WOMEN’S STUDIES 2

Women’s Studies

1. Watch Videos, ‘I am a Women’s Studies major because…,’ and ‘Lack of Men in Women’s
   Studies Courses’ under the Week 1 Content. What are the benefits of majoring Women’s Studies?
   What benefits would male students gain by taking Women\’s Studies classes? Discuss your reaction
   of the videos.

There are many of benefits of majoring in Women’s Studies. Chief among them is understanding the
experience of women and gain new perspectives about experiences women have undergone and continue
to go through. From such enhanced understanding of women’s experiences, students majoring in
Women’s Studies can take part in actions that seek to reduce gender inequality in various spheres of life.
These benefits are not just limited to women, men too can benefit from taking Women’s Studies. Taking
Women’s Studies allows men to develop a different look at the society. A look that enables them to
appreciate the experiences of a people different from them.
Watching ‘I am a Women’s Studies major because…’ I was impressed by the varied reasons that the
students gave for majoring in Women’s Studies. These reasons, ranging from commitment to social
justice, championing of feminism, and the need to appreciate diversity in society shows that Women’s
Studies as an academic discipline is wide enough to meet varied student interests. My reaction to
watching ‘Lack of Men in Women’s Studies Courses’ was not as a positive. I felt that the reasons most of

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the men gave for not taking Women’s Studies courses showed a poor understanding of the discipline and
what it is about.

2. What is Women’s Studies? Why did Women’s Studies emerge in the academic community? Why
   are Women\’s Studies programs inherently interdisciplinary?
   Women’s Studies is an academic discipline that places women’s experiences and lives at the centre of
   studies using methods drawn from feminism and other disciplines (Maynard, 2017). Women Studies
   emerged as an academic discipline in the early 1970s because narratives around women issues in higher
   education were often inaccurate and treated in a disparaging manner by men who were usually the
   formulators of the narratives. Establishment of Women Studies was, therefore, a way of women to take
   control of narrative about them. Women Studies examine cultural and social constructs of gender. Thus
   the studies are inherently interdisciplinary because they look at how factors such as class, race, disability,
   and sexual orientation shape experiences of women.
3. Why did many women feel that their ideas and thoughts were not being received by mainstream
   academics? Is this still the case? Why or why not?
   Many women felt that their ideas and thoughts were not being received by mainstream academics because
   most of the courses and curricula were male-centric (Maynard, 2017). However, over the years this view
   has changed. This change can be seen in increasing number of campuses offering Women’s Studies as a
   course.
4. Why is it important to understand feminism in relationship to women\’s studies? Can you
   understand one without being aware of the other? You can use examples to explain this question.
   It is important to understand feminism in relationship to Women’s Studies because Women’s Studies is
   rooted in the second wave of feminism (Maynard, 2017). They also employ many of feminism’s methods.
   Thus, understanding feminism helps in understanding Women’s Studies. For instance, feminism seeks to
   have end discrimination of women created by male-centric political and social institutions (O’Neill,

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2017). Women’s Studies, on the other hand, challenges male-centric view of culture and society. Thus
one deals with the practical side while the other deals with the academic side of gender inequality.

5. Rich (1977) argues that the use of the word man as a synonym for all people, as in mankind or
   humanity, implies a bias against women and ultimately harms their status. Explain why you agree
   or disagree. Does the use of a single word make that much difference? Does language matter? If
   you are a man, how would you react if the woman was used as synonym for all people?
   I agree that using the term ‘man’ as a synonym of all humanity implies a bias against women and hurts
   their status. This is because the term is sexist and reinforces patriarchy in society. Like everything else in
   society, language matters a lot in understanding gender. Language does more than just reflect reality, it
   has the potential of creating reality. Thus, the use of man as a synonym for all humanity reinforces men
   subjugation of women. If woman were to used as a synonym for all people, men would certainly be
   uncomfortable with its use.
6. What is faulty generalization? Explain the relationship that faulty generalization should inclusive
   thinking. Explain this issue using an example.
   Faulty generalization is using one or a few instances of a phenomenon to conclude about all instances of a
   phenomenon. Faulty generalization is detrimental to inclusive thinking because it often uses few instances
   to exclude whole groups from equal treatment. An example of faulty generalization is when people refuse
   to vote for women political candidates because of the shortcomings of one female politician.

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References

Maynard, M. (2017). Women’s studies. A companion to gender studies, 27-39.
O’neill, W. L. (2017). Feminism in America: A history. Routledge.