New Women's Studies course teaches life lessons.

While students at the University of Dayton OH have been able to minor in Women's Studies since the late 1970s, now they can major in it. The new change in the program's status brought a need to revamp the curriculum and its required introductory course.

When the program was only a minor, the core curriculum contained courses from various disciplines paired with an introductory one. "The students had a sense of the multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary nature of Women's Studies," explained Dr. Patricia Johnson, professor of philosophy at Dayton.

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But during the transition, the content of the introductory class could have become irrelevant for those who'd already taken upper-level courses in feminist theory and pedagogy or one with service learning.

So the committee decided to transform it into a key part of the curriculum by adding content that would raise the global consciousness of their students. "The hope is that the young women will understand the international context early in their work and be motivated to study and work in situations that will build global connections among women," she added.

An elegant solution

The largely female University of Dayton attracts white, middle class, traditional aged, suburban students. "The students I taught this past year openly said that they focus on themselves and their families," said Johnson. "They said that the world was so complex that they pulled themselves in." After finishing the restructured class, the students reported that it was a meaningful experience for them.