The Women's Studies Program at The University of Alabama was established over 30 years ago and is an interdisciplinary program working cooperatively with other departments to offer a liberal arts curriculum in which women's experiences, achievements, contributions, and the forces shaping contemporary roles and lives are examined and interpreted. The Program, now an independent academic department, is designed to provide knowledge of the roles and status of women in historical and contemporary society, to conduct and encourage research and writing by and about women, to offer skills and information for increasing employment opportunities for women, and to serve as a resource for the University community on topics and issues relating to women.