Course Highlight: Womanist and Feminist Theology
In this series, Cultural Studies major Chenoa Baker ’21 highlights some of the most unique classes at Chatham and how they showcase our University Mission and values. In Spring 2020, Chenoa took the course Special Topics: Womanist and Feminist Theology. She interviews Dr. Sharon Higginbothan, visiting scholar from the Women’s Institute, about how she designed this course.
Q: What is this Course About?
According to the course description in the syllabus, “Using a Womanist and Feminist lens, Womanist Theology offers students opportunities to engage and confront unjust and repressive assumptions about God, women and their relationship to the divine. Womanist theology is a liberation theology that analyses politics, oppressive structures, culture, race, and gender, and examines how social constructs shape experiences of faith.” Throughout the course, the class explores a new way to interpret spiritual texts through reading, dialogue, and writing journal entries.
Q: What is the purpose of the class?
The class combines lecture and dialogue to understand multiple perspectives and create a safe space for all to explore their spiritual journey. The purpose of the course is to tear down oppressive structures by understanding ideologies that intersect of race and gender. “Womanist theology is it is a theology of liberation and that is a response to feminist theology because feminist theology when it was first constructed left out Black women so our voices, stories, and experiences [were made] irrelevant. My hope is that students learn the history of feminist and womanist theology and understand its meaning in the lives of Black women and all women,” Dr. Higginbothan says.
Q: How does this Course Embody Chatham Values?
Womanist and Feminist Theology does a deep dive into feminisms of Black women, Asian women, and Latinx women (i.e. Movimiento Feminista, a feminist movement originating in Chile). “When there is a mission for diversity, inclusion, and respect for identity, it is important to engage in Womanist and Feminist theology because it recognizes and respects the diversity of women to diversity of Black women,” Dr. Higginbothan says.
Q: Students Should Take this if…
Currently in the course, there is a representation of the Islamic faith, Christian faith, indigenous spiritual traditions, Judaism, Atheism, and Agnosticism as well as people all across the gender spectrum. Students should take this course “if they are interested in diverse and inclusive theologies that make up the whole and It provides safe space to wrestle with spirituality and theology,” Dr. Higginbothan says.
Q: Chenoa’s Favorite Part of the Course?
As someone who grew up within the Christian faith and went to Christian school, many theologies I saw are shaped by patriarchy. That is reflected in one-dimensional interpretations of women in the Bible all the way to who is interpreting the text. Before this class and during, I think that it is important to define a theology for me in which I bring my whole self into my spiritual journey. Therefore, my favorite part of the course is weekly journal reflection assignments that allow students to interact with what we learn from the text.
Check out other great Chatham offerings on the Course Schedule.
