Women's Studies Program

"The Women's Studies Program, at William & Mary, was established in the Fall of 1990 as an undergraduate, interdisciplinary academic unit within the School of the Arts and Sciences. It was one of the first interdisciplinary programs at William and Mary.[1] The purpose of the program is to acquaint students with current scholarship on women and gender, to introduce them to feminist theory and research, and to provide opportunities and support for students to engage in feminist activism. Students are also encouraged to undertake their own feminist research projects." [2]

In 1990, Women's Studies was offered as a minor under the Interdisciplinary Study program. Students could establish Women's Studies as their concentration while taking other complementary courses. The 1991-92 academic year saw the Women's Studies minor develop into a program, with the establishment of core courses. In the 1992-93 undergraduate catalog, the core courses are listed as "Perspectives on Women and Culture," "Feminist Writings and Women's Movements," and "Feminist Theory." Today, students can major or minor in the program.

The current (Spring 2009) director of Women's Studies is Christy Burns. Her specialties include film, literature and Irish Studies. The past directors of the program include Leisa Meyer, Suzanne Raitt, Debbie Green, and Nancy Gray. [3]

References

• Women's Studies Program website, http://web.wm.edu/womensstudies/?fetchid=6468, accessed 1 April 2009.
• Women's Studies Program web page, http://web.wm.edu/womensstudies/?fetchid=9126, accessed 23 April 2009.
• Women's Studies Program, The College of William and Mary Undergraduate Catalog, 1992-93, Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, William & Mary.

Material in the Special Collections Research Center

Women's Studies Program in the SCRC database.

Need help?

To search for further material, visit the Special Collections Research Center's Search Tool List for an overview of the Special Collections Database, W&M Digital Archive, Flat Hat-William & Mary News-Alumni Gazette index, card catalogs, and other tools available to help you find material of interest in William & Mary Libraries Special Collections Research Center.

Questions? Contact the Special Collections Research Center at spcoll@wm.edu or 757-221-3090, or visit the Special Collections Research Center in the Earl Gregg Swem Library at William & Mary.

A Note About The Contents Of This Wiki

The information available in this wiki is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Unfortunately, many of the early original records of William & Mary were destroyed by fires, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. Information in this wiki is not complete as new information continues to be uncovered in Swem Library's Special Collections Research Center and elsewhere. Researchers are strongly encouraged to use the Special Collections search tools for their research as the information contained in this wiki is by no means comprehensive.