Towson University's Women's Studies department was established in 1973 by a committee appointed to develop courses and secure funding for the department, and to improve the representation of women across the Towson curriculum. Previously, in 1972, Towson had established its Women's Center, only the second such center in the country. The Women's Studies minor became available to students in 1976, and in 1993 Towson became the first school in the University System of Maryland to offer an independent Women's Studies major.

 

Anniversary Materials

In 1993 and 2003, to celebrate the 20th and 30th anniversaries of the creation of the Women's Studies Department, current and former faculty and students produced two booklets containing a history of the department and a series of essays reflecting the role of Towson's Women's Studies courses in their lives. In 2023, Towson celebrated the department's 50th anniversary with a panel on reproductive justice and a virtual discussion with retired members of the Women's Studies faculty.

Course Materials

Materials from previous courses in the Women's Studies department, including course proposals, syllabi, and reading lists.

Correspondence

Letters and memoranda documenting the planning of the Women's Studies department and efforts to reduce disparities between male and female faculty at Towson.

Curriculum Transformation Resources

Towson has participated in several projects aimed at making college and community college courses more inclusive, and addressing topics of race, gender, sexuality, class, and ethnicity across the curriculum. In addition to planning documents from these projects, our collection includes published material produced as resources for community colleges and universities interested in reworking their own curricula.

Event Materials

Planning materials and flyers advertising events, programs, and lectures organized by the Women's Studies department and other Towson University departments and groups.

Newsletters

Issues of newsletters produced by the Women's Studies Department and Women's Center, including On Our Minds, a publication of upcoming events and writing relating to women, and Re-Visions, a newsletter documenting curriculum transformation projects headed by Towson.

Oral Histories

Oral history interviews with students, faculty, and other participants in the movement for women's rights and studies.

Student Work

Student works and projects produced for Women's and Gender Studies classes and programs, including interviews of faculty and graduates of the department.

Browse All Materials

View the entire Women's Studies Collection.

The banner image for this page shows Women's Center Director Leah R. Schofield and Assistant Director Meg Nugent in the Towson Women's Center. This photograph was originally published in the 1990 Tower Echoes yearbook.