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Making the Case for GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies

Introduction

The focus of this list is on making the case for gender, women’s, and sexuality studies courses, departments, and programs in a higher education setting. The resources included speak broadly to the relevance, benefits, and importance of GWSS, as well as its interdisciplinary and intersectional nature. We’ve included current and historical perspectives on how the field and arguments for it have changed over time. 

This page will be updated with new resources as they become available. Some articles may be placed under multiple headings and are listed alphabetically except where otherwise noted. The resources are primarily focused on the US, but a section is also available for resources targeted at other geographic areas. Page last updated 11/7/2025.

Most Recent

Resources from 2023-present; Ordered reverse chronologically, then alphabetically

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Student Perspectives

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Administrative Matters

NWSA compiles a list of potential program evaluators from among its membership (members must be logged into their NWSA account to access).

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Across the Disciplines

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Case Studies

  • Clark, J. E., & Hogan, K. (2002). Doing women’s studies on the sly at LaGuardia Community College. Women’s Studies Quarterly, 30(3), 82-89. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40003245
  • Fisher, J. (2002). Women’s studies without a women’s studies program: The case of Hostos Community College. Women’s Studies Quarterly, 30(3), 99-108. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40003247
  • Johnson, M.L. (2015). ‘Lez be honest’: Queer feelings about women’s studies at a public regional university in the southeastern United States. Feminist Formations, 27(3), 237–260. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/607301
  • Martin, J. L., Nickels, A. E., & Sharp-Grier, M. (Eds.). (2017). Feminist pedagogy, practice, and activism: Improving lives for girls and women. Routledge.
  • Millar, K. (2020). Rewards and resistance: The importance of teaching women’s and gender studies at a southern, comprehensive, liberal arts university. Gender and Education, 33(4), 403–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2020.1722069 
  • Vickers, M. Z. (2005, Mar. 30). An empty room of one’s own: A critical look at the women’s studies programs of North Carolina’s publicly funded universities. Inquiry, 22. https://jamesgmartin.center/wp-content/uploads/2005/03/inquiry22-womensstudies.pdf  
  • Sheuman, S.A., & Sedlacek, W.E. (1976). An evaluation of a women’s studies program. University of Maryland. ED135315. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED135315
  • Stake, J. E., & Hoffmann, F. L. (2000). Putting feminist pedagogy to the test: The experience of women’s studies from student and teacher perspectives. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 24(1), 30-38. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2000.tb01019.x
  • Stake, J. E. (2006). Pedagogy and student change in the women’s and gender studies classroom. Gender and Education, 18(2), 199-212. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540250500380687 
  • Stake, J. E. (2007). Predictors of change in feminist activism through women’s and gender studies. Sex Roles, 57(1), 43-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9227-z
  • Stake, J. E., & Hoffmann, F. L. (2001). Changes in student social attitudes, activism, and personal confidence in higher education: The role of women’s studies. American Educational Research Journal, 38(2), 411-436. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312038002411
  • Stake, J. E., & Malkin, C. (2003). Students’ quality of experience and perceptions of intolerance and bias in the women’s and gender studies classroom. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27(2), 174-185. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-6402.0009
  • Stake, J. E., & Rose, S. (1994). The long-term impact of women’s studies on students’ personal lives and political activism. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 18(3), 403-412. https://doi.org//10.1111/j.1471-6402.1994.tb00463
  • Stoehr, A. (2016). The present status of women’s and gender studies programs at community colleges [Doctoral dissertation, Iowa State University]. Iowa State University Digital Repository. https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-180810-4800.

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International

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Foundational 

  • Allen, J. A., & Kitch, S. L. (1998). Disciplined by the disciplines? The need for an interdisciplinary research mission in women’s studies. Feminist Studies, 24(2), 275–300. https://doi.org/10.2307/3178698
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences. (2017). Profile of Women and Gender Studies Departments (HDS 4). https://www.amacad.org/humanities-indicators/womens-and-gender-studies-programs-profile 
  • Berger, M. T. (2012, October). So you want to change the world? Ms., 22(3), 38-45. 
  • Berger, M. T., & Radeloff, C. (2011). Transforming scholarship: Why women’s and gender studies students are changing themselves and the world. Routledge.
  • Boxer, M. J. (1998). When women ask the questions: Creating women’s studies in America. The Johns Hopkins University Press. 
  • Crouch, B. (2012). Finding a voice in the academy: The history of women’s studies in higher education. The Vermont Connection, 33(1), Article 3. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol33/iss1/3
  • Dever, M, & Day, L. (2001). Beyond the campus: Some initial findings on women’s studies, careers and employers. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 2(2), Article 4. https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol2/iss2/4  
  • Dever, M. (2004). Women’s studies and the discourse of vocationalism: Some new perspectives. Women’s Studies International Forum, 27(5-6), 475-488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2004.09.004 
  • Dever, M. (2003). How students characterise the vocational gains from women’s studies (or, why we need not be anxious) [Paper delivered at the Australian Women’s Studies Association Conference, ‘(Other) Feminisms’ (2003: University of Queensland).] Hecate, 29(2), 34-49. 
  • Evans, M. (1982). In praise of theory: The case for women’s studies. Feminist Review, 10, 61–74. https://doi.org/10.2307/1394780
  • Griffin, G. (2005). Doing women’s studies: Employment opportunities, personal impacts and social consequences. Zed Books. 
  • Howe, F. (Ed.). (2000). The politics of women’s studies: Testimony from the 30 founding mothers. The Feminist Press.
  • Hull, A., Scott, P. B., & Smith, B. (2015). But some of us are brave: Black women’s studies [2nd ed.]. The Feminist Press. 
  • Musil, C. M. (Ed.). (1992). The courage to question: Women’s studies and student learning. Association of American Colleges and National Women’s Studies Association.
  • O’Barr, J. (1994). Feminism in action: Building institutions and community through women’s studies. University of North Carolina Press.
  • Orr, C. M., Crowley, K., Thornton Dill, B., Guy-Sheftall, B., et al. (2011, September). Women’s studies as civic engagement: Research and recommendations. The Teagle Foundation. https://teaglefoundation.org/Teagle/media/GlobalMediaLibrary/documents/resources/Womens_Studies_as_Civic_Engagement.pdf?ext=.pdf
  • Stewart, N. A. (2007), Transform the world: What you can do with a degree in women’s studies. Ms., 17(2), 65-66.
  • Turner, K. C., Cherrin, S., Shiffman, J., & Turkel, K. D. (1998). (Eds.). Women’s studies in transition: The pursuit of interdisciplinarity. University of Delaware Press.
  • Wiegman, R. (Ed.). (2002). Women’s studies on its own: A next wave reader in institutional change. Duke University.

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