I once sat through a presentation in a global marketing class about an advertisement aimed at reaching the LGBTQ+ population. The presenting classmate said “homosexual” 26 times during the five-minute talk.
What exactly is the issue here? Well for starters, LGBTQ+ includes A LOT more than people who identify as “gay,” a good number even being heterosexual. Secondly, how can you want to go into advertising when you know nothing about people that are any different from yourself.
This goes for almost all areas of study, especially those that deal with the public such as political science, business, health care, education, hospitality – I could go on for pages. Professionals should make an effort to have a general understanding and respect of who the people are they will interact with on a daily basis. For my degree in Integrated Strategic Communication, GWS has taught me what my audience cares about and why, which has helped me to excel in many aspects of my studies.
Contrary to popular belief, Gender and Women’s Studies classes consist of much more than sitting in a room crying over men and burning bras. They also do not purposefully make students feel uncomfortable for personal or political beliefs. One of my favorite and most important classes I’ve taken revolved around masculinities studies, which aims to understand the pressures men are put under.
These classes are truly a place to learn about the world we live in from every perspective, a place to ask questions, a place to learn more about yourself. Not only has GWS taught me about others, but I’ve learned more about my own internalized feelings and identity than I ever knew existed.
If you have extra room in your schedule or need a core requirement filled, see what GWS can do for you. You might learn a lot more than you expected.