Welcome

     The Women's and Gender Studies program at Saddleback College explores how women's lives have been and continue to be affected by society's values, traditions, and institutions.  The curriculum examines how language and belief structures shap both women's and men's status in society and culture, and how the experiences of women differ by race, class, ethnicity, nationality, religion and sexual orientation.

     The Women's and Gender Studies curriculum is interdisciplinary in scope.  Courses count as General Education requirements for the Associate in Arts degree and for university transfer programs.  When courses are combined, students can complete a major for an AA degree, plus accumulate the prerequisites needed for a transfer major in Women's and Gender Studies.

     In many instances, Women's and Gender Studies courses provide the only information students may receive about the literary, artistic, scientific and political contributions of women throughout history.  Students are encouraged to study, interpret and critique the experiences of women by examining the theories of feminist scholars and the contributions of writers, artists, socialactivists of varying backgrounds.  In an effort to be as inclusive as possible, the curriculum stresses not only the acuisiotion of analytic skills, but also the integration of personal and social awareness.

     The Women's and Gender Studies program at Saddleback, now entering its third decade, reprsents a core of evolving knowledge that has developed into a major new discipline.

See the class schedule link on the left to find the wide range of courses that we offer.

Our Core Courses for Women's and Gender Studies major Include:

WS 10     Introduction to Women's Studies

WS 21     Ethnic Women's issues in Contemporary

                American Society

WS 40    Women and Religion: In Search of the Goddess

WS 120  Women and Careers

WS 189/ WS289     Special Topics