WMST603 Diversity of Women
By Yuko Kume

Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary program where you can learn about your identity. WMST603: Diversity of Women focuses on the diverse experiences of women in the United States as well as throughout the world. It explores ideological, economical and political inequalities shaped by gender, class, race, sexuality, age, religion, nationality and other social variables.

The most obvious variable that women have in common is that they are women. However, the meaning of being a woman is affected by other social variables as well as how these variables are considered in different times and places.

The members of this class are open-minded and try to incorporate their experiences into class discussion, which makes the class very thought- provoking. Sometimes members may feel uncomfortable; however, the class does not hesitate to figure out what makes them feel that way. Sometimes the process is heartbreaking. I imagine that it is difficult for each member to find directions that would bring one total peace of mind. Putting each piece of a jigsaw puzzle together so that the whole picture makes sense seems almost impossible.

However, believing what they are doing is part of a process to reach the real understanding of what it means to be diverse, class discussion continues. Class members are coming from different backgrounds. Talking with people from different backgrounds awakens one's unconscious sometimes with pain.

Somewhere between the process of dealing with uneasiness, one will be able to start seeing the world differently and thinking differently. This is a program for women who are struggling to think outside the box.