Teaching about Being an Oppressor

In the US womens studies programs have seriously challenged every academic disciplines conceptualizations of gender ethnicity class and sexuality. It has been one of the fastest growing academic fields and has forever changed the face of academia. In this article Steven P. Schacht explores his own attempts as a White male professor to meaningfully contribute to the womens studies programs on the various campuses he has taught and to the larger feminist movement. Schacht notes that in all his classroom discussions he offers his own experiences of doing unearned male privilege and recognize the harm it inflicted on others--both female and male. Often male and female students also offer their experiences of dominance and being oppressed. This perspective demonstrates how all too common oppression is how harmful it is for so many and why women and men should join together to bring about its end.