By Rachel Berthiaume ’20
Each fall, students enrolled in the introductory Women’s Studies course explore the challenges facing women in American culture. Through a collaboration with the Worcester Women’s Oral History Project, students conduct oral history interviews with local women, while enhancing their critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills.
According to the course description, students “examine the complex nature of the images and experiences of women in the United States, primarily from the middle of the 20th century to the present.” As the class examines various perspectives, it aims to “appraise the experiences and struggles of women in the past in order to better understand the present situation and future possibilities.”
“Current and historical gender roles and the manner in which they shape the experiences of both women and men touch practically every aspect of life in modern American society,” explained Carl Robert Keyes, Ph.D., associate professor of history and director of the Women’s Studies Program, who regularly co-teaches the course. “Achieving a more equitable society in the personal, professional, and civic lives of women requires better understanding of the various issues facing American women and the factors that have contributed to them over the years.”
Through the interviews, students experience how issues discussed in the classroom are applicable to women in the local community. Prof. Keyes explained that students work in teams of two to conduct the interviews, then prepare a transcript, legal documents, and other materials that are deposited at the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. According to Prof. Keyes, this process helps students “achieve a better mastery of the material and build their own portfolio that will help them to transition from student to professional.”
Lucia Knoles, Ph.D., professor of English, who co-taught the course this fall, said that many students recognize the benefits this course has for their future careers. “No matter what profession they enter, they know they’ll need to deal appropriately with gender issues,” she said. “Ideally, as students move into their adult lives, they will take with them a habit of listening carefully, reading widely, and thinking deeply. This will help them make informed decisions about the kinds of men and women they want to be and the ways they treat one another.”
Mina Kelley ‘18 said the course helped her in her current job as a counselor at an intensive residential treatment program for adolescent youth, of which the majority are multicultural girls. “Having an increased knowledge of women’s issues and an understanding of cultural values supports me in helping these young women,” she said, adding that the course taught her to practice open-mindedness and awareness when meeting new people and to dig deeper to get the full perspective. “I learned that the value of diversity is one of the greatest strengths we as a society must take advantage of in order to better understand each other, rather than create division.”
