a Joint Department
The Race, Ethnic, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department, comprised of the RACE, GSS, and AFAD programs, is rooted in the collective struggle against oppression, domination, and imperialism without equivocation. We believe in the rigorous search for and stewardship of knowledge creation and circulation for social change. We have a shared commitment to the liberation of all people and more than human beings through revolutionary, principled struggle that transforms the historical and material conditions that we critique. We strive to become a collective of scholars, activists, and artists dedicated to multi-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and culturally-sustaining scholarship, pedagogy, and solidarity.
Race and Ethnic Studies
Established at St. Olaf in 1969, Race and Ethnic Studies (abbreviated RACE) represents a multigenerational faculty and student commitment to the interdisciplinary study of race, ethnicity, and critical indigenous studies. Our program centers the concerns and experiences of Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities and proceeds from the recognition that race and ethnicity have been and continue to be crucial components within interlocking systems of oppression, as well as powerful sites of intersectional resistance.
Gender and Sexuality studies
In 1973, six faculty were appointed to the Task Force on Women’s Studies. They worked diligently to highlight the needs of women who are students and faculty/staff at St. Olaf College. In 1984, the college approved the creation of a Women’s Studies major. GSS invites students to explore scholarship about women and gender across cultures and throughout history to examine intersections of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, nationality, ability, religion, and age. The interdisciplinary program fosters critical thinking skills that encourage students to become active and ethical participants in career, family, social life, and community.