Students
Through taking the Women’s Studies minor at Keene State College, I have learned so much about myself, other women, women’s history and our struggles, as well as the state of our society in general. However, I have always been someone who sees room for expansion, in any situation. Along with developing an outline and book list for a course I would like to see be part of the Women’s Studies program (Middle Eastern Women’s Studies), I was inspired this semester to investigate what other students felt was missing from the minor.
To understand what students are looking for I constructed a survey for all the students in Women’s Studies classes to fill out. The results were varied, but all were incredibly useful. Although the students had a lot of praise for specific classes and professors, and many saw possibilities for future plans with their Women’s Studies minor, a lot of students had different views and mixed general thoughts about the program. Some students had no idea that there was even a Women’s Studies minor, which sparked a discussion about promotion. When students were familiar, however, many saw room for changes in the minor, especially in the way of class and cultural representation.
Regardless of their position on the minor, many students had very interesting ideas for classes that could be added, especially if we are to see a move from a minor to a major.
~ Jahleh Ghanbari
*Note - The Book List and Course Outline were inspired by Nikki R. Keddie’s article Women in the Limelight: Some Recent Books on Middle Eastern Women’s History, the website http://www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/mid.html, and a collection of various syllabi on Middle Eastern Women’s Studies.