ABSTRACT
Women's studies is the field that studies women (e.g., their place in society, their behavior), that studies the accomplishments of women (e.g., the literature they have written, the art they have created), and that studies the world from a different perspective, using sometimes different methods than those typically used (e.g., see Chapter 2 on feminist research methods). The field of women's studies was initiated primarily because society noticed a lack of acknowledgment, and a devaluing, of the work (academic and otherwise) of women. Likewise, a new way of conducting work, thinking about issues, theories, research, and so on, had begun to be formed. With this different perception of women, the field of women's studies was born.
