A UMKC faculty member is delving into the male mystique and in the process breaking new ground in gender studies.
Dr. Elizabeth Berkshire began teaching masculinity classes at UMKC in 2004. She received support from the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office, PACE (Program for Adult Education) and the Department of Sociology.
While many University of Missouri System courses integrate the study of gender into their curriculum, UMKC is the only school to offer three courses specifically addressing masculinities.
Berkshire holds undergraduate degrees in art history and philosophy from New Mexico State University. Her Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies focused primarily upon sociology and psychology, but also included, among her favorites, several history courses on religion and the body. Her Ph.D. was awarded by UMKC in 2002.
Berkshire received the Arthur Mag Graduate Fellowship from UMKC in 1995.
"That's when I met sociologist and gender theorist Kristen Esterberg," said Berkshire. "When I found no one in the Psychology Department doing gender, she agreed to supervise my research. This is when I realized that I had something to offer to gender studies."
According to Berkshire, femininity cannot be fully understood without exploring masculinity. The two are not independent of one another. Moreover, the study of multiple masculinities is fundamental to a well-rounded examination of gender.
"My overarching philosophy on gender is that masculinity and femininity are not natural components of life. They are social realities," said Berkshire. "Being a man or woman is a social phenomenon - we pull our self off as masculine or feminine because we need to be intelligible to other people."
Although men are the minority in Berkshire's classes, they are not the only ones she believes need to understand masculinity. Both men and women take on these qualities in varying degrees.
The significant woman in a man's life may police his expression of masculinity, said Berkshire. Both men and women play a role in how men think and behave regarding gender.
"The tragedy of masculinity is that so much of what we identify as manly goes unquestioned - does not get interrogated through the lens of gender," said Berkshire.
"Men have roles assigned to them too," said former student Matt Tschirhart. "This class opened my eyes and added new insights to the ways I relate to people. I applaud Dr. Berkshire for bringing this topic to light. It is a huge step forward."
This semester Berkshire took her class to see the movie "Brokeback Mountain."
There is not one way to be a man, she said. The movie is not just a love story; it is a story about men's lives and the pain that comes from an unconventional love that has no social place [literally] to thrive, according to Berkshire.
"Professor Beth Berkshire is one of the most liked and popular professor on campus," said former student Byron K. Ashford. "My experience with her has helped me tremendously when it comes to certain images we adhere to as a society. She is able to accept your opinions no matter how obscure or challenging the comments."
rbittner@unews.com
