News and Upcoming Events WS Research Group Lecture WS Research Group Lecture Jessica Valenti, (Feministing, an online blogging community for feminists), Wednesday, April 7, 7:30pm in HHS 2301 Call for submissions for the Feminist Scholarship Awards (JMU faculty & student) Follow the Announcements link above for up-to-date listings of Calls for Papers, upcoming conferences, and announcements for faculty and students. Faculty: click here for guidelines for proposing new or crosslisted courses in Women's Studies. |
What is Women's Studies?
The idea of the interdisciplinary field of Women's Studies emerged in the late 1960s as students and faculty recognized that research and teaching often ignored or devalued the contributions and experiences of women. The development of courses that gave serious and informed attention to women's lives involved a search for historical documents by and about women, the unfolding of women's concerns, and formation of feminist theories. Since the first Women's Studies program was established in 1970, Women's Studies programs have grown and prospered and today exist in most major educational institutions in the U.S.. Moreover, feminist scholarship has changed the way many disciplines approach their work.
Coordinators and Administration |
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| Dr. Mary Thompson English Department MSC 1801 Keezell 413 (540) 568-3758 thompsmx@jmu.edu |
Dr. Jessica Davidson History Department MSC 2001 Jackson 223 (540) 568- 2697 davidsjb@jmu.edu |
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| JMU's Women's Studies Program is administered through the Office of Cross Disciplinary Studies. The Women's Studies Advisory Board oversees the program and reviews proposed courses. The program coordinators serve as the academic advisers for students who elect the minor. | ||
| Mission and Program Objectives | ||
| The minor in Women's Studies is an 18-credit-hour interdisciplinary program that explores the scholarship related to gender and equity issues as they affect women. The minor reflects a common core of knowledge and a strong academic foundation from diverse disciplines designed to help students achieve the following objectives: | ||
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| History | ||
| In 1989 a subcommittee of the Faculty Women's Caucus proposed a Women's Studies program and minor that was approved in 1991 and was first housed in the Madison Center for Interdisciplinary Studies. The first Introduction to Women's Studies course was co-taught in the spring of 1992 by Dr. Arnie Kahn (Psychology) and Ms. Sharon O'Hare (Economics). The first director of Women's Studies was Dr. Violet Allain (General Education), who served from 1992-1997. She was succeeded by Dr. Mary Lou Wiley (affiliate) who served until 2004. The program is currently under the direction of Drs. Jessica Davidson (History) and Mary Thompson (English)and is part of Cross Disciplinary Studies. The first student to graduate with an official minor in Women's Studies was in 1993. | ||