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February 2001, update of June 1988
Sherry Keen, Head, Acquisitions/Serials
The Women's Studies Program integrates the study of women's lives and of gender with the general curriculum. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws on the sciences, social sciences, humanities and the arts. One of the strengths of the program is the fact that it remains a program able to attract faculty members from all the other departments who offer courses that provide a forum in which women's issues are discussed, debated and studied.
The Graduate Programs in Women's Studies are interdisciplinary in design. The goal is to provide students a solid grounding in their discipline-specific studies while offering them tools for incorporating women's studies into their research. Women's Studies offers two Graduate Programs, the first is a joint terminal Master's Degree with the following departments: Anthropology, English and American Literature, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Sociology. The second is a joint Master's Degree offered to Brandeis Graduate Students currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs in American History, Anthropology, Comparative History, English and American Literature, the Heller Graduate School, Music, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Psychology and Sociology.
As an interdisciplinary program, Women's Studies uses materials from a wide variety of subject areas. The collection supports the study of women and gender from both a historical perspective to current research and feminist theory. We would collect materials in the area of family life and planning, the role of women in creative arts, politics, history, anthropology, law, psychology, sociology, sports, philosophy, religion and the sciences. Women's Studies should be represented in every other policy statement.
We participate in the Boston Library Consortium Cooperative Program in Women's Studies. This program is for Spanish language materials published in Latin America and the Caribbean. Participants include Boston University, Boston Public Library, Wellesley College, MIT, Tufts, Northeastern University, UMASS/Boston and Boston College. Brandeis University Libraries purchases literature and literary criticism published in the Andean region of South America.
We also participate in the Boston Library Consortium Cooperative Program for Women Composers (see Music policy statement).
Emphasis is on the female experience in America and Europe, but there is also an interest in women in the third world.
Interest is both in contemporary research and interpretation as well as in the literature of and by women and women in history from all periods.
Currently published material is emphasized. Earlier important work not represented in the collection is purchased on request.
In general, only English language materials are collected. Important works in other languages will be purchased upon request.
Monographs are primary to the collection.
Serials are primary to the collection.
The library buys or subscribes to electronic indexes and full-text databases that offer research value. Links to free websites are not actively collected together on the library's website although links to websites are included in guides produced by the library.
Research collections in microforms are purchased when deemed relevant.
Dissertations are acquired on a highly selective basis.
Video and audio materials are acquired when relevant to the curriculum.
Materials are located both at the Main Library and the Science Library
None Specified
Subject Area |
Collecting Levels |
| The Family | Undergraduate study |
| Feminist Theory | Undergraduate study |