Description
The Women's Studies Department Records (1966-2006) document the growth and development of the first women's studies department in the nation, including its formation,
early relationship with the Center for Women's Studies and Services (CWSS), now named Center for Community Solutions, course
development, student work, and interactions between students and faculty with local, national, and international women's groups.
It includes annual reports, self studies, syllabi, correspondence, reports, budgets, minutes, newsletters, course development
materials, files from various events and organizations, and photographic slides. The collection consists of four major series:
Administrative Files (1970-2002), Curricular Files (1972-2004), Organization and Event Files (1966-1996), and Multimedia Materials (1975-2000). The Administrative Files have two sub-series: Annual Reports and Self Studies and Department Office Files. The Curricular Files are filed in three sub-series: Syllabi, Course Development Files, and New Views on Women Records. The Organization and Event Files are divided in two sub-series: Special Events and Women's Organizations and Workshop for Careers for Women in Science and Engineering Files.
Background
In 1969, students from SDSU's Women's Liberation Group, in cooperation with faculty and community women, formed an Ad Hoc
Committee for Women's Studies. The committee collected signatures from over 600 students in support of establishing a Women's
Studies Program at SDSU. In response, the university started an informal Women's Studies Program for the Spring 1970 semester.
By the start of the Fall 1970 semester, SDSU had formally established a department of Women's Studies which offered 11 courses.
It was the first such department in the United States.
Restrictions
The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. The nature
of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.
Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. Requests for permission to publish
must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. Permissions
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.