About Us
The Women's Studies Department crosses traditional academic disciplines and studies the world's diverse cultures to investigate such topics as the roles of women in developing countries and in migration; the ways gender interacts with race, ethnicity, and class; women and culture; how gender categories operate in our own and other societies; the history of sex and sexuality; and new directions in feminist theory.
The research arm of the Women's Studies Department is Women in Coalition, which sponsors conferences, brings women scholar-activists from various countries to speak at UCR, and conducts research. The Rural Women's Environmental Project, for instance, coordinates the work of researchers and activists concerned with issues facing women farm workers in California.
The Department faculty has full-time appointments in Women's Studies or holds joint appointments with other UCR humanities or social science departments; other faculties throughout the College are affiliates who regularly teach in Women's Studies. Faculty members have received research funding from federal, state, and private agencies; a number have done field research or taught in other countries. Alongside professional prominence, our faculty pride themselves on innovative and effective teaching.
The Department offers a Bachelors of Arts in Women's Studies. Lower-division courses familiarize students with the major issues in Women's Studies and the newest research on gender and sexuality. Upper division core and elective courses help students understand the varieties of feminist thought; how knowledge is produces in Women's Studies, and state-of-the-art research on gender and sexuality.