The case for women’s studies has long been clear since the first programs were founded in the 1970s during the height of the women’s movement, but Brook University of New York has initiated the first master’s degree program in ‘masculinities studies’.
“It’s called ‘masculinities’ (plural) to acknowledge that there is more than one way to be a man,” said Dr. Kimmel, founder and director of the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities at the university, reports the international section of jamejamonline.ir.
The program incorporates scholarship across disciplines — from social work to literature to health to look at the effects of race and sexuality on masculine identity and the influence of the media and pop culture.
“While many still define masculinity as someone who can provide for his family and protect, we’re looking at it as a science;” said Daphne C. Watkins, president of the American Men’s Studies Association, and the first woman to hold the post. “What I would love to see is for us to broaden those definitions.”
