About Us
The Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program at Oregon State University was founded in 1972 (as Women Studies) and has since grown to include seven full time faculty and more than 50 program faculty members from across the University.
Each term, more than 500 students take Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies courses, either to meet baccalaureate core requirements or major, minor, and graduate requirements. Many students simply take them for personal interest and fulfillment.
Our core faculty members are:
- Dr. Liddy Detar advises our undergraduate majors/minors in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and coordinates our undergraduate internship program. She also teaches "Women: Self and Society," and the undergraduate section of "Systems of Oppression in Women's Lives."
- Dr. Qwo-Li Driskill is a writer, scholar, educator, activist, and performer who specializes in queer and two-spirit indigenous studies. S/he teaches "Introduction to Queer Studies," "Queer Theories," "Queer Indigenous Studies," and "Queer/Trans People of Color Art/Activism," as well as the graduate seminar "Systems of Oppression in Women's Lives."
- Dr. Patti Duncan is currently the Coordinator of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She specializes in transnational feminist theories and movements, women of color studies, and feminist media studies. Her courses include "Disney: Gender, Race, Empire," "Politics of Motherhood in Global Contexts," "Women in World Cinema," and graduate seminars "Transnational Feminisms," and "Women of Color in the U.S."
- Kryn Freehling-Burton teaches introductory courses including "Women: Self, and Society," and "Women: Personal and Social Change," as well as other courses including "Women in Film" and "Women and Sexuality." She directs our online major/minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and is also active in theater projects as an actor and playwright.
- Dr. Janet Lee is a sociologist with research interests in feminist theories and narrative methodologies and women and literary histories. She teaches undergraduate introductory courses and global perspectives on women as well as graduate coursework in Feminist Teaching and Learning, Theories of Feminism, and Feminist Research.
- Dr. Susan Shaw is currently the director of the School of Language, Culture and Society, but she continues to teach in the program. Her research interests include women and rock 'n' roll as well as women and religion. She teaches Systems of Oppression, Feminist Theology and Spirituality, and Feminist Teaching and Learning.
- Dr. Mehra Shirazi's work focuses on health disparities through the lens of social justice with regard to class, race, geography, environment, immigrant status, and gender. She teaches "Global Perspectives on Women's Heatlh," "Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Health," and "Feminist Research," a graduate seminar focusing on community-based participatory research methods.
Also pictured are Elizabeth Sheehan (Assistant Professor, English), Bradley Boovey (Assistant Professor, Foreign Languages and Literatures) and Leonora Rianda (office coordinator).
Our faculty members have won numerous teaching, research, and development awards and are actively involved in the life of the University.
The WGSS GTAs are:
Clare Conway
Stephanie Glick
Leah Houtman
Wren Keturi
Steven Leider
Stephanie McClure
Aisha Nasser
Nancy O'Mara
O'Dessa Monnier
Alea Payne
Sahar Pour
Marie Rochat
Chelsea Whitlow