The Brown & White

Shelly Harris, '09, didn't come to Lehigh to major in Women's Studies.

When Harris matriculated in 2005, Lehigh didn't even have a Women's Studies program.

But now as graduation approaches, she and Alisha Gonzales, '09, will be Lehigh's first graduates of the program, which was first available in 2007.

The major, Harris said, helps people open their minds to new ideas they may not have been exposed to before, which benefits Lehigh by providing more diverse viewpoints.

But, explaining the purpose of the program hasn't always been easy, she said.

"This is a real topic and it's a real thing to study," Harris said. "It's not fluffy or anything."

Harris became interested in the program after taking a course about women's work and global perspectives as a freshman seminar.

As one of the two graduates of the program, she said she has broken ground for future graduates.

"It is exciting to be the first two and to be paving the way for other women and men to become Women's Studies majors," Harris said. "It feels really good to be doing that."

Jacqueline Krasas, the director of the program, said she is excited Harris and Gonzales will be the first students to graduate with Women's Studies majors.

"Our two graduates are both superbly well-rounded individuals with high academic and other achievement," Krasas said. "They are special people who have been quite active around campus."

Krasas said she has known Harris and Gonzales since they were freshmen.

"I think as on any campus, Women's Studies programs provide students with critical thinking skills around issues of gender and often ethnicity, race, social class, and sexual orientation as well," she said. "We work closely with the Women's Center and represent the academic side to all of the good work they are doing around campus."

The program also stirs up discussions outside the classroom between friends, roommates and families, Krasas said.

Despite the gender-specific name of the major, men are not excluded from classes.

Harris said the men she knows who have enrolled in Women's Studies classes have enjoyed them.

Generally more men have been enrolled in the introductory-level classes.

"I think that it is hard to have a class where you are talking about gender but only have one gender represented," Harris said.

Gonzales, who will also graduate in May, said her entry in the program was by chance.

"I took Intro to Women's Studies during my freshman year because I thought it would be interesting and I loved it," Gonzales said.

The Women's Studies program makes it easy to double major, Gonzales said, and the professors have all been supportive.

"If you haven't already, sit in on a class, take a class, come talk to me, talk to our minors and majors, talk to any Women's Studies faculty member or come to our events," she said.

For Harris, the creation of the program is more than just a degree. It's also a stride for Lehigh, which lost its former status as an all-male institution in 1971, and only had its first female president in 2006.

"It isn't a mystery that women haven't been at Lehigh very long," Harris said. "It shows a good step for women at Lehigh that we finally have a major."

Women's Studies courses are not just for sociology and anthropology majors either, Harris said.

"Even if you are an engineer there are still aspects of your life that will be affected by social justice issues and women's studies," she said.

Some students inadvertently enroll in Women's Studies courses because many are cross-listed.

Krasas said there are between seven to 12 courses offered in Women's Studies each semester.

"Our courses tend to fill early and most are cross-listed with other departments," Krasas said.

"We offer a broad range of courses across the humanities and social sciences," she said.

Krasas said not to assume the program won't fit into a minor or a double major.

Harris said she hopes the Women's Studies program at Lehigh will continue to grow and become more recognized on campus.

After graduation, Gonzales is going to Widener University to study psychology and human sexuality in the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology.

Harris will be attending Boston University to go to the School of Social Work.