Rewards and resistance: the importance of teaching women's and gender studies at a southern, comprehensive, liberal arts university

ABSTRACT

The discipline of women's and gender studies [WGS] often attracts criticism from the media, the public, and students. Few recent empirical studies focus on the experiences of faculty who teach WGS courses – particularly professors teaching in conservative areas. To address this gap in the literature, I conducted 30 interviews with faculty who teach courses related to women, gender, and/or sexuality at a Southern, public, liberal arts university in the United States. Participants noted the importance and rewards of teaching WGS. However, only half of participants reported integrating WGS content outside of gender-focused courses. This disparity between emphasising the importance of WGS and refraining from teaching gendered content outside of ‘special topics’ courses is likely due to professors aiming to avoid conflict and maintain credibility in the classroom and feeling sceptical of institutional support. My findings have broader implications that call for institutional change regarding support for professors and WGS.

KEYWORDS:

• Women’s and gender studies
• resistance
• feminist pedagogy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Thank you to an anonymous reviewer for this potential explanation and insight.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Krystina Millar

Krystina Millar (she/her/hers) is a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University. Her research interests include gender, sociology of the body, and sexuality. Additionally, she aims to conduct participant-focused research and make her research findings accessible to advocacy organizations and marginalized communities.