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Be a part of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at SDSU.
We are pleased to announce that the department of Women’s Studies has officially changed its name to the department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS). The change reflects the current state of the field and communicates the wider orientation of our scholarly research and curriculum. It also affirms the belonging of trans, non-binary, Two Spirit, and other gender diverse people in our department and field.
Our unit has the honor of being the first Women’s Studies program in the nation. We offered the first courses in Women’s Studies in spring 1970, and the Women's Studies Program was officially approved in May 1970. The program became a department with its own dedicated faculty lines in 1974. We began offering a minor in fall 1975, a B.A. degree in 1982, and an M.A. degree in 1995. Our faculty were also central in the creation of the LGBT Studies minor (2009), the annual Lavender Graduation ceremony (2010), the LGBTQ+ Studies B.A. degree (2012, the second one in the nation), and the Women’s Resource Center (2015). A full timeline of our history up to 2020 was created for our 50th anniversary celebration.
Today, the department has 10 tenure track faculty, 10+ lecturers, one staff person, a strong M.A. program, and about 100 majors and minors. We explore all forms of social and ecological justice through intersectional/Women of Color and transnational feminist, queer, and trans lenses, and we bridge theory and practice as we work toward liberation. Our courses fulfill almost every general education requirement and draw thousands of students every year.
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A Statement of Solidarity
with Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities
In solidarity with Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities, the Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies supports this statement by the National Women's Studies Association condemning anti-Asian violence and racism.
With SDSU's Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Resource Center and the Women's Resource Center, we strongly encourage all students, faculty, and staff to visit sacd.sdsu.edu/apida-pledge and commit to creating a welcoming and safe climate for our APIDA communities and to take action.
If you're in need of support, please reach out to [email protected].
with Black Lives Matter and SDSU Department of Africana Studies
SDSU’s Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies denounces racism in any form and violence against Black people, and we stand firm in our belief that Black Lives Matter.
We particularly affirm our solidarity with the SDSU Department of Africana Studies for their unwavering commitment to understand, teach about, and celebrate the lived experiences of all Africana peoples.
Please read their statement, and support Africana Studies at SDSU.
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Department Bookshelf
Menace to the Future: A Disability and Queer History of Carceral Eugenics
Jess Whatcott
2024
Latter-day Saint Art: A Critical Reader
Amanda Beardsley
2024
Taking Place: Environmental Change in Literature and Art
Bonnie Kime Scott
2024
Reproductive Politics in the United States
Kimala Price
2022
Domestic Contradictions: Race and Gendered Citizenship from Reconstruction to Welfare
Reform
Priya Kandaswamy
2021
Sajjilu Arab American: A Reader in SWANA Studies
Amira Jarmakani
2022