Women’s Studies at Bloomfield College is a multi-faceted program that includes an academic minor, a variety of co-curricular activities and events, and the Women’s Studies Resource and Empowerment Center.
Through our wide range of activities, Women’s Studies draws faculty, students, and staff from all of the divisions in the College to reflect on the impact of gender in our lives.
The Program was officially approved by the Faculty in April 1995. Guided by feminist perspectives and by collective experiences in the Women’s Movement and in Women’s Studies Programs at various other colleges and universities, Barbara Machtinger (History) and Erica Polakoff (Sociology), developed the Program according to the principles of mutuality, reciprocity and inclusivity. From the time of its inception, the progam has emphasized partnerships and non-hierarchical, collaborative work, and has committed itself to sponsoring ad co-sponsoring educational, cultural and consciousness-raising programs for the college-community and the community-at-large.
Although Women’s Studies has many dimensions, all of our activities are rooted in the same mission . Women’s Studies seeks to increase students’ awareness of and concern about personal, local, and global issues that affect women. We encourage students to integrate that awareness with academic skills in order to develop a voice and a course of action to address their concerns. We select an issue that serves as a theme for our activities for about a year. From Fall 2006 through Fall 2007, we studied the evils of human trafficking. In 2008, we are focusing on the presidential elections to be held in November, 2008. We also offer activities to support the overall well-being of women on campus.
The Women’s Studies academic concentration is an interdisciplinary program. Courses are cross-listed in the fields of Africana Studies, English, History, Nursing, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology. Participating faculty represent all of these areas, as well as Accounting, Business, CIS & Economics and Creative Arts & Technology.
Co-curricular activities and events originate in the Women’s Studies Resource and Empowerment Center (WSREC). The WSREC is under the Office of Academic Affairs. It is located on the second floor of the Student Center near the Wellness Center. Professionals from the Wellness Center and the Center for Student Leadership and Engagement (CSLE) are active members of the WSREC, along with the faculty.
For more information about the concentration in Women’s Studies, please contact:
Dr. Barbara Matchinger
Chair, Humanities Division
Telephone: (973) 748-9000, extension 705
Dr. Debora Adler
Coordinator, Women’s Studies
Telephone (973) 748-9000, extension 240.
