Webb, Chapter Three

I liked a lot of things in this chapter on gender and molding your curriculumn around it sounds like a great idea. The first thing that I liked about this chapter concerning feminist theory and gender studies was the author's personal example of his inexperience within a classroom focused on feminist theory. He admits that prior to that class he had very little exposure to feminist literature and feminist authors. His example helps to make readers who are unfamiliar with these material feel a little more comfortable with using them in the classroom. The importance of feminist theory and Gender Studies is obvious when we take into account the culture that our students are faced with every day. "teenagers and young adults are immersed in a world where gender roles are supercharged. Unfortunately, young people typically have few opportunities to carefully examine gender codes, roles, and expectations. The work of women's studies and gender studies thus becomes particularly relevant to English teachers and forms one of the most important approaches under the cultural studies umbrella," page 38. Webb goes on to further express his point, "like feminist and multicultural studies, gay and lesbian studies is also tied to broader social movements and events." By using these types of studies in your secondary classroom it is another way to explore controversial topics and the social issues that your students are faced with each day.