Group Favors Women's Studies Major

A committee of Radcliffe students last night called for the establishment of an interdisciplinary women's studies concentration at Harvard that would help change what they said was the University's bias in favor of a white male viewpoint.

At an open meeting of the Committee for Women's Studies, members of the committee outlined a program designed to work toward the establishment of a women's studies major by recruiting broad student support, and encouraging the development of courses focusing on women in currently existing departments.

Tokenism

There are now two courses specifically about women listed in the Faculty course catalogue.

A program allowing students to concentrate in women's studies would help legitimate the valid study of the experience of over half the world's population, which is now seldom taken seriously, Mizzy Stokes '78, a member of the committee said last night.

Ruth Colker '78, president of the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) and a member of the committee, said last night another one of the group's immediate objectives is to attempt to save the women's program at the Divinity School, the only such program at Harvard.

She said the University is proposing to abolish the program in an attempt to save money.

Candace Cason '77, a member of the committee, said last night the group plans to work closely with Afro-American Studies department concentrators, who are also challenging the University's status quo, and thus have had similar trouble being recognized.

The committee was originally formed by RUS last fall, but became independent to attract a larger and more diverse group of students, committee member Laura Lifsey '77 said yesterday.

Although Harvard favors such broad concentrations as East Asian Studies, women have never been studied, Colker said. "Women's experience has to be explored," she added.