Women's studies students learn 'What is feminism'?

Many of today's young female students have little knowledge of the history and philosophy behind the feminist movement. Instead, they see feminism as a negative, archaic concept irrelevant to their daily lives. Women's studies faculty are trying to change that.

Susie Wirka, Lisa Tetrault and Sue Pastor are all PhD candidates and faculty members in the Women's Studies department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The trio discussed their efforts at the Women's Studies Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in November.

Battling misconceptions

Students wonder: Must a student be a feminist to do well in Women's Studies? No, but they must understand the concept.

In the real world, society devalues feminism based mostly on misconceptions, according to Susie Wirka. "I try to figure out how to meet my students on a common ground, to figure out where they are and where I want them to be."

To shatter myths about feminism, Wirka begins a class by asking students, "What is feminism?" and "What isn't feminism?" She lists their responses on the board. "Then I cross off the misconceptions and talk through why they are misconceptions" she said. Those she often addresses are:

* Homophobia. Wirka challenges the latent homophobia that's often behind the statement, "I'm not a feminist." While many 1970s feminists were lesbians, Wirka tries to show students that today it's easy to be feminist and heterosexual.