The Significance of Gender and Sexuality Studies at ICU

Tatsuro YASUNAGA
pGSS Support, CGS Research Institute Assistant

【The article below is the same as the article that appears in the fourteenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.】

　The Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies (hereafter PGSS) was established at ICU in 2005. It was an interdisciplinary major program in the College of Liberal Arts, which was composed of six divisions at the time. When these divisions were integrated and a major system introduced by an academic reform in 2008, Gender and Sexuality Studies become one of thirty-two majors. Although it is no longer a program but a major, it employs a unique description, "pGSS" (pigusu in Japanese), retaining "p" for program. As of the 2010 academic year, twenty-two students have graduated with a PGSS major. Perhaps because the major system has made it more accessible, there are currently twelve students working on their senior theses with a major in pGSS this year. The major is certainly attracting increasing interest at the university.
　I also graduated from ICU with a PGSS major in 2008. I am now engaged in CGS's eorts to assist in the operation of pGSS and support its students in various ways. Therefore, I am constantly seeking new ways to convey the appeal of gender and sexuality studies to ICU students and to enrich their learning. Promoting the value of pGSS for life after university is particularly important, and in my view there are two major points to emphasize in doing so.
　Firstly, gender and sexuality studies can be very benecial for a students' future careers. The relevance of school and university curricula for employment has come under increasing scrutiny amidst growing concern over the employment of young graduates in Japan. CGS recognizes the importance of its mission to promote gender and sexuality studies based on constant communication with students through which we also gain an understanding of positive changes affecting student recruitment in the Japanese labor market and workplace. Although many Japanese companies have shown interest in gender equality, there are still only a few cases where fundamental change has been eected. I often hear from students who are majoring in pGSS and job hunting at the same time that gender studies is a topic of interest at their job interviews. As Japanese society gradually moves toward the realization of gender equality, students' perspectives fostered by pGSS will be evaluated as benecial to the reorganization of institutions and corporate systems.
　Secondly, pGSS can be appreciated as an essential principle of ICU's "curriculum with an emphasis on liberal arts education." In this sense, pGSS is one of the unique studies at ICU, which develops the ability to think on abstract levels and to appreciate diverse perspectives - skills that are beneficial not only for one's career but for every aspect of life. The realization of the daily struggle for accommodation and resistance within the structure and power relations of gender and sexuality leads to a deeper understanding of oneself and empathy for others. Liberal arts education in general aims to help students develop the fundamental ability to interact with others in society. I believe that my education at ICU helped me to acquire such diverse perspectives and critical thinking skills. I aim to support and guide pGSS students by sharing these ideas with them and stimulating their interest in issues of gender and sexuality.