The history of Women’s Studies at Indiana University Purdue University at Fort Wayne began in the spring of 1972. Working alongside feminist activists in the city of Fort Wayne, our faculty began developing courses that brought radically new perspectives to traditional disciplines with the offering of a course in the Psychology of Women. In the fall of 1972, two additional courses were offered, an Interdisciplinary Research Seminar and a Philosophy of Women. By the spring of 1973, a group of faculty and students interested in Women’s Studies began to meet regularly to plan and develop courses and to discuss common aims and goals. In the fall of 1974 and spring of 1975, six new courses were added to the Women’s Studies curriculum. Three of these courses were team taught as an interdisciplinary course. In the fall of 1975, Images of Women in Hispanic Literature was added to the curriculum. In the spring of 1976, five courses were offered: Women In Literature, Women In French Literature, The American Women’s Movement-Ideas and Issues and Women and Men-Interdisciplinary Perspective on Sex-Roles and Women and Politics. 1976 was also the year that saw the creation of the Women's Studies minor at (I)PFW. For the first time, in the spring of 1977, the Introductory Women’s Studies course, WS200 Women In Contemporary Society was offered and repeated again for the summer session, 1977. The program has kept growing and expanding, leading toward (I)PFW becoming the first state university in Indiana to offer a B.A. in women's studies.  We are happy to be celebrating 50 years and counting of Women's Studies at (I)PFW!

One of the most remarkable facets of our history is how intertwined our roots are with those of the surrounding Fort Wayne community. Many of those developing courses and teaching in the women’s studies program during those early years were the same activists who established or contributed to the network of social services that were founded in Fort Wayne in the 1970s, including the Women’s Bureau (now part of the YWCA of Northeast Indiana) and the Center for Nonviolence. It’s fitting, therefore, that these same social service providers have employed many graduates of the women’s studies program over the years. Step into any of these nonprofits today and you will most likely encounter a women’s studies graduate leading one of their programs, spearheading one of their new initiatives, and advocating for others and for change in our community.

This online exhibit celebrates 50 years (and counting) of Women's Studies in Fort Wayne. As you scroll through the exhibit, you will find archival materials documenting the work of Women's Studies personnel in the interconnected communities of (I)PFW and Fort Wayne.