| This study examined how college women interpret their experiences during and after an introduction to women's studies course taught using critical feminist pedagogy. Critical feminist pedagogy advocates liberatory learning environments that address issues of power and encourage student agency. Data were drawn from journals and interviews of 11 junior and senior college women who enrolled in an introduction to women's studies course taught by the researcher during a two year period at a rural, east coast, Research I institution. The journals used in this study were written during the class and the interviews took place six months to a year after the class. Participants were asked in semi-structured interviews about their interpretation and observations of power, oppression and agency in their lives during and after the course, specifically in relation to their interactions with friends, family, significant others and peers. Findings suggest that feminist identity influenced how many and what types of observations and encounter students had with power and oppression. Students who identified themselves as feminists encountered more incidents of power and oppression and these incidents were related to prior knowledge or experience. Findings also suggest that feminist identity did not determine how a student responded to these incidents. Students acted as agents for change when they encountered incidents of power and oppression if they had support from others and if they perceived that not doing so would compromise their identity. Findings also suggest that feminist identity did not effect the outcomes students reported from their experiences with critical feminist pedagogy: across identity groups, participant reported a heightened self-awareness and awareness of social justice and injustice, an understanding of feminisms, and an increased confidence to state their opinion about issues of power and oppression. |
