Education 683 - Women in Higher Education

Women now comprise a majority of all American undergraduate students, but only a minority of senior professors, senior administrators, or presidents. This course is an introduction to the issues affecting women in the academy as students, educators, leaders, and scholars. Some of the topics include: barriers to women's full participation in higher education, including sexual harassment and racism; the question of coeducation versus single-sex education; conditions for women undergraduates including the so-called "chilly climate." In addition, the course will explore issues germane to female faculty members, barriers to institutional leadership, and the goals and contributions of women's studies as well as the current attack on feminist scholarship. This is a seminar style course where students are expected to participant fully.