EDUCATION tudying the Issues of Gender Interview with Abby Gelfer BY DONNA IVERSON spoke with Abby Gelfer, a licensed clinical social worker and Chair of Psychology, Hu- man Services and Gender Studies at Burlington College, a small progressive liberal arts college located in Burlingtonis Old North End. Their con- versation follows. ' I ast month, OI'I‘M contributor Donna Iverson OITM: Could you give a simple description of what gender studies covers? AG: The full title of the major at Burlington Col- lege is Gender Studies: A Study of the Sexes. The program is intended to cover different aspects of gendered behavior, including if and why men and women behave, feel, and think differently, and what outcomes those differences create. OITM: Why did Burlington College decide to add gender studies to its curriculum this year? AG: There’s been an increase in interest ir1 femi- nist issues and gender studies among students in recent years, mostly around third—wave feminist ideas and theorists. There seems to be a desire to discuss gender issues with less defensiveness and more open curiosity than in the past decade or two. Also, the interest seems to be from a more inter- . disciplinary perspective - biological, psychological, philosophical. The committee that proposed the major felt it was important to include a variety of disciplines and not use one dominant perspective. OITM: Is "gender studies" the new name for women's studies? AG: No. They are different programs; however, there is a great deal of discussion and disagree- ‘ ment about how they differ. Women’s studies usu- ally look at issues specific to women, and gender studies examines both genders and the question of what creates gender. There is some political ten- sion between the two, as some people see the adop- tion of gender studies as a way to co-opt the spe- cific study of women. Sandy Baird, another faculty member; Cristin Tanner, a student who helped start the program; and I spent several hours discussing what to call the major. Personally, I think using the title “gender studies” gives us an opportunity to explore gender construction and biology, as well as _ feminist issues, so the broader title appeals to me. OITM: Does the study of gender now include the areas of race and class? AG: The study of gender issues includes racial and socioeconomic inequalities, and definitely must consider unequal distribution of power. Some overarching theories incorporate the study of race, class, and gender, including feminist theories such as Jean Baker Miller's analysis of dominance and submission. However, the concept of gender has its own unique properties, such as the active discussion of biologicalpredisposition relating to gender, the question of construction, and what effect technology will have on gender. OITM: A number of courses you teach involve sex, desire and gender. What is the relation- ship here? . , AG: Actually, I only teach one course with a fo- cus on sex and desire - the course I am currently teaching, Sex and Desire. The other gender studies course I teach is Psychology of Women. I became interested in teaching this course after I read Naomi Wolf’s book, Promiscuities. Because younger .. women, and cer- ‘ tajnly the current media, often frame feminism as no A longer necessary, and sometimes see second Wave feminism as hav- ing accomplished’ its goals, I find myself looking for examples of places hr the culture where this assumption is clearly incorrect. One obvious (to me) place is the definition of, and often repression of, women’s sexuality._ ' PHOTO: ANTHE ATHAS BBY GELFER OITM: Have you read The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine. who writes that girls are wired prior to birth to be ”approva| seeking" and boys are not? ‘ AG: I haven’t had a chance to read The Female Brain, although I've read about it. I’m using David Buss’ evolutionary psychology book, The Evolution of Desire, in my Sex and Desire class, so I have been thinking a lot about the hardwiring of gender lately. My general feel- ing about most behavioral issues is that though biological influence is present, it is over-stated. OITM: What recommendations would you make to counter gender stereotyping? AG: For me, what gets us into trouble is dehuman- izingor objectifying other people. When we see others only as objects with which to advance our own desires, we are dehumanizing them. I stumbled upon MTV’s reality show, “Next,” the other night, and was simultaneously horrified and captivated. In this climate of unapologetic objec- tification, we are all trained to treat each other as means to an end, without empathy, understanding, kindness, consideration of motives, or concern. In that situation, one is susceptible to treating others, men or women, as things that can be manipulated, abused, controlled. So I guess my recommenda- tion would be to look at individual characteristics, ‘consider motivation, treat others with empathy. OITM: How did you get interested in gender studies? AG: My most recent interest in developing a pro- gram came from teaching the psychology of wom- en to a particularly engaged class a few semesters ago, and from the interest of several students in establishing aformal major. But I was involved ‘with women’s issues in my previous career as a clinical social worker. I was a pregnancy counselor at a women’s health collective for many years and then saw individual women and ran groups for women with eating disorders in my private prac- tice. As a college instructor for the past 15 years, I’ve noticed the extreme changes in responses to feminism, women’s issues, and gender» identifica- tion during this time period. It is encouraging to see a ‘generation interested in talking about these issues, although they frame the discussions with more emphasis on gender construction.V Donna lverson is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in Winooski. 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