The Women's Studies Option was approved in May, 1999. The description of the option, which is shown below, first appeared in Brookdale's 2000 catalogue. The three faculty members who developed the option and worked to get it approved are Irma Lester of the Writing Department, Elaine Klett of the Math Department, and Jane Scimeca of the History Department. The reasons for implementing a Women's Studies Option are:
- Having a Women's Studies Option attracts and retains a more diverse student population. People interested in examining the diversity of women's experiences as they are shaped by gender, class, race/ethnicity, sexuality, age, and ability and women's roles in---and contributions to knowledge of---history, literature, culture, mathematics and science, will have an opportunity to pursue their interest with this option.
- Students who may not have considered pursuing women's studies may---once exposed to one or more of these courses---decide to continue at Brookdale fulfilling the option's requirements and then transferring to a school to pursue a major or minor in women's studies. This option facilitates transferring to other institutions of higher learning in New Jersey, which support majors and minors in Women's Studies.
- The courses in this option present a variety of choices for meeting requirements for the New Jersey 'diversity' competency.
- By initiating a Women's Studies option, Brookdale is keeping pace with the national trend that shows an increase in the development of women's studies programs. In the U.S. there are now more than 600 undergraduate women's studies programs---many of which offer a major---as well as more than 100 masters degree programs and a growing number of Ph.D. programs.
Important Women's Studies Organizations: The National Women's Studies Association and New Jersey Women's and Gender Studies Consortium