What is a Feminist? Is it a butch woman who hates men and refuses to shave her legs? This common definition of a feminist is actually not that accurate, and there is a lot more to feminism than the basic "why men suck" argument.
The Women and Gender Studies (WGST) program at Longwood is an interdisciplinary program meant to help educate students on a wide scope of things, from how women have worked to get where they are to how we identify as a gender. "A lot of times I think people hear the words ‘women's studies,' and they think, ‘Oh, it's just a study about women,' which is part of it, but it's only one part of it. Gender is the way we understand that women and men are ‘supposed' to act and who they are ‘supposed to be,'" said Dr. Naomi Johnson, assistant professor of communication studies.
Johnson explained that gender derived from how we are socialized. The program, which offers a minor on campus, looked at how men, women and other sexes are socialized to certain norms. "We look at how these can be advantageous to us, and also how they can limit us too," said Johnson. The program is centered on understanding gender as a whole.
In the program, everyone starts out with the WGST 106 class, which is an introductory class. After that, the program features classes across many departments including History, Sociology, Communication Studies and other content. The program allows students to pick five elective credits off a list, which allow them to explore different departments and get a sampling of background.
The WGST program also features a series of presentations that they encourage everyone to check out, especially if you cannot fit a class from the minor in your schedule. The presentations are the first Wednesday of every month at 3 p.m. On Oct. 5, Dr. Mary Jo Stockton, web technology coordinator of the public relations department for Longwood will talk about her own experiences as a young woman in the Internet and technology field. Stockton was one of the first and few women in the industry.
One of the reasons this program was selected is because women in the technology field are not often talked about, and they want people to realize women can explore these career opportunities as well. Johnson explained that if women do not feel comfortable going into the science and technology field, the whole culture loses out on opportunities. Women make up over half the population. If they are limited by social constraints, everyone could suffer.
An Oral History of Virginia Women event will be held in November. The History of Women in America class is pulling together oral histories of woman over the last 50 years and the different experiences they have had. Farmville has a unique history, and this would be an opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of the landmark movements.
Johnson finds Woman and Gender Studies to be important for everyone to immerse themselves in. "We all have important women in our lives, whether we're women or not. We have family, friends, colleagues, romantic partners that are important women in our life, so it's half the population, so it's really important we understand half the population and their experiences," said Johnson.
Johnson explained that by learning more about how we have been sexualized, it will help us understand others better. "As you interact with people from different cultures where maybe there's been different socializations for gender, you understand it's not written in stone. This is not a biological way of being. It's something we've learned."
She added, "You need to be able to explore who you are, regardless of your sex, and follow your own dreams. That's why I think it's important that all sexes have some knowledge of this. So, even if people don't declare the minor, just take some of the courses," said Johnson.
To learn more about the Woman and Gender Studies program, check out their website at: http://www.longwood.edu/wgs/. You can find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LongwoodWGS.
