Over the course of the past several weeks this campus has been witness to many events and media pieces addressing the topic of sexual assault. The conversation about this pervasive problem has been constructive and enlightening, and it would be a shame to see this open kind of discussion go away once the issue is out of the limelight. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but dedicating one month to sexual assault is not enough to mitigate the problem, and this campus needs to find a way to keep the conversation going year round.
Local and student organizations like Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment have done an amazing job at educating students on sexual assault, but that responsibility should not be left entirely up to them. The university has an obligation to address sexual and gendered issues as well, and on a broader scale than they have thus far. It is for this reason this Editorial Board is in favor of a Gender and Women’s Studies course requirement for all UW-Madison undergraduates.
Some time ago, the university decided rightly that a well-rounded education would be incomplete without the study of minority and underrepresented groups and the challenges they face in society. The ethnic studies requirement has certainly not eliminated the problems of discrimination on campus, but it was a proactive step forward in bringing race into the conversation and exposing students to groups and issues they would not have otherwise considered within disciplines they already study. Our hope is that a Gender and Women’s Studies requirement would function in the same way.
Like the ethnic studies requirement, we hope that the university will use this as a first step rather than an end in itself. This campus has a wealth of resources for the study of gender and race in society and some of the top scholars on those subjects. It would be a shame to limit that educational experience to a few departments. Each academic department should also take it upon itself to incorporate diverse perspectives into their curriculums when it is possible.
The university never fails to react to issues of sexual assault or discrimination on this campus when there is an incident; where it lacks is in the prevention of such occurrences from happening in the first place. It may not eliminate these issues in our community, but one course can make the difference in enlightening undergraduates on gendered issues and changing the perspectives of otherwise apathetic students.
What do you think of adding a gender and women’s studies requirement? Send feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
