Question: This chapter introduces the reader to the field of women's and gender studies (WGS) and lays the foundation for the course. It explains the central tenets and origins of the discipline and the movement from women's to women's and gender studies (including a focus on the politics of retaining "women" in WGS). Chapter one discusses the status of women's studies in higher education and overviews the objectives of the discipline. It introduces feminism as a political theory and individual and collective practice, and explains the different kinds of feminisms. This discussion is situated in the context of economic and cultural globalization and the implications for transnational feminist work. The final section discusses the myths associated with feminism and provides tools for debunking the various stereotypes and misinformation associated with this concept.

Answer the following question fully in 5-7 sentences each:

1. What important event for women's rights history happened in 1848 and what came out of it? Who authored this important document? What was NAWSA, what did it stand for, and what organization did it evolve into?

2. What does it mean to say that women's studies in its early years "lacked inclusivity"? How did Black women's studies come about?

3. How prominent are women administrators on your campus? Where do they hold power? How many of these women are women of color?