Gender and Sexuality Studies Department

The Gender and Sexuality Studies program at Saddleback College explores how women's and men's lives are affected by society's values, traditions and institutions. The curriculum examines how belief structures, historical events, political systems and economic institutions shape the status of women and men in a domestic and global perspective, as well as how these experiences differ by race, class, ethnicity, nationality, religion, ability and sexual orientation.

The Gender and Sexuality Studies curriculum is interdisciplinary in scope and teaching, with faculty members from across a range of disciplines teaching within the major and 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 Gender and Sexuality Studies.

In many instances, Gender and Sexuality 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, and social activists of varying backgrounds. In an effort to be as inclusive as possible, the curriculum stresses not only the acquisition of analytic skills, but also the integration of personal and social awareness.

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