The consequences and effects for male students in the women studies classroom

Graduation date: 2006This research explores the consequences and effects for men\ud enrolled in introductory Women Studies courses at Oregon State\ud University. Men are enrolling in the feminist classroom in larger\ud numbers due to institutional changes allowing Women Studies to\ud provide credit for baccalaureate core curriculum. The intention of\ud this study is to examine how men react to the feminist classroom,\ud to understand how, and if, they are affected by the material, and to\ud find out if the experience facilitates personal and political changes\ud for men.\ud Results from this research project are mixed concerning the\ud consequences of feminist education on men. While some men are\ud resistant, many are benefiting from feminist education and are\ud finding the material pertinent to their own lives. Overall, men in \ud this study were relatively accepting of feminist knowledge however,\ud no major changes among individuals were evident\ud Potential for future research includes a more in-depth\ud exploration of men's attitudes toward feminist scholarship through\ud interviewing men enrolled in upper level Women Studies and\ud feminist classes, gaining information from male resistors in the\ud feminist classroom, accessing the limitations of this research and\ud minimizing them in a replica study, and through the use of a more\ud diverse male sample