What is Gender and Women's Studies?

Question

The Women's and Gender Studies Program endorses a broad and flexible definition of feminist research, scholarship, and teaching, and seeks to offer a diverse and inclusive range of courses representing all disciplines and numerous feminisms. Multiple understandings of how gender and sexuality are inflected by race, class, and nationality are encouraged.
Feminism, in theory and practice, begins with the assumption that social and cultural institutions have historically treated men and women differently, and that this different treatment has been to the economic and cultural disadvantage of women. Women's and gender studies courses take a feminist perspective in exploring issues in the personal lives of women and men; in cultures, both past and present; in social and religious institutions; and in policy making. In addition, women's and gender studies courses focus on how women represent themselves and are represented in artistic and literary creations and productions.

This is the definition from the University of Vermont.
Does this not vary substantially from what we are told daily in this forum?
Thoughts??

Answer 1

What do I think?

I think it is a beginning.

I can imagine a group of academic, social activists, educators and thinkers sitting in a room on campus searching and pioneering a mission statement. To speak to hearts and minds, to be academically rigourous and emotionally engaging. To do something their university had never done before, and which few universities do at all.

That is incredibly difficult work. It is pioneering as much of the feminist movement is pioneering. Finding terms and definitions on the fly and advancing understanding.

Doing that within an academic and inherently patriarchal structure to begin with.

I'm sitting in their shoes, because criticism is only leveled at what has been achieved, or to stall what might be achieved. To progress is to act, and to be willing to face the detractors and evolve. And to put what you are doing out their in public forum.

What is Gender and Women's Studies?

It is a Beginning.

Answer 2

Fail? I didn't know anyone was being tested? And honestly, what does it matter? Why are some of you guys so stuck on the title of an online forum? What do you think will change about the forum if the over all name is changed, or you guys get your own 'personal' forum? Either way it goes it will still be accessible by everyone with a Yahoo account; so nothing will change.

Answer 3

Actually, feminist research has a high level of respect in the world. Many masculinists are using the same theories so they're hypocrits if they're dissing it.

some people on this forum think that if they use big words and sound intelligent, people will believe them. i've been to web sites that actually teach these guys vocab words - words like nefarious. they are absolutely ridiculous - parading around as experts and having shallow, narrow-minded comments.

anyway, this sounds like the average gender I& women's studies background info. understanding gender, race, class and ethnicity are so important these days in a world where our gender roles are changing, our understanding of diversity is increasing, our world is becoming smaller & our borders are being crossed more than any other time in history.

moreover, i'm a strong believer in learning about history. since women are often left out of history textbooks, women's studies does well in filling that gap. i appreciate the rights gained by women (and men) so much more today - - i can wear pants (women were ridiculed when they first started to wear pants), go to work, travel the world, vote, do public speaking (toastmasters just started opening their doors to women in the 70s), and so much more!!

TGIF!! Thank god for feminism!!! :-) hahaha

Answer 4

In spite of a clear description of what gender and women's studies is, feminist research is denigrated, since it's done by...feminists! I wonder if anyone could do research that anti-feminists would "appreciate", other than Warren Farrell, who didn't do much research--he primarily reinterpreted other researcher's work and reinterpreted government agency statistics.

You'd have to be blind not to notice the lack of women running our government or corporations or religious organizations, but the excuses I hear for this is: women aren't ambitious, women have children, or women don't work as hard as men. They must really believe women are inferior, if only a few women can run a government, corporation or religious group, in spite of the millions upon millions of women in the world.

Answer 5

The very fact that economics is a significant factor in the issue of feminism, there will always be some (mostly men and some women) who feel that feminism represents a threat to their economic strength. Until or unless we can collectively figure out how to take the "you're getting into my pocket" out of the equation, I think the conflict that is currently the norm will only continue. In fact it will only get worse if the economic status of the larger society begins to show real signs of crumbling.

Basically the more productive feminism is in protecting the (financial) interests of women, the more ire it will actually generate among those from whom the success acquired. It might seem odd that some women would be against feminism. But if you look at the issue of economic security, you can see how women who primarily depend on their husbands for financial stability, will see the economic success of other women as a threat to her own, by extension through her husband's loss. Nothing is ever simple.

Shingoshi Dao

Answer 6

I go to a pretty conservative, chauvinistic university. It has a high incidence of date rape (often unreported because the women are ashamed or blame themselves) and a lot of male students refuse to take girls seriously as intellectuals, and will tell them so publicly even if the girl is top of the class. Even in feminism classes - in fact, especially in feminism classes, you hear the same kind of crass comments you hear on this forum.

It's a pity that so many people are not interested in engaging on this issue in a meaningful way, but it is not really surprising. This forum reflects society's strongest feelings on both sides of the debate (if it can be simplified into having only two sides).

Answer 7

Absolutely correct.
It begs the question doesn't it?
There are good regular male and female posters on here and we do sometimes have good questions and answers however we have the 3 trolls who have multiple accounts who delight in cloning accounts and posting disgraceful questions.
Not sure how this can be ammended.
All we can do is to block.
At present I have blocked 40 different accounts,

Answer 8

I'm very concerned of the bias these 'studies' have. They're all done by feminists, and the ones I've encountered have no comprehension of fairness and will even deny men have any issues at all.
So it's hardly 'gender' studies, barely even 'womens studies', but rather should be more aptly named:

"Feminist Opinion Studies"

Answer 9

As a scientist and educator I must shudder at that course description. It screams relativism and does not indicate one whit of empirical support for it's assertions. " Studies " programs are notoriously rigor-less and mostly incoherent.
A better question to ask is; " why is the modern women given over to this nonsense when science training is so lacking in our country? "

Many nonsense answers here. What one would expect from relativist, post-modern ideologues. Not one rigorous attempt at rebuttal, or even definition of the terms of the debate. Where is the evidence that is empirically supported and not just assertion?

Answer 10

I hate to say it, but the Borg is right. They do make it sound pretty sexist. More like propaganda than science.