Kings. Generals. Mr. President. Old Man and the Sea. Father Time.

Western culture for centuries has been partial to viewpoints in which males are dominant influencers. But a feminist interpretation of history, literature, arts and religion exists.

Do Mother Nature, queens and millions of women throughout history deserve more credit for shaping the world we live in today?

Women’s studies urge students to consider new interpretations of everything from race to religion. “We offer this perspective that’s very broad and all-encompassing,” said Theresa Gaul, TCU Women and Gender Studies program director.

Twenty years ago, TCU did not have a formal avenue for women’s studies, though other universities launched programs as early as the early 1970s.

Studying biblical history from a feminist perspective had transformed Weatherly Professor of Religion Claudia Camp’s research so much that she wanted to teach her methods of analysis to students. At the time, she had no official courses in which to do this, so she joined in the push to create women’s studies at TCU.

In 1994, professors Priscilla Tate of English and Jean Giles-Sims of sociology convinced the administration to start a gendered perspective program leading to a minor. The two professors planned a research-oriented, albeit somewhat theoretical, approach to redefining culture in a framework that incorporated women’s experiences.

The program launched with a team-taught (by Giles-Sims and Tate) introductory course titled “Sex, Gender and the Disciplines.” Camp said the idea was that several faculty members would present multiple perspectives. Eight other courses in English, history, sociology, nursing and religion counted toward the 18 hours required for an undergraduate minor.

Today, students can choose from nearly 50 additional women’s studies courses in about a dozen academic departments. Classes such as “Diversity in American Education” and “Women in the Middle East” can count toward a minor or an undergraduate emphasis. A graduate certificate is available to students in English, history, education, art history in Brite Divinity School, and, as of 2014, in social work and dance.

The program’s breadth of offerings mirrors an expanding awareness of gender-centric topics in and out of the university.

“The conversation about what is feminism and women’s rights has gotten to a new point,” said Kaleigh Wyrick, graduate assistant for the Women and Gender Studies program and a PhD student in English.

“The public presence of popular figures talking about women and gender and sexism and social justice is really expanding,” said Wyrick.
In 2014, pop artist Taylor Swift embraced the feminist tag, and Malala Yousafzai won a Nobel Peace Prize for fighting for girls’ rights to education in her native Pakistan.

The United States needs “more appreciation of diverse voices and what they bring to the table,” said former program director JoAnne Greene, department chair and professor of political science. She spoke to students, faculty and community members in her lecture “Women in American Politics” in October. The speech was part of a series of events to commemorate the program’s 20th anniversary.

In 2014, the program was renamed Women and Gender Studies. “You really can’t talk about women or femininity without talking about men and masculinity. It’s part of the same set of questions,” said Gaul, who also is a professor of English.

The program’s popularity continues to grow. So far, 105 TCU alumni have earned either a minor or a graduate certificate. But 37 undergraduates are pursuing the minor, and 60 graduate students are taking courses to earn the certificate. Seventy faculty members— women and men—teach the courses. Considering the program launched with a handful of faculty participants, the growth is notable.

Whether or not they are working toward a designation, more than a tenth of TCU’s student body is exposed to women and gender studies. More than 1,280 students took a designated program course in 2013, the highest number ever. Thus, feminist perspectives are filtering into the student population in a variety of disciplines.

At the beginning, Camp said the approach to the now required senior capstone was “full of heavy-duty intellectual theory.” But students persisted in suggesting they obtain experience they could carry into their professional lives.

“We had to be more sensitive to their approaching change of reality, which was leaving the intellectual environment,” said Camp. “Part of the real world is that women get out there, they begin to discover that not all of the problems are solved. Gender bias is just part of the world that we live in.”

The senior capstone now requires a campus-action project that identifies a gendered problem and proposes solutions. For example, Caroline Dillon ’14 investigated attitudes about sexuality among TCU students. Katherine Wright ’14 researched the ordination of women.
Doctoral student Wyrick studies the parallels between the way women and animals are objectified and sexualized in literature.

Emily Cody ’09 said TCU’s program was “fundamental” in establishing the intellectual foundation for her work as an activist.

She took a hiatus from working on a PhD in English at Ohio State University to serve as a staff member in the office of former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis ’90. Cody also volunteered for Davis’ gubernatorial campaign in Texas. Women’s studies can “be applied in a way that’s even more dynamic,” she said of the transition from the classroom to the campaign trail.

In 2009, during Cody’s time at TCU, the women’s studies program held an equal pay bake sale that charged men a dollar and women 75 cents for goodies. Organizers wanted to remind students that the average working woman in the United States earns only three-quarters of what a man earns for doing the same job.

Other extracurricular offerings have included the feminist-themed play The Vagina Monologues and, in 2012, a domestic violence-themed academic year.

Beyond the borders of campus, the Women and Gender Studies program “is a discipline that connects the classroom and the community,” said Gaul.

In partnership with organizations ranging from SafeHaven of Tarrant County to the Young Women’s Leadership Academy, the program has a service component that exposes students to the challenges some women must navigate in the world.

Freshman Nida Sayani helped teach a life skills course to women at the Young Women’s Christian Association as part of her introductory course. She learned that “in situations where we want to help others, we shouldn’t go into those with a superior mindset. Instead of helping others, we should serve them,” she said.

Gaul said the women’s studies program “really accords to the TCU mission: creating ethical leaders in a global society. Our program does that, not just rhetorically, but through action.”