Agents of Change: A legacy of feminist research, teaching, and activism at the University of Oregon
by Gabriela Martínez and Sonia De La Cruz (Creative Commons, copyright 2013)
Agents of Change chronicles the development of the University of Oregon Center for the Study of Women in Society and the UO Department of Women’s and Gender Studies within the broader context of the women’s movement. By 1970, women faculty members across universities in the United States were beginning to teach the first women’s studies courses, while also taking on the fight for pay equity and affirmative action in hiring.
Through a combination of archival footage, photographs, documents, and interviews, Agents of Change provides new insights into the efforts and challenges women faculty across the nation faced in their efforts to draw attention to women’s histories, issues, and concerns and to create a program for the study of women. The voices and stories heard in this documentary are exemplary of the struggles of women to gain ground in the academy, struggles that in the case of the University of Oregon were supported by a remarkable act of philanthropy that led to the founding of what is now known as the UO Center for the Study of Women in Society.
This documentary by Gabriela Martínez (associate director, CSWS, and associate professor, UO School of Journalism and Communication) and Sonia De La Cruz (PhD candidate, SOJC) premiered at the 40th Anniversary Celebration of CSWS, WGS, and the ASUO Women’s Center in November 2013.
