Gender Studies Program
Gender Studies at Boise State focuses on building an academic and intellectual environment for students and faculty members. The program offers courses focused on issues of intersectionality, gender, sex, sexuality, diversity, race theory, and more. Gender Studies seeks to provide students with an opportunity to learn about all forms of hierarchy and power relations which in turn perpetuate gendered socio-economic and political structures and oppressions. Multicultural and interdisciplinary in approach, the Program seeks to address many of the current social, economic, professional, media, individual, systemic, and public policy issues revolving around discussions of gender and sexuality and how we operate within them.
Join Us April 4 for a Featured Event!
Gender Studies is proud to present a talk by Madazon Can-Can titled “Performance Art for Social Change: How Drag, Burlesque, and underground Cabaret are fueling the fire for change through artistic theatrical expression”
Join us Thursday, April 4, 5:30-7pm in the Forum Room of the Student Union Building – light refreshments will be provided
Performance Art for Social Change-
How Drag, Burlesque and underground Cabaret are fueling the fire for change through artistic theatrical expression
Madazon Can-Can is a working Radical Educator, Performance Artist, Drag Thing, Clown, Burlesquer and Regular Weirdo hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah.
In exploring the raw nature of the queer underground in one of the most oppressed cities in the country, they quickly came to realize the crucial nature of their work both on and off stage.
Queer performance artists in particular are often the most seen and recognized faces in their communities. At the forefront of community events, Queer performance artists are often associated with both queer revolution, celebration and ridicule.
With the appearance of the underground queer art scene ever more present via social media, television shows such as Ru Paul’s Drag Race and the increasing demand from the general public for live shows, the queer arts have never been more listened to. For better or for worse.
Revolution, the Underground and the demand for social change is heralded by the ones seen and given a platform. With the independence given to Queer artists via social media, it has never been more apparent that those performing on stage demand change off stage and they happen to be incredibly convincing.
Theatre is one vehicle in which we can access an audience, a platform, a community and a call for action. When it’s queer… it just so happens to be radical, sparkly, devastatingly honest and needed.
Sign up for Gender Studies Courses!
Summer and Fall 2024 courses now listed! Go to our Course Offerings page for details!
Check out our Special Topics course offering:
GENDER 397 – Gendered Performance through the Ages
About the Gender Studies Program
Established in 1994, the Gender Studies Program was honored by the National Council for Research on Women with its Emerging Center Award for 2010. This award recognizes the significant national impact of the research, advocacy and leadership engaged in by the Gender Studies Program and the faculty, students, and staff engaged in the program as it has grown in recent years.
Gender Studies at Boise State focus on building an academic and intellectual environment for students and faculty members. The program offers gender/ sex/ sexuality/ intersectionality/ diversity/ race theory courses, and/or courses taught with an interdisciplinary lens. It seeks to provide students with an opportunity to learn about all forms of hierarchy and power relations which in turn perpetuate gendered socio-economic and political structures. In other words, it encourages students to think outside the box and engage in critical thinking regarding the ethics and politics of equality and justice, and links the questions of gender and sexuality (both men and women) to all forms of hierarchical differences.
Multicultural and interdisciplinary in approach, the Program seeks to address many of the current social, economic, professional, media, individual, and public policy issues revolving around discussions of gender and sexuality. Students examine the experiences of women and men and concepts of gender and sexuality within different cultural, social, economic, and religious contexts through the study of scholarship and creative works in a variety of fields. Thus, the course work seeks to provide students with essential preparation for lives and careers deeply impacted by ongoing debates regarding gender and sexuality in our society. Students taking course work in Gender Studies have the opportunity to earn a Minor Degree in Gender Studies.
Learn more about Gender Studies
Whether you are a current or prospective student, a faculty or staff member, or an interested visitor, we appreciate your interest in our program and invite you to explore our website, our program, and the opportunities to earn a Minor Degree in Gender Studies.
Best regards,
Dr. Aiden VanderStouwe
Interim Director of Gender Studies
Lecturer, Department of Linguistics
cvanderstouwe@boisestate.edu
Riverfront Hall 214 E