Make it Mandatory

Brianna Myers for Race, Gender and The Media

I am convinced that this class should be mandatory for every student enrolled in college. The kinds of conversation and topics that we cover are things that need to be talked about and should be talked about in an environment like this... but then, if it was required it wouldn't be the same environment.

This class was so beneficial and thought provoking because of the type of people who signed up for this class. I personally believe that at least 80 percent of the class signed up because they were truly interested in this subject matter regardless if they originally had a conservative way of thinking or not. What made this work, was their willingness to be open to hearing different perspectives. That's all it came down to.

Don't get me wrong, there were some heated debates that I don't think really resulted in an actual answer. For example, our discussion about the dress code for girls in school. I know a lot of the males sitting in that classroom were honestly confused and just couldn't see what the big deal is. I also know that coming to a definite "I'm right and you're wrong" is not the goal of this class. I believe that the point is that now they are aware. They might not be on the same page now, but later on if the same topic comes up, they're aware of how the other side feels. That is when people are able to say realize that although they don't understand that particular struggle, it's important to be willing to listen and truly hear what the other side is saying.

I enjoyed this class so much and I'm very appreciative of Professor Everbach and the atmosphere she created in that room. The other 20 percent of the class that were not interested in the class and are probably the ones who talked about the class being about victims are irrelevant, but we can't give up hope on them. They must be educated so that their kids are educated. We cannot go back to square one.