About Our Program

About the Women Gender and Sexuality Studies Program

students screen printing a t shirt with the letters WGSS

About Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

We are proud to be a program that represents social justice through our curriculum, pedagogy, and faculty research. 

As an interdisciplinary field, Women, Gender and Sexuality studies draws from a variety of disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and the arts, to help students gain understanding of the social and cultural constructions of gender and sexuality and their relationship to race, class and other social factors.  

We are committed to fostering a vibrant learning environment where we cultivate students’ intellectual curiosity and equip them with the tools to create meaningful social change. 

students sitting in an auditorium listening to a new student orientation

Inter-Sections

Each year, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies showcases original student research at Inter-Sections, a research conference which offers students an opportunity to present and workshop research, hear from peers and learn from award-winning faculty.  

Our History

1992: After sustained advocacy from female faculty who wanted a space to explore the lived experiences of women, which were sidelined in other academic disciplines, Seattle University established the Women’s Studies Program. 

2009: The Women’s Studies Program becomes the Women and Gender Studies Program. 

2018: The program changes its name to the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program and adds the LGBTQ Studies minor. 

a box of multi colored paints on a table with paintbrushes

Our Community

Students and faculty gather to share ideas and build community in a variety of spaces outside the classroom, including an annual lecture series, book clubs, craft events and salons—a space for students and professors to discuss topical issues in a casual environment.