By: Brie White, Senior Writer
In an election season that has created a significant amount of gender news, the conversation in Dr. Sally Hitchmough’s Literature and Gender Theory class has not fallen short. In a course that deals so closely with the topics of gender, gender roles and stereotypes, students look to the current society and the turmoil of the upcoming presidential election. Hitchmough explains the connections between the class and the election.
“The rallying cry for second-wave feminists was ‘the personal is the political’—and in teaching Literature and Gender Theory I find that to be true,” she says. “People generally start with observations about how gender roles operate in their own lives, and go from there to consider the lives of others and how gender roles work in society generally.”
The class does an assignment each week in which they find news items about gender issues and bring them in for discussion. The election and reactions to the campaigns of both candidates have made their way into topics for the assignment, continually raising political questions for students. “With social media, what was personal and private has been political in a new and very interesting way, and of course we talk about that,” says Hitchmough. “As the professor in the room, I see my role as prompting conversations and pointing out connections in the conversation rather than giving my own opinions. With this election, though, the political has certainly been personal.”
Hitchmough’s class isn’t the only one in the English department that has dealt with political conversation. Dr. Kimberly Rostan, professor of English, taught a course called Race, Gender and Empire when presidential candidate Donald Trump visited Wofford’s campus. Regarding the student protest at the event, she says, “I’m really proud of Wofford students for protesting something besides the Greek village.”
She describes her upbringing as one where her opinions “were not welcome around the dinner table.” She was raised in a conservative family and had experiences in her undergraduate years that were eye-opening but also traumatizing, leaving her feeling embarrassed for articulating political opinion in an academic setting.
“I like to demystify things,” she says. “I wouldn’t nail someone down for their political opinion and it would break my heart if a student felt shame… the thing about college is that the idea of being certain in political beliefs is so new. It makes me hesitant that you would already be certain about anything. People are influx here.”
Rostan points out that while saying things like “both sides suck” allows students to be at peace with friends of different political backgrounds, the candidates still differ in their policies and students should exercise their right to vote. “If I’m feeling provocative, I tell students to think about the reasons why you come up with narratives, why you feel like you shouldn’t disagree or have opinions,” she says. “We come up with extensive narratives to excuse ourselves from confrontation, conflict and political thinking, especially with what’s at stake in this election.”
Professor Linda Powers teaches public speaking and various other communication and journalism-based courses at Wofford. Powers was active in the League of Women Voters, has served several terms on city council, ran for mayor and served 24 years as the Water Commissioner. She views herself as very partisan, saying, “I belong to one party and it expresses my belief.” However, she is very politically restrained in the classroom. “I try to remain impartial,” she says. “I think this election in some ways makes that easier because so many people are so shocked and horrified. Since the candidates are rough, it’s almost easier.”
The presidential election and candidates are common discourse in her public speaking classes. “I wouldn’t call it politically charged, but in my classes I’m judging people who are making comments about both candidates,” she says. “I try to point out processes in the way we talk about these things versus what the students do or do not say. I emphasize empathy, understanding and respect. We can find common ground… I analyze the process and word choice of students and ask them if they believe the candidates are using the rhetoric that we are.”
Professor Powers emphasizes the need to understand other’s points of view. “I’m happy to withhold my own views. This is part of who I am and what I’ve learned about rhetoric.”
