Institutional Memory: Archiving the Women’s and Gender Studies Program
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Type
Submission
Keywords
Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS), Student Activism Archival Recovery, Institutional History, Oral Histories, Higher Education, Feminist Scholarship
Department
Women’s Studies
Major
International Studies
Abstract
The Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Program at Pepperdine University emerged from student activism, faculty advocacy, and institutional negotiation dating back to the late 1990s.This activism led to the creation in 2001 of the women’s studies minor which then made its debut in the 2001-2002 academic catalog. . Despite its continuing presence on campus, much of the program's early history has remained undocumented. This Seaver Undergraduate Research Project is part of a larger archival recovery of the program’s evolution, and the overarching goal of this project is to preserve a twenty-five-year history that might otherwise fade from institutional memory.
Synthesizing original letters of student support, program records, and interviews with faculty, alumni, and students, this recovery project reconstructs the narrative of the program's creation and honors the work of those who built and have sustained the program. Just as importantly, it ensures that future WGS students understand the Christian principles of community, diversity, and hospitality upon which the program stands.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Katie Frye
Funding Source or Research Program
Summer Undergraduate Research Program
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
10-4-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2026 2:00 PM
Institutional Memory: Archiving the Women’s and Gender Studies Program
Waves Cafeteria
The Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Program at Pepperdine University emerged from student activism, faculty advocacy, and institutional negotiation dating back to the late 1990s.This activism led to the creation in 2001 of the women’s studies minor which then made its debut in the 2001-2002 academic catalog. . Despite its continuing presence on campus, much of the program's early history has remained undocumented. This Seaver Undergraduate Research Project is part of a larger archival recovery of the program’s evolution, and the overarching goal of this project is to preserve a twenty-five-year history that might otherwise fade from institutional memory.
Synthesizing original letters of student support, program records, and interviews with faculty, alumni, and students, this recovery project reconstructs the narrative of the program's creation and honors the work of those who built and have sustained the program. Just as importantly, it ensures that future WGS students understand the Christian principles of community, diversity, and hospitality upon which the program stands.