The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Oregon State University was founded in 1972, originally as “Women Studies.” In recent years, our program joined Anthropology, Ethnic Studies, and World Languages and Cultures to create the School of Language, Culture, and Society. We are part of a vibrant and flourishing intellectual community.
In 2012-2013, we renamed the program “Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies” to reflect our deepening commitment to queer studies and work on sexuality more broadly, as well as scholarship regarding gender constructions and processes, and critical men and masculinity studies. We offer a Ph.D., an M.A., and a B.A. as well as minors in WGSS and Queer Studies at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Our program relies on multi-disciplinary approaches to the study of gender and sexuality, particularly as they intersect with race, ethnicity, class, culture, religion, nation, and ability. Our program emphasizes academic excellence, the use of feminist and anti-racist pedagogies, and scholarship that contributes to social change and justice. We are committed to challenging all forms of oppression, and we center queer, transnational, and women of color feminisms in our curriculum. We encourage creative, innovative, and collaborative frameworks of study, and we work to meet the needs of a wide range of students, developing curriculum that is meaningful for students who wish to pursue careers in academia, as well as those who may be interested in community organizing, feminist nonprofit work, and/or other professional areas.
Our faculty members have won numerous teaching, research, service, and development awards and are actively involved in the life of the University.