Corrections: The Chronicle has recently been made aware of a number of a number of errors in this article.

Dr. Bette Kirschstein, Chair of the English and Modern Language Studies Department (English & MLS) and Director of the Women & Gender Studies (W&GS) Minor, has brought to our attention that there is no plan to expand the W&GS minor to a major, but rather to create a Gender Studies minor in Pleasantville to replace the W&GS minor.

Contrary to what the article states, Prof. Rachel Simon has not been working with Prof. Nancy Reagin to expand the W&GS minor to a major; nor have they ever discussed it.

The person in the middle of the photo was misidentified as graduate assistant Malika Hinds. Although Hinds–as of October 21 at 10:00 p.m.–is listed as a graduate assistant in the Office of Multicultural Affairs & Diversity Programs’ website, she no longer works there. The source of the quotes attributed to Hinds is Kay Lanza.

W&GS is not a department, as is stated in part of the article, but rather a minor in the English & MLS Department. The faculty listed–Professors Simon, Andrew Stout, Robert Mundy, and James Stenerson–are all part of the English & MLS Department. W&GS courses are also taught by other professors.

Associate Director of Composition Professor Andrew Stout spoke at the LGBTQA luncheon on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the Women and Gender studies courses offered on both the Manhattan and Pleasantville campuses.

This year a new class was introduced called, “Slumming and Tramping the Queer America”, in which students learn about queer history. Three courses were originally scheduled to run this semester but due to a lack of interest, the only course that ended up running was “Men and Masculinity.” Next semester, the program plans on offering a queer film studies course.

These courses also discuss the role that the feminist movement played in the queer rights movement. From there, discussions are brought up about the different identities and cultures that people may have, such as Latino masculinity or being a female, queer Muslim.

“You’re studying about the intersectionality of these communities, like identifying as gay and black and being part of two communities,” Malika Hinds, the graduate assistant for the Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Program, said.

Stout believes that every student should take at least one of these courses, and that these courses can help students become knowledgeable activists for their cause.

“These courses are designed to educate students at various levels, which creates interesting dialogue and learning experiences for all involved,” Stout said. “It’s important to understand the history of identities that are marginalized. We still have transgender people who are looking for acceptance, who are scared to walk out the door. There are still major global issues surrounding sexuality in politics.”

Along with Stout, the department is currently made up of three other professors. They include the assistant director for Multicultural Affairs and the LGBTQA coordinator Professor Rachel Simon, Professor Robert Mundy, and Dr. James Stenerson.

After taking the classes, the professors hope that the students will also understand more about marginalized identities, leading them to becoming a more well rounded, understanding and empathetic people.

The goal of the Women and Gender Studies professors is to expand the minor and eventually begin to offer it as a major for the Pleasantville campus, just as in Manhattan. Simon has been working closely with Nancy Reagin, the director of the Women Studies major on the New York City campus to make it a smoother process.

“It seems really interesting and it’d be really fun to explore, even with my major being education,” freshman Courtney Johnson said. “It’s a good way to open new horizons and learn things that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to learn just from taking regular pre-requisites.”

During the lunch discussion some students realized that they were learning about gender and identity roles not only in the classroom but also in their outside activities.

“In the show Empire there’s a guy who’s gay that has a conflict with his dad because [the dad] thinks that just because he’s gay he’s less masculine. This season he’s trying to show that because he’s gay that doesn’t make him less of a man,” sophomore James Best said. “I’m watching TV and not even realizing that I’m learning more about these identities.”

The women and gender studies minor originated in the NYC campus and it’s currently housed within the English department.