Gender Studies

Gender is political. It's cultural. It's complex. Whether we recognize it or not, we experience, reinforce and disrupt social expectations about masculinity, femininity, sex, sexuality, and sexual identities every day. A host of other identity categories (age, race, ability and disability, size, ethnicity, and class, among others) also contribute to how we experience "gender."

Our Vision: To prepare students as scholars, professionals, and social justice advocates to become agents of positive change for a diverse and inclusive global future.

Mission Statement:  The Gender Studies Program provides interdisciplinary opportunities to  understand gender in intersectional contexts and to analyze structural and systemic forms of privilege and oppression.  Student-scholars share, present and publish their work and develop as professionals and leaders as they become life-long learners in the best sense of that term: curious, committed, respectful of diverse perspectives and passionate about their ability to make our world a better place. 

SRU offers a major and minor in Gender Studies that explores all of these intersections and which recognizes the messy but also fascinating concepts of gender.  Both are interdisciplinary, pulling from courses and departments from across the university, and thus complements and enriches every major and minor. One question we're asked often is whether or not men can or should adopt the major or the minor. Absolutely. As noted above, we're all affected by gender norms, and critical inquiry into how and why those norms are created and maintained can enrich everyone.  

SRU has a Gender Studies committee, which meets three times a semester and includes faculty, staff, administrators and students. If you are interested in participating, send an email to julie.naviaux@sru.edu We'd love to have you join us and to benefit from your input and perspective.

SRU also has a Gender Studies Program that hosts events through the academic year. Check out our Upcoming Events and Past Programming links. 

Information about the major can be found here, as can information about the minor. 

Our office is located in 203H Spotts World Culture Building.