Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

MISSION

Creating and sustaining a community of scholar-activists who: understand systems of gender and sexuality; generate and apply intersectional feminist and queer perspectives; challenge structural inequalities; and work for social justice.

WGS DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The study of women has been part of the GVSU curriculum since 1973 when courses were taught in the College of Arts and Sciences and in William James College. The minor in Women's Studies was approved in 1986 and the first Women's Studies minor graduated in 1988. In 1997, the program was significantly expanded to include the study of gender. Women and Gender Studies became a major in 2006. In fall of 2013, a new minor in LGBTQ Studies was launched. With the study of sexuality added to curriculum, the program name was changed to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGS) in 2015. The WGS Department is housed in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies.

VISION

The Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department will be a community of excellent faculty and students who share a vision of diverse gender justice, providing a theory-based and broadly engaged curriculum that focuses on transforming the campus and the larger community through rigorous scholarship as a foundation for teaching, learning, vocation, and civic life.

Values:

• Building communities that ensure gender justice
• Interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and research
• Liberal education and academic excellence in learning, teaching, and research
• Rigorous scholarship by faculty and students as a foundation for teaching, learning, vocation, and civic life
• Diverse, innovative, and effective teaching
• Assessment as a means to evaluate and improve student learning
• Culture of collegiality and collaboration
• Diversity, civic discourse, and democratic communities
• Experiential and high-impact learning
• International perspectives and experiences

Mission & Vision

Mission

Cultivating engaged global citizens through innovative interdisciplinary programs and diverse community partnerships.

Vision

The Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies will be a regional and national model for creative inquiry, integrative programming, inclusive practices, and student empowerment.

Guiding Principles

We value:

A collegial and collaborative student-centered environment where we support each other and work together, both within the college and across campus, in an open and transparent manner.

Cultural diversity and diversity of voices as a foundational principle in our curriculum, programming, and practices.

Community engagement through educational initiatives and experiential learning.

Interdisciplinary research and teaching that challenges and expands perspectives.

Risk-taking and innovation that encourages alternative approaches to scholarship, teaching, and learning.

Social, environmental, and financial sustainability in all that we do.