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Contradictions Within the

Classroom: Masculinities in
Feminist Studies
a

Debra Guckenheimer & Jack Kaida Schmidt

a

Brandeis University, Waltham

Community Violence Solutions, San Pablo

Published online: 14 Jun 2013.

To cite this article: Debra Guckenheimer & Jack Kaida Schmidt (2013) Contradictions
Within the Classroom: Masculinities in Feminist Studies, Women's Studies: An interdisciplinary journal, 42:5, 486-508, DOI: 10.1080/00497878.2013.794061
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Womens Studies, 42:486508, 2013

Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0049-7878 print / 1547-7045 online
DOI: 10.1080/00497878.2013.794061

CONTRADICTIONS WITHIN THE CLASSROOM:

MASCULINITIES IN FEMINIST STUDIES
DEBRA GUCKENHEIMER
Brandeis University, Waltham
JACK KAIDA SCHMIDT

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Community Violence Solutions, San Pablo

What is the place of men in Womens, Gender, and Feminist

Studies (WGFS) college and university courses? This article
explores challenges and opportunities provided by the presence
of men in such courses by focusing on one case study. We analyze a course titled Feminist Theories on Sexual Violence as
a case study of the contradictions that arise from the participation of men and the performance of masculinities in WGFS
courses. We were surprised by the dynamics and defensiveness of hegemonic masculinity that occurred in the classroom.
We address some of the ways in which faculty and students need
to be aware of the gender dynamics and student resistance.
Literature on masculinity in feminist classes is underdeveloped
and tends to focus on people categorized as male (Berila et al.;
Klein; Orr; Philips and Westland; Pittman). We seek to expand and
re-shape the discussion to focus on performances of masculinities
by students and the implications of those performances for
women teachers.
This article explores a divide that arose between students
regarding performances of and defensiveness about hegemonic
masculinity. Broadly, on one side of the divide were Sociology
majors who were just beginning to encounter the topic of sexual violence, while the other side consisted of activists from the
campus anti-rape group. Students on both sides expressed feeling
silenced by the other. This divide impaired the class despite efforts

Address correspondence to Debra Guckenheimer, Research Associate, Hadassah

Brandeis Institute, c/o Debby Olins, MS079-HBI, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454.
E-mail: debraguckenheimer@gmail.com

486

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Masculinities in Feminist Studies

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to create an inclusive, safe environment and rapport between

students. This case raises pedagogical issues and challenges the
idea of safety within feminist classrooms altogether.
First, we provide a brief review of the literature on the
place of men in WGFS and, more specifically, sexual violence
curriculum. Second, this article continues as a dialogue between
the instructor and one of the male students in an open and vulnerable discussion of powerful yet problematic dynamics within
our course. Describing specific experiences from the course, we
highlight three issues about the participation of men in WGFS
courses: (1) The performance and defense of hegemonic masculinity within the classroom limited students sense of safety.
(2) Masculine voices appeared, at times, to have more authority than feminine voices. (3) This dynamic led to a problematic
place for male students, such as co-author Jack Kaida Schmidt, to
challenge hegemonic masculinity while still providing space for
feminine voices within the classroom. We conclude with suggestions for both instructors and students in WGFS courses, as well as
point to issues requiring further investigation.
This article not only represents a deep conversation between
an instructor and student, but can also serve as the beginning of a
conversation in classrooms. This type of dialogue requires vulnerability and openness on both sides, but allows for enormous growth
by all participants, including the reader. Normally only stories
of success are presented, but we dare to show our struggles and
challenges. This article is a practical example of the type of vulnerability needed. It represents a break from traditional writing structures. Although instructors of imperfect and complicated courses
may want to hide their experience, this article is an open discussion of problems that arose during the course. Through the process of reading each others words, we have come to a new place of
understanding and are better able to overcome those issues. It is
our hope that through reading these words, you will as well.
Institutional Climate
The course was shaped by the institutional climate and dynamics that occur across institutions related to gender and evaluations. Taught at a large, public university on the West Coast,
this course had a relatively diverse student body, half identifying

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Debra Guckenheimer and Jack Kaida Schmidt

as Caucasian. Intermediate undergraduate courses such as this

enroll approximately 70 students. While admission to the university is competitive, it is also widely known as a party school. Many
students do not keep up with readings, and some seek their degree
without concern for their grade point average. Undergraduate
courses are often taught by graduate students and have a graduate student teaching assistant who holds office hours and grades
papers. This limits interactions students have with their instructors. Additionally, the course was held in a lecture hall for 200 people with fixed seats. Even though students were asked to sit toward
the front of the classroom, they sat with awkward distance between
each other and tended to not make eye contact when commenting
or asking questions.
Women who teach through discussion and who address sensitive topics related to social inequalities are especially judged
harshly (Laube et al. 95; Messner White Guy Habitus 459;
Webber 187). Junior women scholars must be especially cognizant
of how they will be evaluated by students if they are to succeed in
academia, especially because of gendered expectations students
have of women instructors and its impact on evaluations (Laube
et al. 91; Messner White Guy Habitus 458; Sprague and Massoni
781). Since future employment is partially determined by teaching
evaluations, early career women instructors may be discouraged
from challenging or confronting students. This was a new course
offering for the campus and a new prep for the instructor.
Since the course fulfilled a theory requirement for the
Sociology major, the enrollment of men without interest in WGFS
was relatively large. While many courses dealing with gender and
feminism are elective and have small enrollments of men (Berila
et al. 36), this was an upper division course which was traditionally filled solely with Sociology majors. When registering, students
would only see that the course was titled Special Topics in Social
Theory, so were not aware of the feminist content of the course.
This likely led to a larger presence of men than a course on sexual
violence would typically have otherwise.
Theoretical Rationale and Literature Review
In this section, we define key concepts and offer a brief overview
of the literature on masculinities within WGFS classrooms. This

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review presents the complicated position of young women instructors and male students who want to challenge gender inequality. These challenges are raised from performances of and
defensiveness about hegemonic masculinity instead of male bodily comportment. As this review will demonstrate, the struggles
we encountered in our classroom are not unique, but are part of
challenging gender inequality at institutions of higher education
today.
Gender: Our approach to masculinity within the classroom is
based on the understanding of gender as the socially constructed
expectations for those inhabiting a binary sex category, male or
female, leading to a system of unequal power relations (Messner
Politics of Masculinities; West and Fenstermaker 2022). These
power relations are grounded in the duality of opposing qualities assigned to masculinity/femininity. Masculinity is associated
with achievement, control, autonomy, and power, while femininity is associated with powerlessness, passivity, sensuality, emotional
expressiveness, and nurturing (Orr 244). Gender is not a fixed
identity or role, but is continually shifting within differing social
spaces (Fine and Kuriloff 259; West and Fenstermaker 22). While
masculinity tends to refer to the embodiment of the socialized
expectations for those inhabiting male bodies, performances of
masculinity vary and are not restricted to male bodies (Pascoe).
Bodily comportment of maleness or femaleness should not be
equated with performances of masculinity and femininity.
Within the same space, different masculinities are produced
which provide varying levels of power and privilege. These levels of privilege and power depend upon their performance of
hegemonic masculinity (Messerschmidt 300). Hegemonic masculinity is the valued form of gender to which boys and men
are held accountable to perform, although few fully do so
(Messerschmidt 299; Pascoe). Complicit masculinities aspire to
be hegemonic, but lack resources to achieve this (Swain 338).
Men are complicit with the reproduction of hegemonic masculinity, even if they avoid it, when they fail to challenge social
arrangements (Messner White Guy Habitus 464). However, not
all performances of gender reinforce power and privilege in the
same way.
Some performances of masculinity (i.e., subordinate and
personalized) challenge hegemonic masculinity. Subordinate

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Debra Guckenheimer and Jack Kaida Schmidt

masculinities are positioned in opposition to hegemonic masculinity and seen as deficient (Swain 339). Swain argues that
personalized masculinities are neither complicit nor subordinate,
but demonstrate a breaking from the hierarchy of the system of
masculinity. Whether or not personal masculinities are possible
is questionable because it is not possible to operate completely
outside of a hegemonic system. Regardless, alternative (subordinate or personalized) masculinities can be productive and
supportive of feminist classroom dynamics (Messner Politics of
Masculinities; Orr 250). Providing role models who perform
alternative masculinities is key, especially role models who are
openly feminist and reflexive of their privilege (McCarry 411;
Messner White Guy Habitus 466). They can play an important
role in WGFS classrooms.
WGFS Classrooms: While WGFS classrooms are often framed as
safe spaces, they are necessarily safer for some than for others.
Sexual violence educational programs are seen to be more effective when creating a sense of safety by separating men and women
students into distinct groups (Kilmartin and Berkowitz), yet the
university classroom tends to be mixed gender, which makes them
less safe. WFGS classes are often mixed gender and safety is further mediated by the domination of White, middle class women
(Jackson; Klein; Orr). Safety is at odds with making the WGFS
classrooms spaces for complex, open debates fostering respect
and sensitivity (Stake, Sevelius, and Hanly 209), while addressing
the varying levels of privilege of students. The challenge for feminist instructors is to create a classroom safe enough for students
to engage personally with course material, but also where students
are challenged on their own privileges ( Jackson).
For professors, especially women and people of color, challenging hegemonic masculinity is dangerous. It will lead some
students to become resistant and harsh in their evaluations
(Hartung; Messner White Guy Habitus 458; Orr 243). Resistant
students are more likely to give lower teaching evaluations
(Hartung 258), and so confronting hegemonic masculinity with
men who embrace that masculinity is dangerous business, particularly for the untenured instructor. Those resistant to feminism may
become critical of the instructor, hostile, and unwilling to participate in class discussions (Hartung 262; Orr 242; Stake, Sevelius,
and Hanly 191). Expectations of men are complicated by race, and

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indeed White men are more likely to challenge the authority and
competency of women of color faculty (Pittman 187).
Since feminist discussions of sexual violence challenge masculinity, similarly to other WGFS courses, student resistance and
defensiveness is expected. Though they are in the minority, men
students in WGFS courses often dominate discussion and are resistant to subject matter, especially when the subject is rape (Orr 243;
Philips and Westland 37). Courses on sexual violence necessarily
challenge hegemonic masculinity since the perpetrators of sexual violence tend to be men (Kilmartin and Berkowitz) who have
hegemonic understandings of masculinity (Messerschmidt 302).
Courses on sexual violence are deeply personal and challenge students to re-evaluate their own sense of gender and sexuality, as well
as the stories in the media and in their communities about cases of
sexual violence. Men who perpetrate sexual violence will likely not
disclose their violence (Edin et al.), however it sometimes emerges
in their class participation and writing.
Hegemonic masculinity is often a focal point of contention
within any WGFS classroom. We do not know enough about how
resistance and defensiveness looks, is experienced, nor how to
overcome it. Challenging inequality in meaningful ways is inherently dangerous for all participants, although to varying degrees.
But it can also be powerful. Pedagogical approaches that demonstrate how men may lack race, class, and sexual identity privileges,
as well as the price that boys and men pay for their masculinity, can help transform resistant students (Messner Politics of
Masculinities; Orr 243).
Dialogue: Instructor and Student Experiences
in a Sexual Violence Course
What follows is a unique dialogue between student and instructor, allowing readers to see our disagreements and our unique struggles in the
classroom. Rarely are student voices heard in literature on pedagogy and
classroom experiences, especially the voice of a male student in a feminist classroom. Dialogue between student and instructor reduces the power
inequalities between us, while giving space and legitimacy to student perspectives and experiences. Student experiences are a vital component to
feminist classrooms, and the feedback received in evaluations often does
not do it justice. While most co-authored pieces represent unified ideas, we

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left our unique experiences and differing opinions separate in order to let
the reader follow our disagreements about what happened in the classroom.
Informed by the literature above, in this section, Debra Guckenheimer (DG)
and Jack Kaida Schmidt (JS) dialogue about their experiences in the course
as instructor and student.
DG: I had to fight to teach this course on sexual violence.
No course on sexual violence existed in the universitys course
catalog. Sexual violence is not a sexy topic, and some faculty
commented that the topic is altogether too second wave and
outdated. But college campuses, including ours, are hotbeds
of sexual violence. Because of the importance to students
lives and my own passion for the topic, I was deeply invested in
this course. When my department needed someone to teach a
special topics in social theory course, I jumped at the chance
to teach a theory course on sexual violence.
My effort to be inclusive of student anti-rape activists
changed the dynamics of the course in ways that I did not
predict. I advertised the course through the local rape crisis center and campus activist groups. While upper division
Sociology courses are usually reserved for Sociology majors, I
felt strongly about opening the course up to student activists
who work on the issue of sexual violence. I wanted to provide these students an opportunity to engage with the topic of
sexual violence from a theoretical, academic position, which
is largely unavailable to them on campus. I also included an
activist component in the course to emphasize that change is
possible, to connect theory to practice, and to give students
credit for their activism.
While I had engaged deeply with feminist pedagogy, I felt
unprepared for the struggle that feminist instructors face.
Literature on pedagogy often focuses only on successes and
recommendations. Creating any new course, especially one
on sexual violence, is incredibly draining and life consuming.
I would come into class filled with enthusiasm for the lesson
plan I had worked on until moments before, and often leave
disappointed that things never seemed to work as planned.
I would run out of time, struggle to get students to participate in discussions, and feel disheartened that a number of
students had not even done the reading.

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Teaching a controversial course such as this, is a balancing

act of getting students to consider theories that they may not
otherwise be open to, without pushing them too hard that
they become defensive and shut down (Davis 234; Haddad
and Lieberman 338). I seek to achieve this balance by focusing the discussion on the readings. While students may ask
my personal opinions, I do not want students to reflect what
they think I want to hear. I want to create an open dialogue
of multiple perspectives. Still, the choice of readings and
focus within the classroom will take students on a journey of
learning shaped by goals I set for their learning.
I was already familiar with literature that argued that the
domination of these spaces by White women has made WGFS
classrooms inherently unsafe for women of color. However, I
did not fully understand that discussing oppression with those
with (and without) varying levels of privilege means that no
one is safe. In real and honest dialogue, people make racist,
sexist, classist, and homophobic comments. The goal is not
to remove those comments from our classrooms, effectively
silencing them, but to expose them as connected with systems of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia through
our discussion (Davis 236; Haddad and Lieberman 336).
JS: I had only been involved with sexual violence prevention for
about six months when I decided to take this class. I was eager
to learn more about sexual violence, especially in a context
outside of the student-based groups I was involved with. I had
few experiences in academic courses that focused on a topic
so personal to me. I was not the only activist enrolled in the
course with expectations about the class. As student activists,
we had expectations about how discourse around this subject
should be facilitated. However, this course was filled with students with little or no knowledge about sexual violence. It was
not long before some students in the class began expressing victim blaming sentiments, problematic language, and
derogatory comments. These comments began to make the
activists (and likely other students, particularly women and
survivors of sexual violence) feel threatened, offended, and
uncomfortable.
While many activists are prepared to deal with a situation in which perpetrators and survivors may be in the same

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space, most of the activists in the class were not prepared for
an instructor who appeared unwilling to confront the victim
blaming, problematic statements, erroneous facts and myths
that arose during discussion. I cannot speak for other student
activists in the course, but I know that I was expecting a class
in which those comments and individuals would be called out
and addressed as damaging. This is what I was used to and
expected based on my prior education on sexual violence.
Some examples of problematic statements were around the
responsibility of women to abstain from drinking in order
to avoid sexual assault. Other comments included disparaging remarks about promiscuous women, as well as women who
dress in provocative ways. I put quotes around these words
because I do not use or condone them, and to illustrate the
way some students in the class were speaking.
When the instructor did not confront those comments, we
student activists began to feel as if the burden was on us, or
they would go unchallenged. This became a very distracting
and uncomfortable situation that many of us felt we should
not have to negotiate. Furthermore, this dynamic created tension between the instructor and the students in the class.
I believe that many students, aside from the activists in the
class, also felt generally unsafe.
I clearly remember one day in which I left class early, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. In this particular instance,
a barrage of victim-blaming statements were made by many
of the men students in the class. I remember thinking these
men were feeding off of each others increasingly derogatory
comments about why the burden of preventing rape falls on
the victim. I remember how confrontational the discussion
was and how angry and frustrated I felt observing it. I felt
overwhelmed by all the comments and frustrated that the
discussion had come to this point. I was angry at myself for
feeling overwhelmed, but I felt in some ways that it was futile
to try and speak up. Also, given how blaming and shaming
many of the student comments were, I can only imagine how
other students may have felt.
DG: Topics that you mentioned like blaming and shaming rape
survivors were new ideas for some students, and they talked

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through their resistance in class. I saw their resistance

as healthy since, as Davis discusses (233), some resistance
demonstrates deep engagement with course materials. Their
comments represented mainstream discourse about sexual
violence, and I saw it as productive to have students reflecting that discourse and processing it together. I became aware
of the issue of students feeling upset and frustrated with
the progression of the course when I conducted mid-quarter
evaluations.
I was surprised when the students who participate in antirape activism on campus blamed me for the class dynamic
because, as they saw it, I was responsible for shutting down
those comments. At the same time, other students expressed
feeling silenced by the activist students who were clearly more
familiar with the material. The non-activists said the activist
students were demeaning in their response to their comments
in class, so they no longer wanted to participate. Both sides
expressed feeling a lack of space for class participation.
I invited the activist students to a meeting outside of class
to discuss the classroom dynamics. They insisted that I should
not let students make comments that were filled with rape
myths. I tried to explain that the goal of the class is to create a space to have an open discussion and that if students
hold these ideas, airing them in class will make change more
likely. I wanted the activist students to understand that an
academic course provides a unique opportunity to develop
student feminist consciousness in a meaningful and complicated way that requires frank dialogue, as painful as hearing it
may be. Students tend to be less defensive of ideas of authors
instead of ideas of their professors, especially when those ideas
are potentially radical or feminist. I said that part of their
learning process was to engage with their peers where they
were, to say in class what they are thinking, and to relate their
thoughts and ideas to the course material while doing so. The
activist students responded that the job of patrolling the classroom was mine and not theirs; they did not come to class to
educate other students, they came to learn. I told them that a
part of learning is discussing these ideas with people who say
things you find offensive. But, I did not convince them. They
were angry and frustrated with me.

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The classroom environment became intense, with both

the activist and the non-activist students continuing to feel
uncomfortable, angry with the other students, and frustrated with me. I spoke about what rape myths are and
reminded the students about my pedagogical style of learning through discussion and providing space for all students
to participate. I created space for discussing class dynamics. I reminded students of the ground rules they established and agreed to on the second day of class. These
included: Respect others opinions and space to participate. Be sensitive and thoughtful about comments and supportive of others
experiences. Allow space for disagreement. Come to class prepared
and willing to participate. Nothing overcame the divide in the
class.
When the course ended, I felt frustrated. Was it too difficult
to have both the Sociology majors and the activist students
in the same class? Was it the institutional climate, including
many students not doing the reading and the large class size in
an awkward room? Was it me worrying too much about offending students because of my place in the academy? I have given
these questions a lot of thought and have yet to fully answer
them.
Some students were negative in evaluations, reflecting the
same dynamics that were discussed in the mid-quarter evaluations which demonstrate how students may want opposing
things from their teachers and each other. One student wrote
in the final evaluation: I felt this was a very problematic class,
and not a safe space. . . . I found it disturbing that rapists
views were validated, survivors were silenced, and those of us
who were taking this class to increase theoretical knowledge
had to almost single-handedly focus on proving that rape
even exists as a social problem. It was painful to read that,
although I did not take these comments as relating to what
I was saying in class, but to what other students were saying.
It was frustrating that this student did not realize that some
students have internalized societal ideas about sexual violence
and were unable to see that not discussing them would not
make them disappear. It was also frustrating that the student
followed a pattern of some of the activist students, shutting
down to engaging with the ideas in the texts about racism,

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heteronormativity, globalization, and so on. At the other end

of the spectrum, another student wrote in a final evaluation
about feeling silenced by the activists and said that viewpoints other than feminist are not accepted. Students like
this, which did not identify as feminists, but wanted to engage
with course materials, felt that their voices were not valid in
the class because of comments by the activist students.
I think that I was able to overcome the tension between the
students to some degree because of my passion, the amount
of one-on-one time that I spent with students outside of class,
and the drive of some students to maintain a dialogue in class
despite the tension. Despite the intensity and tensions, the
course did have a positive impact on many students including
survivors. One student wrote, I signed up for this class not
knowing what I was getting into, but it wound up being one of
the best classes I have EVER taken. Huge impact on my life.
Well taught, well structured. BRAVO! Another student, a survivor of rape, told me that the class was very healing for her,
and her final paper was published in a competitive student
journal.
While I have framed the tensions in the class between
activists and non-activists, I want to be clear that there was
heterogeneity between the groups as demonstrated by this
final evaluation I have learned far more in this class than any
other, and thats coming from a year long experience as a rape
crisis advocate! I invited Jack to write this article with me in
order to engage in a process which will help me overcome the
class dynamic next time I teach this course.
JS: It quickly became apparent that many men in the class were
defensive about the topic. This defensiveness, as well as not
reading assigned texts, led to some of the most offensive
comments in the class. It was clear to me that many of the
mens comments were coming from a place of defending
their privilege and lifestyle, not from a place of critical analysis. It was also clear that many of these men were relying on
hegemonic masculinity to shield, reject and deter any critique
of mens behaviors and actions in our society. Comments that
blamed victims and survivors and left men perpetrators off
the hook were pervasive, as was denial of the prevalence of

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sexual violence and minimization of sexual harassment. These

comments facilitated the subordination of women and other
groups and served to maintain hegemonic masculinity.
Many men in the classroom performed hegemonic masculinity. The tone of their defensiveness was often one of
aggression and domination. Many were quick to assert their
voices loudly and often occupied more space in the classroom, despite the fact that there were more women in the
class. My interest in critically thinking about masculinities
was directly tied to my activism and interest in the anti-rape
movement. I was supported by friends and mentors and eager
to learn. Many men students in class were not in a place
like this and appeared to need to defend their behavior
and hegemonic masculinity in general. The course, in their
minds, was an attack on them, in which they were the victims. Not all men in the class reacted with such a response,
but by not challenging the comments enacting and defending hegemonic masculinity, they were performing complicit
masculinity. When I spoke to men in the class in a small group
or one-on-one conversations, many of them agreed with what
the vocal men enacting hegemonic masculinity were saying,
even though they did not speak up in class.
When confronted with the thought of sexual violence, men
are forced to reflect, on some level, on their own lives. When
I first became aware of sexual violence, I had to confront the
fact that the majority of rapists are men. Many men incorrectly
perceive this as an attack, or misinterpret it as saying all men
are rapists. In a class discussion on hegemonic masculinity
and privilege, a man student questioned, So, just because I
go to gym and like to work out that means Im a rapist? The
comment captures how many men in the class perceived the
course. When I was confronted with the connections between
hegemonic masculinity, force, dominance and sexual assault,
I felt like I had no choice but to reflect on what it means to
be self-identified as a straight man. I felt forced to do this,
because the link between traditional masculinity and sexual
assault were too obvious to ignore. I was challenged to think
about the ways I performed gender and how my views on gender, women, and sexuality were all influenced by privilege and
hegemonic masculinity. I remembered times in my personal

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history where I was blatantly sexist, referring to women as

bitches. I knew that I had two choices: I could change my
attitudes and behavior, or I could assert that what I had done
was not sexist and defend my actions and beliefs.
Perhaps real changes to ideas about gender need to take
place outside of the classroom. Attending Take Back the
Night, during my third year of college, was a turning point
for me. The survivor testimonies had a huge emotional impact
on me. These women bravely telling their stories were friends
and colleagues, people I went to school and lived in the
same community with. It hit too close to home. Shortly thereafter, I began an internship with the student group Men
Against Rape where I began to learn more about sexual violence and masculinities. I learned to see that challenging
sexual violence is not just the work of women. Men Can Stop
Rape, A Call to Men, CALCASAs MyStrength Campaign, and
Mentors in Violence Prevention became models of addressing hegemonic masculinity and seeking to disrupt the connections between hegemonically masculine behaviors that
contribute to rape culture.
While I do believe that the gender performances by men
in class reflected hegemonic masculinity (myself included)
at some points, sometimes men would challenge hegemonic
masculinity. For example, a woman student claimed that the
documentary NO!, which we watched in class, was divisive
to the anti-rape movement by talking about issues within the
African American community. A man responded by supporting the voices in the film. He said that the documentary
was not divisive, but rather provides a space in which a
marginalized communitys voice is not silenced by the existing discourse. His support for the survivor voices in the film
embodied a performance of a personalized masculinity.
One of my classmates, Mark,1 shifted his embodiment of
masculinity during the course. I came to know Mark when
we worked on a group project for the course. In my view, he
had one of the most interesting stories regarding masculinities
during the class. One afternoon, while our group was brainstorming ideas, Mark spoke about his own experiences in the
1

This is a pseudonym.

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class. He began talking about the comments he made in class

earlier in the quarter asserting that women are responsible
for being raped if they have been drinking. Mark continued
to say how he skeptically approached the assigned readings,
but found himself agreeing with the texts. He concluded that
he was wrong in his earlier comments. Mark shared a conversation he had with his mother about what he had learned in
our course, a conversation in which she disclosed to him that
she was a survivor. I can distinctly remember the look on his
face as he told me all of this, a look of seriousness and shock.
I probably had the same shocked look on my own face, as I
was not expecting this kind of insight from him or any man in
the class. Looking back on that exchange, I wonder how many
other men in the class Mark spoke to about his experience.
I bet that he did not share it with anyone else.
DG: I tried to take into my pedagogy that a man speaking out
about sexual violence tends to have more legitimacy than a
woman. Some students mentioned that certain course material was male bashing. To counter this, I showed video clips
from Tough Guise and Dreamworlds 3. Students responded positively to these films and seemed more open to the same ideas
when presented by the men on film, as opposed to the mostly
women authors they were reading. Having mens voices in the
classroom challenge hegemonic masculinity reduced defensiveness among the men and some women students. Students
in the class were also more receptive to Jacks voice as opposed
to womens voices, both classmates and my own. This is not
right, but it makes having male students, like Jack, in the
classroom even more important.
Was Marks alternative display of masculinity in sharing this
story enabled by your alternative display of masculinity? How
important are role models for subordinate and personalized
masculinities?
JS: It may be the case that Marks decision to display a personalized masculinity was enabled by my own, albeit more
intentioned, display of personalized masculinity. I am not sure
how much my actions influenced him, but I suspect that my
display of a personalized masculinity created a space for him

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to come forward with an honest and critical look at his own

masculinity, even if he was not fully aware of it. Men need
role models who perform personalized masculinities. My role
models, previous interns of Men Against Rape and men leaders in the anti-sexual violence movement, allowed me to see
the possibility of performing a masculinity that was contradictory to the hegemonic masculinityone I had been socialized
towards my entire life.
Mark and I continued to talk about these issues as we
worked together, our conversations ranging from the class
project to our frustration with other men in the course.
I remember one conversation we had on seemingly the most
inane of subjects: the tightness of our jeans and the flack
we received from other men. Our preference for tighter fitting pants came from fashion. We both took style cues from
skate/surf culture, where tighter fitting clothing is fashionable for men. However, depending on the peer group or
space, these pants were sometimes read as feminine. While
I was aware of the looks and gazes garnered by my slim-fitting
pants, Mark had received blatant harassment including comments like, Nice pants, pussy! Our conversation shifted the
rigidity of hegemonic masculinity outside of our discussions
of violence against women and into another arena: the subordination of men who do not perform hegemonic masculinity
100% of the time. Both Mark and I generally have access to
privilege afforded by our performances of masculinity, but
we still felt angered by being held accountable to perform
hegemonic masculinityeven in regards to our pants.
The toughest aspect of this course for me was navigating the
space between being an ally and simultaneously having male
privilege. This can be best described by my inner dilemma
that occurred almost every class. I was self-conscious of contributing to the dynamic of the class dominated by mens
voices, even if what I was going to say would attempt to
counter or challenge their voices. I would not call a course
feminist if mens voices dominate a classroom and all the
women are silenced, even if the subject is feminist. I felt that
even if what I was going to say was feminist, I might be contributing to the dynamic that privileges and legitimizes mens
voices over womens. I did not want to silence any woman in

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class or contribute to the dominating effect that mens voices

tended to have, but I also had a hard time sitting there listening to victim-blaming, misogynist, and sexist comments left
unchallenged.
It has been my goal to avoid being the type of person who
acknowledges his privilege but does not attempt to relinquish
it. This became difficult because no matter what, I knew that
I would be able to assert myself, speak loudly, and express my
opinion without being judged as a bitch or femi-Nazi, as
women of our society are. I knew that it was probably expected
of me to do so. So, I often felt caught in a bind between accessing that privilege to speak out and allowing horrible remarks
to go unchallenged. I still do not have a complete answer to
allay this concern, but I found myself utilizing certain tactics
to try and lessen this fear. Oftentimes, I would remain silent,
observing, to see if others responded to the comments before
I made my own. Ultimately, I would pick and choose my battles, prioritizing discussions that emphasized men as allies, or
holding men accountabletopics I felt I had more legitimacy
to speak about.
DG: The way that gender was done in the class was also interesting in terms of how women did femininity and masculinity.
When some women expressed concern about how men were
being presented, rather than with confront issues of their
own safety in the world, they were doing femininity. Others
challenged this type of femininity by performing traditionally
masculine characteristics. For example, a woman student was
consistently assertive in her opinions in class. For an assignment to connect theory from the class with practice, she stood
on top of a picnic table in the middle of campus with a sign
saying that she was raped. She yelled at passersby to stop
ignoring the problem of rape. Not only did she not perform
femininity in ways expected of her, she was doing masculinity: Her, in your face, approach to confronting the silencing
of sexual violence was brave, strong, and even aggressive.
I was also conscious about my own gender performance.
What clothes I wore, if I wore makeup, how my hair looked,
and the tone of my voiceall which impact the way that
students respond to me. Messner (White Guy Habitus)

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describes how women instructors experience a paradox of

being negatively judged for dressing in a way that is deemed
too feminine and therefore not taken seriously or dressing too
formally and seen as unfeminine. I was aware that my ability
to navigate that paradox was central to how students would
respond to ideas in class and to me as an instructor.
Comments that some activist students, including you, saw
as silencing, I see as discussion initiators, and only through
that airing of ideas could true transformation occur. When students say sexist things in discussion, I feel assured that they are
comfortable enough to share these ideas and know a part of
the process of working through sexism is voicing internalized
sexist ideologies and critically examining them. My goal was to
have a respectful, open dialogue. Every time a student made
a sexist statement, a dilemma would enter my mind: should I
question the student, and if so, how could I do it in such a way
that would actually challenge the ideology instead of be seen
as a personal attack? I tried to bring discussions back to the
readings and to be clear that students did not have to agree
with the theories presented in the course, but that they were
expected to understand them.
I will be teaching this course again shortly, this time at a
small, elite, liberal arts college in the Northeast. I will have
only 25 students instead of 70, students more likely to do the
readings, a smaller classroom with moveable seats, and better advertisement of course content, which will hopefully help
create a better class. At the same time, I imagine that the
same dynamics will occur without significant interventions.
The next time I teach the course, I intend to have a discussion
with students about how the classroom is inherently not a safe
space. While we should be respectful of each others experiences and ideas, I want to prepare student to be challenged
and even offended.

Discussion and Conclusion

The presence of men in feminist classrooms is ripe with contradictions. It is dangerous for women instructors and for men students,
but feminist classrooms can be spaces of vulnerable and honest

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dialogue between groups which acknowledge their varying levels

of privilege and experiences of oppression. It is more inclusive
and allows for productive learning and growth. Our course could
have been more successful, and we offer ten suggestions for future
courses, which are outlined in Table 1.
Men are not the enemy of WGFS classrooms; our goal should
be to target systems of privilege that create inequality. In fact,
performances of masculinity can be productive in WGFS classrooms through films and men student participation when they
challenge hegemonic masculinity and do not dominate the space.
Students performing hegemonic masculinity will likely put forth
controversial ideas which can spark discussion. Acknowledging
their privilege in the classroom can be dangerous but powerful.
Students embodying alternative forms of masculinity complicate
the notion that feminism is anti-men. Also, discussions of men
within WGFS classrooms must account for differences between
men in our classrooms and be attentive to power issues related
to race, class, and sexual identity. The more diverse a classroom,
the more complicated and rich of a learning experience it can be.
Men students who embody alternative masculinities can play
a particularly productive role in WGFS classrooms when they use
their voice to provide legitimacy to critiques of hegemonic masculinity. This means being aware of their privilege and reflexive
about how it manifests in the classroom, with the topic being
discussed, and holding other men accountable when they do
not. They can also model how to contribute to class discussions
productively.
Their inclusion highlights that feminists do not hate male
bodies, but instead inequality, privileging masculine voices over
feminine voice, performances of masculinity that reinforce gender inequality. The presence of men can lead to more resistance,
lower teaching evaluation scores, and a lesser sense of safety within
the classroom. This is exacerbated when the male students are
white and the instructors are women of color.
Both of us experienced double binds in this classroom
experience. Schmidt wanted to challenge sexism of other students
without being a part of the dominance of mens voices.
Guckenheimer wanted to challenge student privileges, without
shutting them down. We have similar goalsto challenge systems

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TABLE 1 Recommendations for Effective Inclusion of Men in Feminist Courses

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Recommendation
for
1

Instructors

Instructors

Instructors

Instructors

Those in charge
of hiring

Students and
instructors

Students and
instructors

Men students

Men students

10

Men students

Recommendation
Provide readings at the beginning of the course that
engage with issues you want students to be aware
of in conversation (like rape myths).
Provide readings and engage in discussion early in
the semester about multiple masculinities and
disrupt the notion that challenging hegemonic
masculinity is anti-male. As the semester
continues, include mens voices which model a
performance of masculinity that does not
dominate or oppress women, perhaps through
films.
Do not offer students a safe space. Let them know
that discussions in class will make them
uncomfortable. Talk instead about respectful
discourse.
Use this article as the beginning of a dialogue with
students about classroom dynamics.
Recognize that those who challenge systems of
oppression in a deep and meaningful way will
experience student resistance. Relying on
numerical evaluations can discourage young
instructors from taking risks.
Acknowledge that not only men perform
masculinity and that different types of men
perform masculinity differently.
Do not fear vulnerability, openness, and hearing
things that offend you. It is through these things
that deep learning about controversial topics
happens.
Be aware and reflexive of your privilege. Be aware of
not dominating space, but still contribute to class
discussions in ways that are not complicit with
hegemonic masculinity.
Be vulnerable in class discussions and in one-on-one
discussions with peers. Share personal stories
which highlight your own resistance to or
experiences of hegemonic masculinity.
Hold other men and yourself, accountable. Men can
call other men out with less risk and experience
fewer repercussions than women students and
professors.

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of inequality and reduce the prevalence of sexual violencebut in

this course, we were at times, seemingly, at odds with each other.
Our case demonstrates that feminist classrooms are inherently not safe spaces, and they should not be proposed as such.
They are spaces of political discussion and engagement where students will have their privileges and ideas challenged. Real learning
and growth requires vulnerability. Classrooms which discuss topics
like inequality and privilege in real, meaningful ways are inherently places of confrontation and struggle (Davis; Haddad and
Lieberman; Webber 186187). We argue that vulnerable and open
dialogue is necessary, in both classrooms and also in academic
discussions of pedagogy.
Academic instructors without tenure have little security and
are left vulnerable to student evaluations making their challenging of student ideas dangerous. Courses must allow space
for discussion of these power dynamics and of gender, racial,
and sexual privileging and silencing. Instead of promising a
safe space, instructors should make clear that students will have
their ideas challenged and will hear comments that make them
uncomfortable. Make rules for respectful discourse instead of safe
space.
University classrooms are very different educational spaces
than anti-rape workshops by activists. The former are spaces to
engage with academic texts while the latter are places to put
forward a particular agenda. Both types of space are important.
Workshops often segregate by sex category and provide a sense of
safety. University classrooms have more diverse participants and
by focusing on readings, can engage students deeply on personal,
societal, and theoretical levels. Still, the sense of safety in mens
groups can be useful when challenging men about their privilege
and performances of hegemonic masculinity.
More research on men within WGFS classrooms is needed.
This research should focus on not only male bodied students, but
performances of and defensiveness about hegemonic masculinity when they silence and oppress others. It is expected that our
gender and racial backgrounds contributed to our experience
in the classroom. Space is needed for both instructors and students to strategize how to challenge White male privilege in our
classrooms. Finally, more honest discussion is needed not only
about what works, but also about what does not work.

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