Experts will lecture on gender roles in contemporary society Wednesday at Rice Hall.
The lecture, “Connecting with Women in the South and Beyond: A panel discussion,” starts at noon.
Becky James works as a graduate assistant in the Women’s Resource Center, the group hosting the lecture. As a graduate in the counselor/education program, James sees the program as beneficial to her field of interest.
“The way society views gender and gender roles can affect people internally and the way they interact with others,” James said. “From a counseling perspective, it is important to keep these issues in mind when helping a client work through problems.”
The program doesn’t just benefit psychology majors. Many students who acquire women’s studies certificate are in political science, English, sociology and others, she said.
Aimee Bordelon is a secondary education major and has already received her certificate.
Bordelon said, “I liked that the classes were interdisciplinary (classes from several departments) because they gave several perspectives on gender and society.”
To stimulate more activity the program plans to bring in two to three speakers a semester.
“The funds are largely provided through the College of Arts and Sciences,” said John Bartkowski, professor of sociology, social work and anthropology.
The funds allow the program to bring speakers from outside Mississippi and provide lunch at the seminars. The resource center also keeps a library of books on topics which relate to psychology, sociology and other fields.
Students can go to the center and check out books for academic or personal use.