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

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 co-directed by Valerie Goertzen, Associate Professor of Music History; and Jaita Talukdar, Associate Professor of Sociology. 

Participating faculty also include: 

• Natasha Bingham
• Patricia Boyett
• Alice Clark
• Barbara Ewell
• Angie Brocato Hoffer
• Laura Hope
• Leonard Kahn
• Trimiko Melancon
• Constance Mui
• Trish Nugent
• Cathy Rogers
• Sanjog Rupakheti
• Rae Taylor 

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?