Women's Studies

The Development of Women's Studies

The first women's studies courses were offered at colleges in the United States as an academic [Page 2313]outgrowth of the women's liberation movement. College faculty in women's studies facilitated critical examination of women's history, experiences, and contributions with the expectation that doing so would enhance student learning and better inform feminist activism and other efforts to eradicate sex- and gender-based oppression. The passage and enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 expanded consideration of women's positions within work and school environments, increased the viability of women's studies courses and programs, and supported new scholarship by and about women. As the field developed, faculty and students within women's studies helped to transform the male-centeredness of academic disciplines, canons of great works, and educational institutions in general.

Women's studies scholarship and teaching is grounded in feminist theories that seek to explain oppressive conditions and lead to transformations that foster inclusiveness, equity, and liberation. Women's studies aims not simply to add women to a previously androcentric (male-centered) curriculum, but to change the nature of what is taught and the way knowledge is organized by taking into account the experiences of all members of a society. While generally challenging the notion that women and men are by nature different in their intellect and affect, feminist theories recognize that sexed and gendered socialization can influence ways of knowing and being. Because of this, women's studies faculty and scholars have explored how disciplines change as women and members of other oppressed groups have brought their interests and socially constructed worldviews into the conduct of research and development of theories and disciplinary practices.

A majority of women's studies programs are housed within humanities or social sciences divisions, with affiliated faculty drawn from all sectors of the institution. Rather than centralizing course offerings addressing women, sex, gender, and sexuality in one departmental location, most programs offer a core curriculum supplemented by coursework in disciplines throughout the academy. Core courses often include a generalist introduction to the field, theory and research methods, and coursework addressing the intersections of sex and gender with other identities. Most programs also include an internship, activist project, or similar applied experience to reinforce and maintain connection to the activist and social justice roots of the field. The remainder of course-work typically includes courses cross-listed between women's studies and other academic disciplines, ensuring a diverse, interdisciplinary program of study that is grounded in feminist theories.

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