By Charlie Miller

Collegiate’s Upper School is offering a relatively new class that reflects the changes happening in our modern world. Honors Gender and Society, a history elective taught by Upper School history teacher Shannon Castelo, explores the meaning behind what gender and stereotypes really are in the world from past and present perspectives. The class explores the way gender matters in history and culture, mainly focusing on the United States. Masculinity and femininity are an integral part of shaping people’s behavior and beliefs, and what it means to be a man or woman in our culture is crucial, but also powerful. The class covers how gender has been defined in both the past and the present. Being an Honors class, the curriculum has included several discussions, in which students like myself share our opinions from assigned readings, and we have written papers and reflections on various topics. 

Taking this class was unexpected for me, because after dropping Honors Spanish V, I had no choice but to enter this class in order to maintain five academic classes. I was very anxious at first, because I had no idea what the class consisted of and what it had in store for me. After meeting with Castelo, she welcomed me with open arms and made me feel comfortable about what it was going to be like entering this type of class. I wasn’t sure if I was ready, because I have never thought about gender and society before in such a deep matter. After about a week or so, I adapted to the environment of the class and started to feel more comfortable around my peers in the classroom. Castelo is extremely comforting to people in the class and views everyone’s opinions equally. 

Castelo says that, “This class is just so relevant. It is fun, because gender is literally all around us every day. Students can engage in the material with their own experiences.” Castelo spoke about the class and where it came from: “The course was born out of an ever-growing national and global conversation about gender in society. As we have begun to question the landscape of gender, dissecting and understanding its complexities; the course is essential for students.”

The F Period Honors Gender and Society class. Photo credit: Charlie Miller.

Some of the broader topics we’ve covered this semester include gender roles in early America, waves of feminism, toxic masculinity, the male gaze, and the roles of gender stereotypes in fairytales. We don’t always write papers on each unit. For example, I created a “zine” as a project on the waves of feminism throughout history. This project consisted of a four-page little pamphlet that covered different topics. Students could put various items into their zines, such as cut-out pictures from magazines or newspapers. We could also add cool artistic designs, like foldables and selectable fonts and colors to our liking. This project was a great thing for my classmates and I to articulate our creative abilities.

Over the last two years, only a handful of boys have taken this class. Nicholas Chambers (‘24) and I were fortunate enough to be in this class with 16 other girls this semester. For some students, being around all girls might be intimidating when speaking up on some topics, but we got used to it after a few days. Chambers explained, “Being one of two guys in an all-girls class is definitely a different experience. Coming into it, I was really nervous in terms of what I would be taught, and if my opinion would be valued. I didn’t want to offend anybody going into it.” Chambers and I have sat beside each other since day one, and I’m very thankful to have another guy in the classroom to provide other perspectives. He added, “Overall, I have come to like this class and what it brings. From a male perspective, I enjoy bringing my thoughts and opinions into topics, and I recommend this class, and it takes the right person with the right interest to pursue it.”

Azaria Bailey (‘24) feels that “It’s so different from all the other classes that Collegiate offers. It’s a second year class, and it’s very new, so I spiked an interest.” She explained, “When we have class discussions when everyone is talking and sharing their thoughts, I like how honest everyone is during the discussions and hearing other options and giving my own opinion.” 

Action shot in a group discussion. Photo credit: Charlie Miller.

Students were assigned to one of four groups—A,B,C, and D—at the beginning of the year. Each group is assigned a certain topic to make prompts posted on Schoology and lead a class discussion. Speaking in a class discussion can be difficult for someone who doesn’t like to express their thoughts in front of other people, but this class is so great because it pushes you out of your comfort zone and puts you in situations to be comfortable, while you’re uncomfortable at the same time. I was very nervous during my first class discussion and was pretty quiet, but after the first one I started talking more in each discussion after. 

Callie Rogers (‘24) said, “It wasn’t my top choice, but now I’m really happy I’m in the class. I didn’t know how much about it before the class began, and now it’s a very insightful class that I learned more than I thought I would.” She also shared what she liked about the class and said, “It’s not always papers. I like how [Castelo] uses real-world examples. It’s more interesting than a typical history class, because it is more concise on one topic than typical history classes that cover hundreds of years of history.”

Featured image courtesy of queerstion.org.