It鈥檚 a psychology course.
And an art history course. And a Jewish studies course. But wait, it also deals with economics, American history, Jewish history, sociology, and French and English literature.
This understanding is one many fields have only recently come by, according to Nachumi. 鈥淔or instance, 50 years ago it was all wars and presidents and events women weren鈥檛 involved with in history books,鈥 she said. While academia has grown more inclusive of women鈥檚 perspectives over the years, the seminar in part explores this inattention and its consequences, shedding light on the remarkable and often overlooked contributions of women in specific fields. The seminar will also focus on current research and debate relevant to women today. 鈥淯ltimately, we鈥檇 like to get students thinking about how their interest in women鈥檚 issues can complement work within their major and later careers,鈥 said Nachumi. 鈥淭he study of issues involving women is relevant in all disciplines.鈥
The class鈥檚 composition is a testament to that. The 18 students enrolled major in everything from prelaw to biology and literature, including one student, Sarah Lazaros, who is pursuing the first shaped major at Stern focusing on women鈥檚 studies. Lazaros plans to become an obstetrician. 鈥淚鈥檓 very passionate about the topics women鈥檚 studies addresses,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 think this background will be helpful to anyone in any field. It examines issues like fair and equal rights for women that come up in law, in social work, in psychology, everywhere.鈥
Her enthusiasm is shared by fellow students like Tirtza Spiegel, a biology major who serves as co-president of the Women鈥檚 Studies Society with Rebekah Friedman and Nicole Grubner. The students, all women鈥檚 studies minors, were deeply affected by an introductory women鈥檚 studies course taught by Nachumi two years ago. 鈥淲e created the club to raise awareness of women鈥檚 issues on a personal, communal and global level, with the recognition of the unique challenges pertaining to Jewish and Orthodox women,鈥 Spiegel explained.
However, despite the success of events that covered issues such as female sexuality and fair compensation, the women wanted a deeper inquiry into women鈥檚 studies. Last year they approached Nachumi with the request for an advanced course. 鈥淲e felt it would be beneficial to create a formal arena for professor-student dialogue,鈥 said Spiegel. That request led to the creation of the interdisciplinary seminar, a course whose roster includes recent graduates who have returned to audit it. 鈥淪tudents have been asking for this course for years,鈥 said Nachumi.
Dr. Robin Freyberg, the David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in Psychology and a guest speaker whose lecture dealt with the study of gender differences, thought the course鈥檚 popularity and impact on students in a women鈥檚 college were intuitive. 鈥淥n a fundamental level, these are women that we鈥檙e teaching,鈥 Freyberg said. 鈥淲omen have made important contributions to a lot of different subjects being covered in this course, and their contributions and perspectives are often neglected in more general courses. We want students to have the opportunity to see women鈥檚 roles in these areas and encourage them to make discoveries in their own fields.鈥
For Spiegel, the most important discovery has already been made. 鈥淲omen鈥檚 studies is not solely an academic inquiry,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about improving the status and quality of life for women, both inside and outside Stern College.鈥
