We examine feminist and queer thought in a variety of global and historical contexts. Faculty specialize in literature, history, anthropology, film, and politics.

Department Highlights

About SWAGS

The Major

Students explore and analyze the creation, meaning, function and perpetuation of gender in human societies.

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About SWAGS

Honors Theses

SWAGS theses are interdisciplinary. Recent graduates have worked on projects such as the poetry of Alice Fulton, queer activism on the internet, and public health and abortion rights, among others.

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Gender matters poster

Our History

Founded in 1986 by prominent feminist scholars on campus, the department grew out of the intellectual and political excitement generated by women's and gender studies, broadly, and the growing presence of women at Amherst College.

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Women’s and Gender Center

Our faculty and students work closely with the WGC, which promotes learning about and exploring gender through personal experience, academic inquiry, community organizing, activism, and discussion.

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About SWAGS

Queer Resource Center

The Queer Resource Center serves as the hub of the queer community on campus. The Center provides numerous events, resources and leadership opportunities for all students at Amherst College.

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About SWAGS

Our Alumni

SWAGS majors go on to graduate school at top universities, and work in fields ranging from academia, to journalism, to medicine, to the law.

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The Latest

Congratulations to Manuela Picq!

Manuela Picq being freed from detention

Manuela Picq, Karl Loewenstein Senior Lecturer in Political Science, has been awarded the 2024 Outstanding Activist Scholar Award by the International Political Economy section of the International Studies Association (ISA). The award recognizes exemplary individuals who bridge academia and activism, whose publications are recognized within the academic community, and which reach a broader audience, and who are active participants in progressive civil society. 

Martha Saxton (1945-2023)

Amherst College mourns the passing of Martha Saxton, Professor of History and SWAGS and Elizabeth W. Bruss Reader, Emerita, on July 18, 2023.

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2023 Rose Olver Student Research Fund

Sofia Hincapie-Rodrigo '24
Mica Nimkarn '24

Congratulations to our co-winners Sofia Hincapie-Rodrigo '24 (SWAGS/Political Science) and Mica Nimkarn '24 (SWAGS/Anthropology)!

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2023 David Kirp '65 Stonewall Prize Winner

Andres Valenzuela

Congratulations to Andres Valenzuela '23, winner of the David Kirp '65 Stonewall Prize!

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Featured

2023 Rose Olver Prize Winner

Melanie Schwimmer

Congratulations to Melanie Schwimmer '23, winner of the Rose Olver Prize!

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Award-winning "Black Women of Amherst College" Podcast

The podcast, hosted by Nichelle Carr ’98 and launched by the College last fall in collaboration with WC1 Studios and Zeldavision, has been recognized among “the best of the internet" as the 2023 People's Voice Winner in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category and 2023 Webby Winner in the Best Limited Series category.

Podcast

Paris Press Collection

Formerly based in Ashfield, MA, Paris Press was a small, lesbian-led literary press that published the experimental and often overlooked work of women writers. Between 1993 and 2018, the Press printed original poetry chapbooks, assembled anthologies, and resurfaced plays, memoirs, and novels that had gone out of print. Published authors include Bryher, Virginia Woolf, Zdena Berger, Emily Dickinson, and Muriel Rukeyser among others.

Archives and Special Collections acquired press director Jan Freeman’s archive in 2018. The collection consists of nearly 80 linear feet of paper records (including letters, early manuscripts, study guides) and several terabytes of digital material that reflect the responsibilities and challenges of operating a small press.

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2022 Summer Newsletter

Check out our new Summer 2022 newsletter!

Newsletter

Interview of Rose Olver

Professor Rose Olver of Psychology and SWAGS was interviewed in 2008 as part of the Friends of the Amherst College Library: Oral History Project to capture on video interviews with members of the Amherst community whose involvement with the college has been long-standing and whose reminiscences seem likely to be of historical significance.

Interview

Sexuality, Women’s & Gender Studies Courses

Current Courses
Rose Olver

Now Accepting Submissions!

The SWAGS Department is now accepting submissions for the David Kirp 1965 Stonewall Prize (deadline: Monday, April 15) and the Rose Olver Prize  (Extended deadline: Wednesday, April 17 at noon).

Rose Olver Prize Kirp Stonewall Prize
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Faculty Office Hours

SWAGS faculty are available each week to meet with students. Their offices are located in various buildings across campus.

Office Hours

Five College Certificates

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Five College Certificate in Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice

Students delve into the social, economic, legal and political conditions that influence reproduction through a variety of classes across the five colleges. Students graduating in May 2020 should submit documents to their RHRJ advisor by April 20.

Learn More about the RHRJ certificate.

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Five College Certificate in Queer, Trans, and Sexuality Studies

Students critically examine the relationship between sexual and gender identities, experiences, cultures and communities in a wide range of historical and political contexts through a variety of classes across the five colleges.

Learn More about the QTS certificate.