the additional work.
5. A Women's Studies advisor will be responsible for evaluating the work produced in the course and she/he will determine whether or not the student has fulfilled the cognate requirement.