Department Overview

Lewis & Clark’s Gender Studies Program, the first of its kind in the country, has received national recognition. Building on Lewis & Clark’s commitment to gender issues and gender balance across the curriculum, the College offers a minor in Gender Studies. Gender Studies faculty are housed in departments across the campus and Gender Studies minors have widely varying majors. In this way, Gender Studies is integrated throughout the college curriculum and students engage in interdisciplinary study of gender. The program identifies resources, gathers information, develops programs, sponsors an annual symposium, and serves as catalyst for change that should be of equal concern to men and women.

The interdisciplinary minor in gender studies examines the relationship between biological differences and social inequality, explores the construction of sexual identity, and analyzes the variations in gender systems that have occurred across cultures and over time. It illuminates the images of femininity and masculinity that shape cultural representations and explores similarities and differences in men’s and women’s artistic expression. Courses take gender as a subject of focus and investigate how gender interacts with race, class, and culture. The College’s internationalized curriculum and overseas study program make it possible for students to examine the intersections of gender, race, and class in a variety of cultures. Finally, the minor engages students in the political and philosophical exploration of strategies for transforming coercive and unequal gender systems and enhancing individual choice and our common humanity.