Popular courses give students a way to examine various issues

Two courses at East Carolina University are giving students a way to examine and discuss diverse issues in a safe environment. Race, Gender, Class and the LGBT Identity, Society and Politics courses have increased in popularity since they were first established.
“I think ECU benefits from having courses like this. I know for me, institutions that have this type of coursework signal to the larger public, potential students and potential faculty that this is an institution that treats these issues seriously,” said Dr. Melinda Kane, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences associate professor of sociology, who developed and teaches the courses.
“For students that are interested, it really helps them learn correct information as opposed to something they get from a social media site or personal experience, which may not reflect a larger pattern,” said Kane.
Race, Gender, Class is a 1000-level course that was first offered in fall 2012. It has grown from one section per semester to three sections per semester and one in the summer, which fill to capacity with 88-90 students each. In addition to Kane, the course is now taught by three other sociology faculty; Drs. Lori Heald, Arunas Juska and Rebecca Powers.
“What is great about the class is it introduces students to sociology around topics that really interest them, and I’ve found there is always something current event-wise that you can tie to the class,” said Kane. “We focus on three key areas that sociologists study all the time, helping the students see what sociologists do and the timeliness of topics. I think the students find the material more engaging.”
One subject examined was how students raised in families of different class-levels may be affected when it comes to student success.
“This resonated with me, especially because I was raised in a middle-class family,” said Tyrone Dupree, who took the course last year as a sophomore. He said he lacked access to tutors and other material that would have made him a better student. “This makes me want to raise my future child to be better academically,” he said.
“What I enjoyed most about the class was learning the factors that can lead to inequality because of race, gender, etc. People need to take these courses to truly understand how inequality works, and then we can have discussions on how we can fix these issues,” said Dupree.
Kane also designed LGBT Identity, Society and Politics as a special topic in fall 2011. It became its own 3000-level course in fall 2014. Although the course currently is offered only every other year, it fills with 40 students, and was taught online for the first time this past summer.
“The thing I enjoyed most about this course was that it challenged the typical heteronormative approach to LGBT issues we typically see in courses,” said Janae Somerville, a senior who took the course over the summer. “We are living during a time where issues of gender identity, expression and sexuality are becoming as fluid as ever. This course challenged me to look past my preconceptions of LGBT community and learn and hear different opinions that might not match my own. Overall, this course was extremely eye opening and embodied every bit of diversity this institution claims to have.”
Initially, Kane said several students took the special topic because they were committed to making sure it succeeded and to demonstrate the need for such a class.
“They wanted the special topic to do really well, so they took it even if they didn’t need it for their degree plan. Now, you get all types of majors and people who take the class because they are interested, as opposed to seeing it as a political statement,” said Kane.
“I think these types of courses are important for ECU as a community because it teaches you to do more than just empathize,” said Somerville. “These types of courses give you knowledge on topics we as a society often tiptoe around. As the saying goes, ‘knowledge is power,’ and without it we cannot grow. Empathizing with minority groups has never been enough, and will never be enough, but courses like these allow you to use resources on this campus to make a change.”
 
-by Lacey L. Gray, University Communications