Photograph by Robert Scheer
Julie Maia is coodinator of the Women's Studies Program at West Valley College.
By Torre Peña
After years of relative obscurity, the Women's Studies Program at West Valley College has doubled in size over the last three years and is gathering momentum.
This interdisciplinary approach to education has attracted enough students that there is now a waiting list for the program. Because of the program's popularity, the college has agreed to expand the number of women's studies courses offered next spring.
"As scholars, we are on the cutting edge of new research," said women's studies coordinator Julie Maia. "In my field one of the hottest things going is medieval women." Because these women were often illiterate, our understanding of their role in society comes from a male-dominated perspective, she said.
Her literature course meshes with the program's philosophy, which "encourages students to think critically about how gender has shaped their ideas about themselves and their sense of power in the world."
"The approach that gets used in women's studies courses aids in creative and critical thinking in ways that traditionally taught courses sometimes don't," Maia said.
In her literature course, Maia relies on material from psychology, sociology, history and anthropology for class discussions. "That kind of interdisciplinary thinking is very valuable to students. It gets them to make connections among all the different classes they are taking in a way that is very enriching."
The program also explores women's contributions to science and the humanities. West Valley celebrated Women's History Month in March by hosting an array of forums and workshops.
Further showing support for a program that draws students and raises tuition money from class registration, the college has agreed to add three to four new women's studies courses next spring. This was somewhat of a surprise for Maia, who originally submitted a request to the college for just one additional class. Currently, 200 students are enrolled in four classes, divided into six sessions.
During an informal brainstorming session, faculty and students agreed that an introduction to women's studies would be essential. The consensus appears to be that an introductory class will be the first added to the expanding program.
WVC President Marchelle Fox enthusiastically supports the program, which she said is appropriate for a student body of 60 percent women. "It's a very important program," Fox said. "Education is empowerment."
Adding that different perspectives are important, she said men are always welcome in the women's studies program. And as the program continues to expand, Fox wants to strengthen ties with community groups like the Saratoga Foothill Club.
The program was started in the 1970s by faculty members and received funding for a coordinator position by the early 1980s. It ran out of gas when some of the original faculty either retired or moved on to follow career aspirations and weren't replaced, explained Linda King, an anthropology instructor. Budget cuts also drained the program.
Although the coordinator position is unfunded now, Maia has taken the reins and is encouraged by faculty support. It has been much easier to pull people together and generate exciting ideas than she anticipated, she said.
Instructors of the program, with an eye on the future, will consider the impact that welfare reform, health-care reform, affirmative action and immigration will have on women and families. In the meantime, Maia is dedicated to building a sturdy program.
"I've been writing grants like crazy," she said.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, April 9, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.