The St. Thomas Women’s Studies program is getting a name change that is not yet finalized. Women’s Studies will soon be called Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies to foster a stronger sense of inclusivity.
Changing the name is a process proposed by faculty in an advisory committee. Once a name is approved through the advisory committee, the name then goes to the College of Arts and Sciences, and then on to the university for approval. In between these approvals there are periods of consent, which allows for other faculty members to give their opinion.
“We have had the total support of the dean’s office for this name change, but the biggest amount of support has come from our students,” said Paola Erhmantraut, associate professor of Spanish and director of the soon-to-be women, gender and sexuality studies program.
The name change is currently being processed at the university level.
“We are in the process of bringing this course in. So far, I don’t have all the votes, but it is looking promising,” Ehrmantraut said.
Other new classes that will be offered are, “Women in the Zone of Conflict,” which will be offered in Spanish. Another course offered in the summer is, “ Making and Unmaking Masculinity.” Ehrmantraut will teach both courses.
Bizzy Stephenson, a senior majoring in english and justice and peace studies and minoring in american culture and differences, is familiar with the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program. She is a leader of FemCom which is the feminist community on campus.
“I think it’s great that the name is changing, I think it will be more inclusive. There are a lot of people who would say, ‘women’s studies that’s not about me,’” Stepenson said. “I think the move to women, gender and sexuality studies really opens it up to say we are not just studying women, we are studying gender as a spectrum, idea and concept.”
Taking classes that are interdisciplinary and are cross listed with Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies can benefit anyone.
“Gender is a dimension of diversity and inclusivity, so practically any profession would benefit from a gender perspective,” Ehrmantraut said.
The new courses being offered will allow students to take classes they have not been exposed to before.
“I would challenge St. Thomas students to consider taking a class in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies or in other some other interdisciplinary programs such as Justice and Peace Studies, such as American Cultural and Differences that is going to really challenge you,” Stephenson said.
Rae Beaner can be reached at rnbeaner696@stkate.edu.
“I think the move to women, gender and sexuality studies really opens it up to say we are not just studying women, we are studying gender as a spectrum, idea and concept.”
1. Why are you studying “ideas and concepts”? You should be studying things, not ideas.
2. No department should be studying gender except the biology department. Besides being politically convenient rabble-rousers, what is the unique qualification possessed by individuals with “gender studies” degrees? They don’t know biology; they don’t know psychology; they don’t know neuroscience. Seems like they just know political talking points.
3. The new gender ideology in which gender is a spectrum rather than a binary has been repeatedly condemned by the Church. The present name change merely confirms what everyone already new—namely, that the program for Women’s Studies was in its mission contrary to Church teaching. UST might as well set up a department of Trendy Heresies.
I feel like I fell asleep and woke up in the middle of a nonsense contest. UST better watch what it is choosing to promote, a lot of people I’m sure were donating to St. Thomas as it was one of the few Catholic Universities that had yet to turn its’ back on not only church teaching but also understanding of what a university should be. Modern leftist political pandering is not science, nor is it any other discipline that a university should reinforce. There is of course room for debate and free speech in a university, but should it be held up as fact to be taught?