Women's and Gender Studies Program

The Women's and Gender Studies Program at Bridgewater State College was established in 1983, and is part of a rapidly growing course of study nationwide. The Minor became Women's and Gender Studies in 2004, to reflect new developments both nationally and internationally. The program recently expanded in 2009 to include a GLBT Minor and a Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate. Women's and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program which combines the analytical tools of different disciplines such as anthropology, psychology, sociology, literature, history, foreign languages, and philosophy when studying the world.

Students can minor in Women's and Gender Studies and/or GLBT Studies at Bridgewater. Students wishing to engage in graduate study are encouraged to pursue the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate. Faculty from many departments participate in the Women's and Gender Studies Program, including Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, English, Social Work, History, Art, Movement Arts, Chemistry, Earth Sciences & Geography, Political Science, Communication Studies and Criminal Justice.

The Women's and Gender Studies Program is dedicated to the study of women and gender. Gender studies includes, but is not limited to, masculinity studies (social and cultural constructions), sexuality studies (e.g. transgender and queer theory); multiple genders across cultures and history, as well as the social, political and economic arrangements that have structured gender relationships-and the expression of the above in art, literature and socio-political movements. We look at women and gender issues around the world, but since gender does not give a full understanding to women's lives, we consider other factors such as race, class and sexuality. We combine these tools and areas of interest into what we call an "integrative analysis". Our objective is to introduce students to analytical tools and basic approaches to the study of women in a variety of fields.

Last Modified: September 27, 2010

Women's and Gender Studies offerings at Maxwell Library

Contact Information

Women's and Gender Studies
Dr. Sarah Wiggins, Coordinator
Assistant Professor, Department of History
Tillinghast Hall, Room 219
Bridgewater, MA 02325
Tel: 508.531.2018
sarah.wiggins@bridgew.edu