Women's and Gender Studies Department
Mission Statement

Mission Statement:
The Women's and Gender Studies Department at Sonoma State University endeavors to explore, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the full impact of gender in the experiences of men and women in the United States and around the world. This kind of perspective assumes that race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, and nation, among other things, are integral to constructions of gender and constructions of knowledge. Women's and Gender studies envisions alternatives and interrogates existing social structures, institutions, and ideologies as they impact upon women's and men's lives. Emphasizing the connections between theory and practice, Women's and Gender Studies encourages applied learning through required internships, community involvement projects, research, and service learning courses. Women's and Gender Studies thus aims to effectively implement the Sonoma State University Diversity Vision Statement with a mission and curriculum that encourages "a commitment to social justice and equality", "a respect for human diversity", and supports a "pedagogy dedicated to diversity issues." We believe that an explicit integration and focus on gender relation to race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and nation fosters the development of the critical lens and openness of mind that is necessary for men and women to meet the challenges of the 21st century.