What do you think?
Rate this book
Women's Studies
It is the fall semester of 1990, and three students - all with the first name of Elizabeth - are on the roll for Professor Angela Rivers’ Women in Literature course at William Blount University. Like so many college students, each of these “Elizabeths” is on a journey of self-discovery which will determine the course of the rest of her life.
With humor and heart, Women’s Studies follows one school year in the lives of these three young women and shows that in college, one’s extracurricular activities are often much more educational than what goes on in the classroom. Funny and romantic, sexy and insightful, Women’s Studies captures a time in women’s lives which is full of freedom, passion, and discovery.
With humor and heart, Women’s Studies follows one school year in the lives of these three young women and shows that in college, one’s extracurricular activities are often much more educational than what goes on in the classroom. Funny and romantic, sexy and insightful, Women’s Studies captures a time in women’s lives which is full of freedom, passion, and discovery.
245 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2006
About the author
Julia Watts
31 books118 followersJulia Watts is the author of over a dozen novels, including the Lambda Literary Award-winning Finding H.F.., the Lambda Literary and Golden Crown Literary Society Award finalist The Kind of Girl I Am, and the Lambda Literary Award finalist and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning Secret City. She holds a B.A. in English from The University of Tennessee, an M.A. in English from the University of Louisville, an MFA in Writing from Spalding University, and a PhD in Literacy Studies from The University of Tennessee. She lives in Knoxville and is a member of the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame. Her young adult novel, Quiver, was a SIBA Okra Pick and a finalist for the Foreword Indies Award, and her young adult novel Needlework won an Honorable Mention in the Foreword Indie Awards and was selected by the Library of Congress for its "Great Reads from Great Places" program. Her new novel for adults, Lovesick Blossoms, is available from Three Rooms Press.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 22, 2007
Oh my God. This book was so amazing. SO well-written. Funny, romantic, sad, bittersweet. This book really had it all, and I barely wanted to pull myself away from it for two seconds. It concerns three women going to college in 1990, all named Elizabeth. One is a woman in a relationship with a man, who is confused about her sexuality. Another is a lesbian in a relationship with another girl wondering where that relationship is going. The third is a closeted girl living the classic sorority life, except she doesn't know how much longer she can keep living that lie. I am not even doing this book justice in this review. GO READ IT!!! RIGHT NOW!!!
August 7, 2025
Although the cover doesn't look like much, the overlapping stories contained within had me peeling open the pages at pretty much every available opportunity.
June 10, 2016
Shoutout to the reviewer who gave this book one star because she couldn't get over some of the characters having hairy legs. Thanks for moving this book up my to-read list! The world definitely needs more hairy-legged lesbian books. A good read, fast paced and funny. It offers a picture of early '90s lesbian life at a university in South, with a mix of interesting characters. Unlike Julia Watts, I'm not a fan of Susie Bright–style feminism, but Women's Studies was still a lot of fun.
Some excerpts:
"Liz stuck the pink card in the corner of a nearby bulletin board. So, she thought, there goes the first time this semester I get mistaken for a lesbian.
"It happened all the time, even when she was out with her boyfriend, Dan. One time they were at one of the dive bars they frequented, and this masculine woman truck driver had kept talking to her and buying pitchers for their table. Finally, Liz had explained to the other woman that Dan was her boyfriend, that she wasn't available. The woman had been flabbergasted. 'You mean you're straight?' she had yelled over the Lynrd Skynrd on the jukebox. 'But you don't understand; I'm never wrong about women.'" p. 7
"'You know, I already had my Ph.D. before I figured out I was a lesbian. It took me six years in a miserable marriage before I finally grasped the reason for my misery. I owe it all to Monique Wittig.
"'Are you still with her?' Elisa asked.
"Dr. Rivers knit her brow. 'With whom?'
"'Monique.'" p. 58
"'And dykes with money,' Elisa said, reminding Jamal to be inclusive.
"'Honey, dykes don't have money,' Jamal scoffed. 'Dykes have principles!'" p. 157
Some excerpts:
"Liz stuck the pink card in the corner of a nearby bulletin board. So, she thought, there goes the first time this semester I get mistaken for a lesbian.
"It happened all the time, even when she was out with her boyfriend, Dan. One time they were at one of the dive bars they frequented, and this masculine woman truck driver had kept talking to her and buying pitchers for their table. Finally, Liz had explained to the other woman that Dan was her boyfriend, that she wasn't available. The woman had been flabbergasted. 'You mean you're straight?' she had yelled over the Lynrd Skynrd on the jukebox. 'But you don't understand; I'm never wrong about women.'" p. 7
"'You know, I already had my Ph.D. before I figured out I was a lesbian. It took me six years in a miserable marriage before I finally grasped the reason for my misery. I owe it all to Monique Wittig.
"'Are you still with her?' Elisa asked.
"Dr. Rivers knit her brow. 'With whom?'
"'Monique.'" p. 58
"'And dykes with money,' Elisa said, reminding Jamal to be inclusive.
"'Honey, dykes don't have money,' Jamal scoffed. 'Dykes have principles!'" p. 157
April 3, 2012
This is a fast-paced lesbian romance with a wide variety of characters and a great sense of humor. To wit: "'That should be our next theme party, Audrey. An Edward Albee evening. We can all get drunk and hurl insults at each other.' 'And how would that be different from our usual evenings?'"
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews