Women in Mass Media – Dr. Beadle
I would say that it is one my favorite classes that I have taken so far. The class focuses on the portrayal of women in the media. Taught by Dr. Beadle, the class discusses the Women’s Rights Movement and how it all began. We have read articles and excerpts from women writers, journalists and reporters from the mid-1800’s to modern day. As a woman, and understanding how difficult it was for women to make a difference earlier in history, learning about specific women who have made an impact on history is exhilarating. Specifically, we learned about stunt reporter Nellie Bly, who played the part of someone who was mentally ill to report from the inside of an insane asylum. She wrote about the inhumane treatments of the patients from inside the asylum and also learned that many of the people placed in the asylum were there because they did not speak English. Bly also went around the world in 72 days to show that she could beat the character of Phileas Fogg in the acclaimed novel, Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. Not only do we learn about amazing women like Nellie Bly, but Dr. Beadle brings in women who attended John Carroll to talk with us about their success in their fields as well as the difficulty of being a woman in the workplace and how they overcame those problems. Overall, the class really empowers women and is a class that I recommend any John Carroll student to take!
Philosophy of Love and Sex – Dr. Taylor
The Philosophy of Love and Sex covers the 300-level Philosophy requirement for the core, so this class is practical for any student. However, I have learned way more from this class than expected. One thing this class covers is the media portrayal of feminism, masculinity, sexual assault, love, sex, oppression, and activism. As part of the class requirement, every student is also asked to participate in Take Back the Night or the Bystander Intervention. Over the semester, students read articles from philosophers in different time periods but compare their points to how modern society views issues revolving sex and love. This course has opened my eyes to completely new viewpoints on how society really views women and the role we play. Disclosure: This course requires instructor permission due to topics that may be sensitive to some students.
Sex and Gender – Dr. Long
Another class that highlights the issues that women face is Sex and Gender. In this course, students are asked to not only look at women in American culture but women around the world. The topics covered include race, gender, health, the body, social change, family, the history of feminism and globalization. During the semester, each student is asked to pick a country (besides the U.S) and look at how that society views gender. This project gives students an insight to a culture other than their own and creates a new appreciation for women around the world. I highly recommend this class to any Sociology major, but also anyone who is interested in feminism on a global scale.
Women in Ancient Greece and Rome – Dr. Kugler
This course covers both the history and representation of women in ancient Greece and Rome, both within the real world and in ancient literature and art. One of my favorite parts about this class was the inclusion of ancient artifacts and documents that allowed us to analyze and better understand the lives of women during these ancient times. We had to work through different ancient works in order to get a clearer picture of how women in ancient Greece and Rome lived their lives. The evidence throughout both ancient literature and art also provides access to the world of women during this time. It was like putting pieces of a puzzle together and showed me how much women have suffered from oppression and injustices throughout history. This was an extremely empowering class and definitely broadened my understanding of the history of women specifically. I would absolutely recommend!