We will begin this session with a brief review of the various approaches to gender studies in the academic world.  Using these tools, we will read a number of rabbinic texts and ask ourselves: How does the meaning of a rabbinic text change when read through the lens of gender critique?  What insights do these various approaches offer? We will conclude with an overarching discussion of how gender studies can generate meaning, shape the academic study of Talmud, and influence our appreciation of Jewish sources more broadly.