Women's and Gender Studies Program

The Women's 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. 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 at Bridgewater. 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, and Political Science.

Women's and Gender Studies 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: April 25, 2006