By: Zoe Strickland Northwest Passage Editor
In college, one of the most difficult things to do is decide your major. But what about your minor? Western offers an extensive list of minors, some of which you may not even be aware of. Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary minor which includes women’s studies, LGBT studies, men’s studies, and the study of human sexuality. According to Western’s website, “the goal of gender studies is to better understand and ultimately transform our lives and the world in which we live.”
Some of the classes you can take as a Gender Studies minor include Psychology of Women, Human Sexuality, and Communication and Gender. I sat down with the current professor teaching Communication and Gender, Dr. Dana Schowalter, and one of the Human Sexuality professors, Amy Hammermeister Jordan to discuss the study of gender and sexuality.
“Gender is one of those things that we encourage people to never question,” said Schowalter. “That we have boys and girls and that our bodies fit those binaries and that that’s just the way that it is … when you can introduce people to the reality of what’s happening around gender it can introduce people to new academic fields that are really important … that’s knowledge that people can take into the world.”
Minoring in Gender Studies is something that can be applied to a myriad of different fields; the differences between how various genders are treated is something that is personified once you begin to study it.
“I see in the media this sort of tension between people who have more progressive ideas about gender identity…and people who are very afraid of those types of discourse and … once you start to take a look at the research that’s out there and you actually start to look at the facts … there’s no reason to be afraid of it,” said Schowalter. “I think that gender studies programs are just vital for getting rid of that fear of those different types of conversation and instead replacing it with all of this knowledge”
“I think it’s all about acknowledging I’m a person, you’re a person. I hear you, I see you, I validate you. Person to person. And gender doesn’t have to be a part of that … I think that would be a beautiful thing. That’s my dream.” said Hammermeister. Minoring in Gender Studies is a way to become more aware of the world around you, and the issues surrounding nearly everybody in society.
Contact the author at zstrickland14@wou.edu or on Twitter @nwpmagazine
