Too many students are unaware about women's issues that affect people across the globe, Maude Jennings, assistant professor in English and Women's Studies, said.
To help shed light on issues ranging from abuse to abortion, Jennings will facilitate a Brown Bag discussion today as part of Vagina-Friendly Week.
The discussion will take place at noon in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Music Lounge.
"We need to be more concerned with what goes on in the world because the events affect the university and the kinds of things we are taught," Jennings said.
Many Americans, however, tend to overlook significant issues in other nations.
"A lot of times, it's easy for us to get caught in the everyday and really about what happens to us," Susan Atkinson, V-Week coordinator, said.
Across the globe, many women get "thrown away," mis-educated, trained to be submissive, abused and violated, Jennings said.
"This is the 21st century," Jennings said. "We're not supposed to be going backwards. Stuff like that worries me - where are we going?"
In India, for example, female children often are aborted prior to delivery, she said.
"Many people are still under the impression that women are useless except for procreation and biological satisfaction," Jennings said.
In Rwanda, tribal wars and devastation are wreaking havoc on the poor who have no way to fight back, she said.
This especially applies to women, many of whom are mutilated and raped, she said.
"In Rwanda, it's not uncommon for people to have their limbs chopped off because they are the wrong tribe, and particularly because they are women," Jennings said.
From an ethical and humanitarian point of view, students need to become aware, she said.
But students should also be reminded that not all stories about women across the globe are bad, Atkinson said.
"I think a lot of times we hear bad stories of how women are treated in other countries," she said. "We also need to realize there are cultures that treat their women well, too."
Atkinson said she hoped students of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds contribute to today's discussion.
"If we can have people there who have actually lived in a different culture, who can give us personal experiences, that will further enrich what we talk about," Atkinson said.
Jennings hopes students ask questions not only of her, but of themselves.
"The broader your information base, the better prepared you are to be a citizen of the world," she said. "And that's what the university should do - prepare you for the world."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
