Sonoma State University

Our History

  • Fall 1970

    J.J. Wilson and students start planning for courses on women

    First consciousness-raising groups on campus

  • Spring 1971

    First course on women--a student-initiated course on "Women and History," taught by Trish Raleigh and Shelly Fedanzo with Bob Brown as faculty sponsor

  • Summer 1971

    First faculty-taught course on women--"Women and Literature," taught by J.J. Wilson

  • Fall 1971

    First interdisciplinary lecture series on women--"Pandora's Box" coordinated by J.J. Wilson, Elaine Bundeson and Sandra Walton

    First course on women in regular department curriculum: "Women's History," taught by Mary Felstinger

    Women's Survival Center founded in Clarice Stasz's office

  • Spring 1972

    First student-initiated courses on women listed as Women's Studies courses

    Five students apply for a special major in Women's Studies

    Women's Survival Center gets space in the university library

  • Fall 1972

    First women's Studies core course, WOMS 200, "Changing Women," taught by J.J. Wilson and Karen Petersen

    Eight courses on women taught in regular departments, including a course on La Chicana in Mexican-American studies and one on Black Women taught in Afro-American Studies

    Five extension courses offered on women's business

    Women's Survival Center gets office in the trailers

  • Spring 1973

    Women's Studies becomes a program within the Division of Inter-Disciplinary Studies and gets allocation to hire a coordinator
     
    "Our Bodies, Ourselves" is taught for the first time. Later becomes "Feminist Perspectives on Women's Health, Women's Bodies" and "Women's Bodies: Health and Image"

  • Fall 1973

    First faculty member, Ann Neel, hired to coordinate and teach Women's Studies, followed in later 1970s by Ruth Mahaney, Karlene Faith, Janet Cole, Adele Clarke and Lauren Coodley

    Women's History Slide Show started by students in Alice Wexler's "Women's History" class. Later led to National Women's History Project

    Women's Studies gets office in the trailers

    Women's Studies governing board established with student, staff, faculty and community members

    Distaff, campus women's newspaper, published

  • Spring 1974

    Women's Union, a student organization, is founded

  • Fall 1974

    Marjory Downing Wagner becomes President of Sonoma State University--the first woman president in the state university system

    Yvette Fallandy becomes Vice-President for Academic Affairs

    First course for returning women taught in Women's Studies

    "Teaching and Planning" becomes a Women's Studies course required of all student teachers. In the early 1980s, this course becomes Feminist Pedagogy, and in late 1980s, "Teaching Adults."