Belmont Introduces New Gender Studies Minor

Curriculum features two new courses exploring intersection of identity and human experience

When Professor of English Dr. Caresse John first began talks of a gender studies minor 15 years ago, the road ahead felt long and tedious. In addition to the detailed process of crafting a minor at a university, John was balancing her own teaching workload, family life and position as chair of the English department for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS).

Fortunately, persistence pays off and this fall, Belmont will introduce its new gender studies minor, spearheaded by John and Professor of Sociology Dr. Andi Stepnick.

The minor is designed to explore the ways in which identity intersects with human experience. Two new classes were designed as part of the minor’s curriculum with the remaining requirements coming from a collection of carefully selected existing courses within CLASS.

This allows the course material to be accessible to all students on campus as electives without having to adopt the gender studies minor, including the two new classes John worked to help create.

The first class, Introduction to Gender Studies, will serve as a gateway into critical thinking about the relationship between gender and race, class, religion and ability. These ideas will be explored through the lenses of power and oppression, media and pop culture, digital spaces, environmental justice and global activism.

The other is a senior capstone to provide students a space to process what they have learned and identify how it might shape their future advocacy.

“We are not telling our students what to do, think or believe in these classes — we are not indoctrinating anyone,” said John. “We are asking them to know why they think and believe what they do. I often introduce my students to things that I don’t believe in myself. Differing opinions are okay — that is the function of the college classroom.”

For John, these conversations are paramount in transforming students’ understanding of the world and of the people they interact with every day.

She detailed instances in feminism classes she instructs where male and female students have learned language and concepts that help them grapple with the difficult realities of racial inequality, sexual assault and other harmful experiences they have faced. These are the same skills she seeks to offer through the new gender studies program. 

“These classes are for everyone because they are integral to our living, embodied experiences on this earth,” she said. “We are all impacted by this. These classes are essential to their emotional and mental well-being.”

Much of John’s work at Belmont is inspired by the potential of broader change.

Drawing from Admiral McRaven’s legendary commencement speech detailing “The Ripple Effect,” she believes each student who takes these classes becomes a point of transformation — a conversation might shift at dinner. A friend might refrain from making a joke. A relationship might deepen through greater understanding.

Students can find the new gender studies offerings in Classfinder and register for the fall 2025 semester. Space is limited.