• Gain exposure to and inclusion in a developed network of feminist programs and organizations
• Study feminist and queer theory while exploring five European countries and earning 16 semester credits
• Develop and conduct an independent research project on a topic of your interest
• Participate in the  NOISE  Conference with Women’s and Gender Studies scholars and Masters and PhD students from across Europe
• Learn the necessary skills for analyzing and understanding feminist and queer theory, which can be used on your home campus or in future graduate studies.

“Absolutely life changing event.”

- Laura Michaelson,  Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Program Description

Since 1984, the Comparative Women’s and Gender Studies in Europe (WGSE) program has offered students a unique opportunity to explore feminist and queer theory in practice across Europe. The program examines the trends and dynamics of European social, economic, and political systems as they influence contemporary gender theory, policy, and women’s and  LGBTQ  identities.

Following an orientation to the program, students participate in  NOISE, a one-week summer school in  WGS  co-organized by Utrecht University and  ATHENA, the European Network of Women’s Studies. After  NOISE, the  WGSE  participants spend the rest of the semester studying  WGS  in Istanbul, Turkey; Prague, the Czech Republic; Berlin, Germany; Krakow, Poland; and Utrecht/Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Students come face to face with leading theories in  WGS  and have the opportunity to test their knowledge while working on their independent research projects. Participants attend lectures and take seminars with the Program Director, Iveta Jusová, PhD, as well as with professors from European universities, NGOs, artists, and activists.

Students from a wide range of schools across the country have participated in the  WGSE  program since its beginning in 1984. Since 2008, participants have come from the following institutions: Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Bates College, Berry College, Bryn Mawr College, Carleton College, Colby College, College of the Atlantic, Denison University, Evergreen State University, Fort Lewis College, Grand Valley State University, Grinnell College, Hampshire College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Kenyon College, Macalester College, Penn State University, Rice University, Scripps College, Skidmore College, Swarthmore College, University of Georgia, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Wellesley College, Williams College, and Yale University, in addition to students from Antioch College and Antioch University.

To read a blog written by one of our 2010 participants,  click here.