Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST) is an interdisciplinary program comprised of students and faculty from across the five schools at Ithaca College. Focusing on women and gender as crucial categories of analysis, the minor seeks to explore their intersections with race, class, sexuality, and nation (among other social categories). Our classes promote the ongoing interrogation of power and privilege, and an understanding of how gendered inequalities are perpetuated, maintained, and subverted. We support intellectual projects and activities that foster community on campus and contribute to the ongoing production of knowledge about women and gender.
WGST as a discipline is in a constant process of redefining its terms, hence the recent renaming of our program from Women's Studies to Women's and Gender Studies. This transformation is not just nominal; it reflects our efforts to promote the ongoing study of genders and sexualities and to build a more inclusive community. Drawing from our roots in Women's Studies, as well as incorporating its new directions, our program highlights the experiences and contributions of women throughout history, and stresses the work of global feminisms, both past and present. The history and theories of feminism continue to inform WGS's commitment to political activism and social justice.
In addition to courses, WGST sponsors lecture series and other events on campus, including Women’s History Month and WomenSpeak. Feminists United is the student-run feminist organization on campus.
Ithaca College's Women’s and Gender Studies program is led by a faculty coordinator and a steering committee.