Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: Women, Gender, and LGBTQ+ Studies

Written by: Sharon Ladenson. Initial draft: March 2006. Updated: July 2023.

Purpose or Scope of Collection

Curricular/Programmatic Needs

The women, gender, and LGBTQ+ studies collection supports the curricular and research needs of the undergraduate and graduate students and core and affiliated faculty from the MSU Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen). The mission of the GenCen is to serve as a central space for gender and sexuality research and teaching and to facilitate connections among feminist scholars, students, and community members in order to promote social change. The GenCen has nearly 375 affiliated faculty and staff from across 17 colleges and 65 departments and offices at MSU.

The GenCen programs are highly interdisciplinary. Undergraduate students can declare a major in women's and gender studies through the MSU College of Arts & Letters. The GenCen also offers a women's and gender studies minor as well as a minor in LGBTQ and sexuality studies.  The following women's and gender studies graduate specializations are also offered: gender, justice, and environmental change, and an interdisciplinary graduate specialization in women's and gender studies.

Existing Strengths and Emphases

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are areas of programmatic emphasis in women, gender, and LGBTQ+ studies across various areas of the curriculum at MSU, including (among many others) in courses on women of color and feminist movements; black feminisms; black girlhood studies; black sexualities studies; and race, gender, and global identities. DEI is key to shaping approaches to selecting materials on women, gender, and LGBTQ+ studies for the collection, including focusing on bringing the voices and perspectives of underrepresented populations from the margins to the center.