The Wabash Commentary

 Professor Rosenberg began his talk by giving the history of ‘Gender Studies’ at Wabash. He recalled an old Bachelor article that announced the creation of the ‘Women Studies Coordinating Committee’. At that time the committee was honest about its goals, and it sponsored a ‘Women’s Week’. When Professor Rosenberg became chair of the committee, he renamed it the ‘Gender Studies Committee’ since Wabash remains, after all, an all-male college. 

The next historical episode Professor Rosenberg highlighted occurred in 1992 when the Board of Trustees reaffirmed that Wabash would remain a single-sex institution. He thought then that since the College chose to emphasize its single-sex status that it should introduce requirements of ‘Gender Studies’ into the curriculum.  

But wait: What is ‘Gender Studies’ at Wabash? The Gender Studies Committee was founded on a dedication to women’s studies. Would rechristening the committee as ‘Gender Studies’ without changing its core focus be intellectually honest? The question went unanswered. 

After presenting the historical context of ‘Gender Studies’, Professor Rosenberg examined how the course might be taught at Wabash. He regaled the audience with anecdotes from his yearly freshmen tutorial, titled “Men and Masculinity”, and known to be a popular course with those Wabash freshmen interested in violence, masculinity, homosexuality, and transgender issues. This year he had Andrea James ’89, one of the College’s two female alumni, come in and talk with the class. One must question what idea of masculinity Professor Rosenberg thinks worth representing when he chooses a transgender alumnus (alumna?) to speak to his class. 

In the end, Professor Rosenberg’s proposal for a graduation requirement would be a senior capstone interdisciplinary ‘Gender Studies course. That’s right – in order to graduate from Wabash College, if Professor Rosenberg had his way, all students must have taken a required course in gender studies. Not a required course that covers the Western canon, not a required course in economics, not a required course in Latin, not a required course in physics – a required course in ‘Gender Studies’, presumably to teach sensitivity and political correctness.   

However outrageous his proposal may seem, perhaps his intentions are right: Wabash does market itself with the phrase, “Boys will be boys, Men go to Wabash”. It should, then, over the course of four years provide the opportunity to academically study what it means to be a man. But must such lessons come couched in modern liberal theory? It is not unthinkable that one could learn of manhood and masculinity by reading Homer, or Shakespeare, or any other great author who understood and wrote of the human condition. Anyway, doesn’t Wabash already provide the opportunity for students to take gender-focused classes? The answer is yes. 

Based on Professor Rosenberg’s talk and the observation of those faculty in attendance, ‘Gender Studies’ means little more than ‘Women’s Studies’. Perhaps the issues Professor Rosenberg raised would be taken more seriously if he were just honest. 

Fortunately, President Patrick White was there to provide the adage, “Moving a curriculum is like moving a graveyard.” He then promptly left, presumably to blog about it.