<p>I've been having an on-going battle with a certain poster, and she decided to attack one of my majors--Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. To answer her question, I figured I'd start a thread here instead of hijacking another thread.</p>
<p>Here's the question she asked me:</p>
<p>"This brings up another question, not about [the University of] Richmond, but about colleges and universities in general. Why do they offer programs like WILL [Women Involved in Living and Learning, essentially a feminist group at UR] and majors like women's studies/gender studies? </p>
<p>I suppose you'll be looking at grad school in 2 years."</p>
<p>Here's my answer:</p>
<p>In the 1950s, there was the Civil Rights movement. Black people were being discriminated against because of the color of their skin, coming from years of prejudices developed through the U.S.'s history. Those involved with the Civil Rights movement decided that it was time to change that.</p>
<p>Out of the Civil Rights movement grew the feminist movement. Women realized that they, in different ways, were being discriminated against and decided to adopt the identity-based tactics of the Civil Rights movement. Soon after, the Gay Liberation Movement followed suit.</p>
<p>Out of these movements we have had many different academic movements develop: African-American Studies, Women's Studies, Gay and Lesbian Studies, the newest kid on the block, Queer Theory (it's a bit different but for the purpose of this discussion, I'm including it because I study it in my major), etc.</p>
<p>These studies do a few things. Firstly, they teach those interested in it about the history of the movements--you can't see where we're going without seeing where we've been. Also, they bring another angle to the political activism, theory. Theory looks at what's happened so far and analyzes it, offering answers to roadblocks that activists face. While there is often conflicts between those in academia and those on the front line of activism, there's also a lot of cross-over--academics who push the cause forward.</p>
<p>We have a lot to do. While the obvious battles have been won, the challenges facing us often go unnoticed by the general public, such has the still-present gap between the pay of a man versus a woman, discrimination based on gender expression/sexuality/race, and the movement looking to legislate morality into everyone's lives (I'm one of those people who strongly believes in the separation of church and state--let people make up their own minds. I don't care if you want to act a certain way, just don't force me to through laws). Groups like WILL, the Black Student Alliance, and the Multicultural Student Union and majors in _______ Studies offer a chance to meet others who share one's passion for social justice and change and discuss the more theoretical side to the activism.</p>
<p>Yes, these interdisciplinary majors are often coupled with one of the majors that some would deem more "useful" like business, or send a person to grad school. I happen to be interested in academic research, so I will be going to grad school. However, most people graduate and go on to very successful careers, like work in the political sector, non-profit work, or a host of careers (for example law, education, or business) to which a person graduating with one of the _______ Studies majors brings a different point of view to that someone without that background wouldn't consider.</p>
<p>Now then, please discuss. And URDefect, please no attacks on UR in this thread. This is ONLY about WGSS.</p>