Gender studies at UM has come a long way since 1983, when the course Introduction to Women’s Studies was first offered. Today, students interested in gender studies can not only enroll in an introductory class but also earn a minor in the subject, looking at gender through the perspective of several disciplines.
“A gender studies minor offers a breadth of course work in the social sciences, arts and humanities,” said Mary Carruth, director of the Isom Center for Women, which oversees the academic program. “The courses include attention to how gender intersects with race, class, nationality and sexual orientation in the lives of men and women in different cultures. In a world of globalization and multiculturalism, this background provides a lens for understanding difference and sameness.”
The 18-hour minor, first offered in 1999, includes courses cross-listed with and taught by faculty from several different College of Liberal Arts departments, including African American studies, classics, English, history, modern languages, political science, philosophy and religion, sociology and anthropology, and Southern studies. Last fall, gender studies courses focused on such topics as women and the goddess in Eastern religions, women in the South, and masculinities/femininities in American history.
Kirsten Dellenger, assistant professor of sociology who regularly teaches Sociology of Gender, said gender studies yields better critical thinking.
“Being exposed to research that demonstrates the social construction of gender really challenges students’ taken-for-granted assumptions that gender is simply something we’re ‘born with’ and generates critical thinking about how we can alleviate gender inequality,” Dellenger said.
Besides taking courses, students interested in sharing their ideas about gender can also participate in the annual Isom Student Gender Conference or join the new Gender Studies Organization. Established in 2001, the conference provides an opportunity for students to share their work through paper presentations and panel discussions. Similarly, the student-led Gender Studies Organization sponsors speakers, films and round-table discussions focused on gender issues.
Senior English major and gender studies minor Bethany Conner, who helped create GSO, said the group’s goal is to “help educate the Ole Miss student body about underlying gender issues and to help the gender studies program grow.”