About

History of WGS

The Women's and Gender Studies Department at the University of South Florida is one of the oldest in the nation. In 1987, USF became the first public university in Florida to offer the B.A. in Women's Studies.

By 1991, the program had grown to include a full-time faculty of eight, achieving departmental status with the USF College of Arts & Sciences. In 1997, the Board of Regents granted permission to offer a Master's Degree in Women's Studies.

In 2007-2008, the Department experienced a number of faculty retirements, moves to other universities, and moves to other USF departments. With the support of the College of Arts and Sciences and Interim Chairs Marilyn Myerson and Jennifer Lewis, rebuilding began.

2010 and 2011 marked a number of changes in the Department: two new faculty received joint-appointments; two USF faculty moved to Women's Studies; a permanent chair was appointed; and we changed our department's name to Women's and Gender Studies to better reflect the work of questioning gender binaries and hierarchies.