University offers Degree in Men's Studies
Submitted by Michael on Mon, 2008-08-18 23:35
I just think that this a positive sign. I'm sure someone may nit-pick it but I think it's positive. Excerpt:
"The Women's Movement, the Peace Movement, and the Industrial Revolution, all have made sweeping cultural changes that have gravely affected the lives of men, generally redefining "male" identity. Some men have welcomed these changes and made the adjustment. Others have actively resisted the forces intent upon redefining them. In the wake of this cultural evolution, many men find themselves lost and confused, angry and alienated. Most of the changes have come about so rapidly that orderly social adjustment has been impossible."
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It was inevitable
The opening of this program was just a matter of time. The final disappearance of feminism is just a matter of (very small) time too.
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Single men is the only social group benefited from feminism. Article here.
How to read news!
Oh Dear
You're a sucker if you think this is some how going to benefit men. University Men's studies programs are a study of masculinity through femninist principles. There are a few such courses avaliable in the UK, most taught by women and gender studies lecturers and leftist PC psychologists, most if not all of whom are feminists.
These women are listed as lecturers on the course:
Lisa Mertz, Ph.D.
Cross-cultural Women's Studies
Peggy A. Thayer, Ph.D.
Cross-cultural Gender Studies
You think these women aren't feminists?
If you read through the course descriptions you'll be able to see the running theme is that masculinity is a "social construct", a main stay of feminist thought. You can expect that they will be offering a "new model" of masculinity for men to follow, i.e. feminised, easily controllable men.
The plan with these types of courses is to bamboozle men or women with psychobabble into thinking that there is something wrong men if they don't express themselves according to what these people want men to be. In this "new society" men must change and conform to what women want them to be, courses like this will just act as feminist propaganda. Academia is feminist through and through do you really think there are people in universities, that have the power at least, to develop a men's studies course that isn't going to act as feminist propaganda?
Re:
You're a sucker if you think this is some how going to benefit men.
I'd suggest you to read first this: Course descriptions
You're definitely a sucker if you think that this is worse than nothing at all (or more exactly, than Women's studies only).
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Single men is the only social group benefited from feminism. Article here.
How to read news!
manonthestreet I think of
manonthestreet
I think of the two views expressed above I favour the sceptical view. I fear that such a course would be more in the nature of 're-education' rather than any sort of reinforcement of maleness as at least some of us here understand it.
I did look at the syllabus but must tell you that a syllabus means nothing. A description like the one given can mean almost anything the lecturer wants it to mean.
Actually it fits in rather nicely that there should be re-education. For those of you who see this all as a sort of socialist agenda ( not me though) then re-education would be the natural next step just as in Mao's China.
By the way
One thing is for sure: feminists of both sexes are definitely very upset about this another shattering blow to feminism. ;)
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Single men is the only social group benefited from feminism. Article here.
How to read news!
I'm sort of 50/50 on this
My first exposure to men's issues was during my graduate work. But that exposure was decidedly spun in the direction of feminism. Indeed, graduate work in men's studies tends to be an extension of women's studies. Sort of a different branch of the same tree (and the fruit that grows on such a branch of such a tree is generally a mangina.)
On the other hand, if the coursework reflects sentiments that are along the lines of "feminism is not what you think" or "You've been lied to about what men are all about" then it is definitely a step in the right direction.
But sadly, I doubt such courses with that orientation would make it through a curriculum committee.
I agree. This is a good start
I think the course organizers need input from this forum.
There are some good websites listed in this course description.
They need to include Baskerville's "Taken Into Custody" and discuss marriage and what it really means IN ALL HONESTY.
I am a supporter of these types of classes if the truth is told - and that means it needs to be told by a male and from the male perspective. NO WOMAN CAN TEACH MOST OF THESE CLASSES. SHE'D BE GUESSING.
oregon dad
Listen, fool. I have read
Listen, fool. I have read the course description, it is ambiguous at best, and riddled with the type of crap you'll find in women studies. You think by simply calling it "men's studies" it's somehow striking a blow againist feminism? Ridiculous. Feminists control the education system and universities are the primary dwelling of the feminist elite. Are you really naive enough to think this is going to be a legitimate men's studies course? The university environment is politically correct and a feminist haven so you can expect the courses to be a product of that environment. There isn't likely to be a legitimate men's studies course for quite a while yet, feminism is to richly engraved in education and society, there is much work to be done in destorying it, contray to what you may think. This course is going to be what the feminists want it to be. Which will be along the lines of telling men how their "traditional" masculine behaviour is harming them and they must change to being more like women.
It is riddled with the type of crap you find in women's studies
There's a lot of femi-speak like this "gender and power," in their description. Given the presence of women's studies teachers, and from what I see in their write-up, they appear to me to be establishing another tool to push their femi-supremacist b.s.
If they really cared about men they'd set up a men's studies curriculum at the most basic level, dealing with the historical oppressions and discriminations that men have faced. I don't see that anywhere.
I see this as very MRA influenced and pro-male, though inclusive
IMO it appears to be written in a way that allows varying views, including men's rights, feminist men and mythopoetics. In fact I see more father's rights and mythopoetics than I do feminism, even if I see some feminism in there. The Fathers section talks primarily talks about the father's rights movement and men's rights movement. The links page links to good groups like ACFC, Alliance for Non-Custodial Parents' Rights and Children's Rights Council. One of the directors has done reviews for Warren Farrell's books. The books include books by Sommers, Farrell, Warshak, Braver, Gardner, etc., all of whom are either MRAs or allies of MRAs. http://www.akamaiuniversity.us/MensStudies.html#9 Does anyone think a feminist-driven program would recommend those books? It's obvious to me that there is a men's rights influence in this. I think this is definitely progress. It appears to me to be exactly what a curriculim should be about - inclusion of various viewpoints. And in this case, the MRA position appears very influential. I'm very happy to see this.
FYI
NE way, I just wanted to ask people to post anymore such courses that they may run across. I want to say there was supposedly a search or something that was being done maybe a year ago? to find men's study courses. Also, some of the links from that page include,
http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/
http://www.ukmm.org.uk/
http://www.fathermag.com/
http://www.ancpr.org/
Granted, there is no Glenn Link or this site.
Maybe, Maybe society will get to the point where I actually wouldn't feel selfish into having a child due to the statistical probability of a shattered family unit.
Mentioning a book is not necessarily praising a book...
"Does anyone think a feminist-driven program would recommend those books?"
Of course not, and I suspect they are not recommending, rather just setting them up to be refuted and condemned. Just mentioning those works in no way means they are going to praise them. I suspect they could no longer ignore those "elephants in the living room." What this may be indicative of is that the Father's and men's movement has gotten so popular that they now have to refute it. They can no longer ignore it.
I suspect we will see an approach to Dr. Warren Farrell's works and others supportive of MRA's and FRA's like that taken by this co-author.
http://tinyurl.com/5ztj5a
I suspect it is just getting harder for gender feminist controlled academia to ban Dr. Farrell (and others) on campuses, and not that anyone in gender feminized acadamia is agreeing with him, IMO.
skeptical?
that's a place all MRA's know well enough.
however, this is a step towards something, good or bad.
coming from where it does, femland academia, it is bound to
have some weeds; but, we are very good at spotting them.
for my penny, i say let's just be pleasantly skeptical,
and see where this goes. either way it will put our views
"out there", which is exactly where the truth belongs.
and how are they going to shut us up anyway?
say we as Men are not relevant?
we should be able to get honest feedback from Men in the classes too.
this should be good, or at least interesting.
Better Than Nothing
I see the faults as mainly the same old misandric social stereotypes of men in the West being projected in the content of the initial courses offered. But this is a new area of study and a few (or more than a few!) "bugs" should be anticipated in the beginning. Men, and especially MRA's could substantially improve the courses by adding their own perceptions into the material as it develops into a mainstream field of study.
The course does have its faults because of its initial stages of development BUT when you are starving to death a small fish is better than no fish at all.
Overall, I see this as a positive sign that things are changing for the better and MRA's in academia would do an invaluable service by nurturing Men's Studies along into a more progressive and accepted field of study.
really?
And that's why they list a whole bunch of men's rights books, in order to attack them? I don't see any evidence of that on there at all.
I don't agree that it's getting much harder for feminists to ban Farrell. They're still doing it. When I see a men's studies program that lists Braver, Farrell, Sommers, etc. on their book list, I see a good thing. If there is evidence that they're doing this to attack those authors, I'd like to see it. So far, I don't. I instead see a very positive men's studies program designed intelligently so as to not cause too much alarm and thus to allow it to be accepted, but while also introducing the men's rights side. There is far, far more MRA material in there than feminist material. And mythopoetics are, in many ways, a friend of MRAs even if they're not exactly the same.
I don't rule things out, but so far I see very little basis for believing this is disguised feminism. I see much more evidence of MRA influence than the opposite.
Listen, idiot
your hysterics about this news clearly show that you are a stupid feminist (there are plenty of them on this and other MRA sites). So your (and others feminists) hysterics absolutely clearly show that this program is a real breakthrough for MRA movement and another deadly blow to feminism. And it is definitely not the last reason for you to be mad. ))
----------------------------------------------------
Single men is the only social group benefited from feminism. Article here.
How to read news!
Still skeptical...
"I don't rule things out, but so far I see very little basis for believing this is disguised feminism."
I guess I'm just skeptical, because the classroom has always been, where the politically correct misandry really comes out. No instructor advertises that, yet it is overwhelmingly there as I suspect it is in this course. The wording in this course description seems to start where women's studies, gender femininist ideology leaves off. I suspect I'll never know for sure as I won't be going to Hawaii and taking this class anytime soon.
mens studies
Surely this will depend on the calibre of the men who attend the course,they will become the male gender's ambassadors.
So,how do they actually pick the men who will attend the course,will they have to answer a series of questions re feminism,ie;will they have to condone feminism before
attending.Anyone know?
manonthestreet This course
manonthestreet
This course may be no more than an attempt to recruit more students. I will just speculate but it could be that enrolment on women's study courses is falling and they are seeking to boost their numbers by offering this course. Believe me recruitment is a big preoccupation in universities.
Course Description
Course Description says everything I need to know....
Patriarchy
"Still, patriarchy is firmly in place in major institutions such as the church and politics. "