Notre Dame to ask high schoolers how they know ‘for sure whether they are male or female’
The class "will address the questions of how ‘woman’/’the feminine’ and ‘man’/’the masculine’ have been represented and created in our cultural system."
The University of Notre Dame will conduct a “Gender and Culture in American Society” course for high school students next summer, where they will be encouraged to question their gender identity in exchange for college credit.
The Catholic school’s Gender Studies director, Abby Palko, will lead the course and will “ask [the high schoolers] to explain how they know for sure whether they are male or female.”
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A website, outlining the accentuated topics covered in the course says, “[w]e will address the questions of how ‘woman’/’the feminine’ and ‘man’/’the masculine’ have been represented and created in our cultural system.”
“When you were a baby, did your parents dress you in pink or blue? Why don’t girls (typically) play football? Why don’t guys (typically) wear make-up?” the website asks.
One of the goals of the course is that “[s]tudents will develop a basic understanding of current theoretical explanations of gender, including femininity, masculinity, sexualities, patriarchy, and feminism.”
When Campus Reform reached out to the university’s Gender Studies Department for comment, a woman on the phone insisted “nope, no one is available to speak to you.”
Campus Reform made multiple attempts to reach out to Dr. Palko, who did not respond in time for publication.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @MaggieLitCRO
