Flora Belle Farr
Growing up in a tiny Texas panhandle town, Heather Wood longed to learn about things she felt weren’t talked about enough: gender, sexuality, social issues, etc. When she decided to go to college in a big city, she went with the expectation that she’d finally be surrounded by discussion of all of those things as a Women’s and Gender Studies major. The recent gender audit of UT Austin courses has made Wood worried for her last few semesters at UT and future gender studies students.
At the end of September, Texas Scorecard first reported the UT System announced it would be evaluating gender studies related courses to ensure that they align with the Board of Regents’ priorities. Following that report, the Austin American-Statesman and other news outlets were told the evaluation will be discussed at the board’s Nov. 19-20 meeting. In the meantime, members of the gender studies department have been left waiting to see what changes the board may make to their curriculums.
Wood said although she’d been aware of advisory boards overseeing course content, it was still shocking to see a review in her department. The junior said she’s discussed the announcement casually with classmates, but hasn’t had an in-depth conversation about its implications with anyone in the department.
“It’s kind of scary, especially for a class full of people who are majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies, like it’s kind of uncertain what’s going to happen to our department,” Wood said.
Beyond students’ concern, faculty members are also uncertain of what the audit will bring. Associate professor Rachel González-Martin said she is sad for her students who may see their language controlled in the academic setting.
“Before this moment … faculty members were continuously told, classrooms and research were autonomous spaces, off-limits to political and outside influences beyond the goals and expertise of faculty members,” González-Martin said. “I see this audit as a direct result of the dissolution of shared governance structures at the University. … It makes me feel like soon I won’t be able to teach my classes at all. I too will be edited away, as a teacher, and as a keeper of stories of communities who do not fit neatly into established-authorized categories.”
Though the audit is out of students’ hands, González-Martin said she recommends that in the case that course content is flagged and reevaluated, students should get acquainted with the specialized library collections and librarians at their disposal as quickly as they can.
“(Students should) talk to instructors and peers, graduate and undergraduate students, convene reading groups and chats. Small groups, big groups, on campus, off campus. They can’t censor our minds,” González-Martin said. “The more folks discuss, acknowledge and teach one another, the more … these ideas, ‘bad words’ and the real living communities whose very existence is being challenged will not vanish from public life without a fight.”
Beyond the classroom, Wood said that her education in the Women’s and Gender studies department has prepared her for any law path of her choice because it has made her more aware of her positionality and how that affects her interactions with others on an everyday basis. She said that understanding the history of intersectionality and inclusivity is important in any career path from education to medicine to law.
“Coming from somewhere that’s smaller and more conservative, I had to kind of relearn the way I thought about things,” Wood said. “I’ve become a better person for taking Women’s and Gender Studies courses, and I wish that more people would take them to learn that perspective.”
While she’s concerned about possible changes being made to the courses, there’s still hope to be found in what outside knowledge the department can bring in. Wood said a recent book talk they hosted gave her more confidence in the outcome of the course audit.
“Somebody mentioned, no matter what happens, somebody fought for (these programs, classes and content) to be in place here. And, we have seen what it takes to keep it going, and it’s been pushed back against before,” Wood said. “So, all we can do is try our best to keep it going. This probably isn’t the last time that something like this is going to happen, so we just have to learn to roll with the punches… and eventually things will work out.”