Welcome to Women's Studies
Examining how gender shapes our experiences
The Women's Studies minor is an interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary program that seeks to provide students and the university community with educational frameworks and strategies for intellectual and personal growth, positive social change, and political awareness that informs active participation in public affairs. It prepares students to gain an awareness of women's issues, to understand how social constructions of gender and sexuality affect and have shaped daily experience, broader social structures, institutions, social relations, and cultural and aesthetic production. By its very definition, attention to gender necessitates an approach that examines gender across race, class, sexuality, age, and nationality.
2016 Women's Studies Writing Competition Winners
Nancy Fix Anderson Women's Studies Essay Award
Sage Espindola: The Eternal Life and Words of Forough Farrokhzad
Women's Studies Creative Writing Award
Lauren Poiroux: Why Don't You Just Leave?
About Women's Studies
Program Requirements
Current Course Offerings
Faculty
Resources
About Women's Studies
Mission: Women's Studies at Loyola University New Orleans supports the mission of the university by educating the whole person in a critical and analytical understanding of women and gender across history and cultures, and the promotion of social justice in both an intellectual and an activist context.
Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary and mutli-disciplianry program that provides students and the university community with educational frameworks and strategies for intellectual and personal growth, positive social change, and political awareness that informs active participation in public affairs.
Click here to download our pamphlet and find out more about the program!
Program Requirements
The Women's Studies minor is a 21 credit hour program (7 courses) that prepares students to gain an awareness of women's issues, to understand how social constructions of gender and sexuality affect and have shaped daily experience, broader social structures, institutions, social relations, and cultural and aesthetic production.
An itemized academic program listing and course requirements for Women's Studies can be found in the University Bulletin.
Current Course Offerings
Students can use the Course Section Search on the Loyola Online Records Access (LORA) system to find courses that are eligible for the Women's Studies program. Before declaring a Women's Studies minor, please contact the program director.
Faculty
The Women's Studies program is directed by Natasha Bingham.
Participating faculty also include:
- Patricia Boyett
- Alice Clark
- Valerie Goertzen
- Leonard Kahn
- Trimiko Melancon
- Constance Mui
- Jaita Talukdar
- Rae Taylor
- Kate Yurgil
Resources
Rich campus life
- The Women's Resource Center supports SAGE: Student Advocates for Gender Equality and its programs.
- Internships are available at the Women's Resource Center. Preference is given to Women's Studies minors.
Women's Studies Writing Contests
Students are encouraged to submit their papers to the Women's Studies Writing Contests. The winner of each contest is recognized at the Humanities and Natural Sciences awards ceremony and receives a cash award of $100.
The Nancy fix Anderson Women's Studies Essay Contest
This award honors Dr. Nancy Fix Anderson, Professor Emerita of History (1974-75; 1979-2006), a founding member of the Women’s Studies Program and former chair of the Women’s Studies Committee. A popular teacher and committed scholar in women’s history, she was one of the first women faculty to receive Loyola's prestigious Dux Academicus award (1994). The contest is open to all Loyola students. Entries should be non-fiction prose, such as research papers, position papers, reports. Essays should have been written in a course for academic credit during the academic year in question or in the previous Spring or Summer term, and validated by the instructor of the course to be authentic and original. Topics can be in any academic discipline, but must concern an issue specific to women or gender.
2016 Winner: Sage Espindola - The Eternal Life and Words of Forough Farrokhzad
Women's Studies Creative Writing contest
Entries may be any work of creative writing, including poetry, fiction or drama. Entries must be the student's original work, published or unpublished, relating to the subjects of women and/or gender. Entries for either contest should be sent electronically to the co-chair of Women’s Studies, Valerie Goertzen at goertzen@loyno.edu.
2016 Winner: Lauren Poiroux - Why Don't You Just Leave?