- Willamette
- College of Liberal Arts
- Women's and Gender Studies
Welcome
What is Women's and Gender Studies?
In recent years, scholars in the field have increasingly recognized that gender and gender inequality cannot be understood in abstraction from other axes of social identity and power, especially those of race, class, sexual orientation, and nation.
The program in Women's and Gender Studies offers students the opportunity to examine, from both disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, gender's intersections with other dimensions of social power and identity. All Women's and Gender Studies classes encourage students to think systematically and critically about gender and to confront the challenges of moving toward a more equitable world.
Courses may focus on developments within feminist thought, on applications of feminist scholarship to a particular field of study, or on selected topics concerning gender and gender inequality.
Why I contribute to WGS:
"I contribute to the Women's and Gender Studies Program because I want to help promote and sustain the area of study that did more for me academically and personally than any other coursework in my time at Willamette. WGS gave me the basic understanding and critical thinking skills necessary to analyze everything from entrenched power structures to vapid pop culture misogyny. In my post-WU work and life, I have continued to explore the foundation of feminist studies that I began while in college through personal study and professional work experience. My work on a Congressional campaign and in non-profit environments has tested my faith in feminism as a theory and practice to set both women and men free given the perpetuation of power dynamics in all spheres. I contribute to WU′s WGS Program as it will take another generation of feminist scholars and activists to keep pushing for the day when there truly is equality amongst all peoples. With each wave of feminism we break new barriers but many remain. Donate to WGS today." -Nat Okey, Class of 2002