About Women's, Gender & Queer Studies

Cal Poly is in tiłhini, the Place of the Full Moon. We gratefully acknowledge, respect, and thank yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini, Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region in whose homelands we are guests.  

Teaching, learning and doing in Women’s, Gender & Queer Studies at Cal Poly is designed to promote scholarly inquiry, education and activism. As described by the National Women’s Studies Association (2013), Women’s, Gender & Queer Studies “is fundamentally about the study of power and societal inequalities.” Our students are empowered to question and contribute to knowledge creation, community formation, activism, creative practice, and policymaking from interdisciplinary and intersectional perspectives. 

Cal Poly established the minor in Women’s Studies in 1990. Our first minors graduated in 1991-92. In Fall 2017, the Women’s & Gender Studies Department launched a new Queer Studies minor. In 2021, the department's name was officially changed from Women's & Gender to Women's, Gender & Queer Studies.

You, Us, and Women’s, Gender & Queer Studies at Cal Poly

Women’s, Gender & Queer Studies at Cal Poly is a visible and valued part of the Cal Poly community. Faculty, students, and staff from across the university are part of Women’s, Gender & Queer Studies at Cal Poly. We look forward to working with and learning from you.