Western Washington University Plans to Rebrand Its Women’s Studies Program

Western Washington University in Bellingham has announced plans to rename its women’s studies program to women, gender, and sexuality studies. Vicki Hsueh, director of the program, has submitted a proposal to change the name to the university’s curriculum council. New courses are being planned to broaden the scope of the program to reflect its new name.

Dr. Hsueh, who is also an associate professor of political science, states, “Our program offers a rich interdisciplinary approach to women, gender, and sexuality studies. Central to our program is the study of women in all their diversity. We study women’s contributions as artists and anarchists, poets and politicians, public figures and private citizens. The program also examines the complexities of gender, analyzing the construction of feminine, masculine, and queer identities across time and cultures.”

Dr. Hsueh is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hsueh is the author of Hybrid Constitutions: Challenging Legacies of Law, Privilege, and Culture in Colonial America (Duke University Press, 2010).

Women make up 55 percent of the 14,000 undergraduate students at Western Washington University.