Interdisciplinary Gender and Ethnic Studies

The programs within Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies (IGES) share a commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching, critical cultural and social analysis, intersectionality, transnational perspectives, and public engagement. The unit dedicates itself to crossing boundaries and integrating insights from a range of fields, engaging faculty and students in an

exchange of learning and service in local communities and abroad. IGES seeks opportunities for collaborative work with partners in the university community and beyond by co-sponsoring events and projects based on a shared vision of social justice, global awareness, and the power of critical analysis linked to social action.

We offer a variety of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies degree programs that enable students to take courses in several departments and colleges throughout campus. IDS students create a degree plan that combines their coursework in

unique and innovative ways beyond the existing Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. Students can choose two to three disciplines from throughout campus to design their own personalized plan of study.

Gender, Ethnic, and Area Studies students take an in-depth approach to the critical study of power and identity, in local and global contexts. We provide students with interdisciplinary approaches and research methodologies for studying power

relations and intersectionality, i.e. how gender, race, class, sexuality, ethnicity, age, physical ability, and nationality shape the material conditions of peoples’ lives all over the world. Our classrooms are interactive learning environments that value diversity and multiple perspectives. Our students learn new ways of viewing the world, develop tools for critical thinking, and are empowered to make a difference in the world. Our curriculum provides students with the skills to undertake cutting-edge research on contemporary issues through our core sequence of upper-division courses on theory, research methodologies, and praxis.

Undergraduate degree programs include African American and African Diaspora Studies, Asian and Asian American Studies, Latinx and Latin American Studies, Multidisciplinary Studies, Social Science Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. We also offer a variety of minors and certificates, including American Indian and Indigenous Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Social Justice Studies.

Lynn Comella, Ph.D., Chair 

Program Information 

Interdisciplinary Gender and Ethnic Studies Faculty      

Courses - Interdisciplinary Gender and Ethnic Studies  

Department Website