Student accused of multiple
sexual-violence code violations
1977 Hamline Cultural Diversity Report
"Small-town university, big city" reactions
•Kristin Mapel-Bloomberg's LTE
•Nancy Holland's LTE
Additional Letters to the Editor
Peterson RA Carrie Neve resigns
Peterson residents rally in support of Neve
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Kristin Mapel-Bloomberg's
Letter to the Editor
I was disturbed to read today that women's studies is listed among the "number of majors [that] have no courses that deal with racial inequity," and as a result, I am writing to correct this factual error.
Our small cadre of core courses in women's studies routinely address issues of racial inequity; indeed, our major's mission is to "encourage development of cultural and political awareness . . .to identify and challenge systems of oppression that limit the freedom and potential of all people. . . . [We] provide students the opportunity to explore the impact of gender, sexuality, race, class and ability on women's experience; [and] develop awareness of cultural diversity and the process of social transformation." These are not empty words for our program--this approach is incorporated into every course offered in our major.
Currently, and in the past, women's studies has partnered with other majors to offer our majors and minors (as well as students enrolling in these courses for Hamline Plan credit) a wide array of courses that deal primarily with racial inequity as the core focus of students' learning. These include, but are not limited to: ANTH/REL 3590, "American Indian Women and Spirituality"; ENG 3570 "Women and Literature"; HIST 3200 "Topics in Race & Ethnicity: Ethnicity, Class, and Gender in American History"; PHIL 3980 "African American Women Thinkers"; REL 3410 "Feminist/Womanist Approaches to Christian Ethics"; and WSTD 3980 "Women, Conflict, and Social Change." In addition to these courses, the women's studies program routinely sponsors or co-sponsors major campus activities and speakers dealing with issues of race, class, and ethnicity, including February's Symposium on the Humanities: "New Ways of Being and Seeing African and African-American Women Writers," which brought to campus three impressive women from Harlem, Ghana, and Nigeria.
What is more, cross-listed women's studies courses in departments such as Biology, Communication Studies, English, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, and Sociology routinely incorporate discussions of racial inequity into their core learning objectives. It is our firm belief that incorporating discussions of racial inequity into our courses is just as important than segregating that education into a single course, easily avoided by those who do not wish to hear that information.
The Oracle's inability to see past archaic stereotypes about women's studies is tedious and short-sighted. In future, I would challenge the Oracle to better check the sources of their information about our program by actually speaking to those who are doing the learning and the teaching about these important issues.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kristin Mapel Bloomberg
Director, Hamline University Women's Studies Program