You, Me, and #MeToo: American Feminism and the Rise of #MeToo

September 25, 2019

This fall, fifteen students enrolled in a new First Year Seminar course: “You, Me, and #MeToo: American Feminism and the Rise of #MeToo.”      

Bradley Nestheide, Visiting Faculty of Political Science, is teaching this course for the first time. His desire to create this seminar stemmed from an interest in feminist theory paired with the opportunity to focus on such a timely and important movement in today’s society. In this course, students begin by studying history of feminist theory. Towards the end of the semester, they will transition to focus on the intersectionality of feminism.

Leaving the course, Nestheide hopes his students will not only have a broader understanding of American feminism, but also be able appropriately contextualize the #MeToo movement in feminist history. In gathering this knowledge, then, students will have a new frame with which to see the world around them. Nestheide noted that tackling such a crucial topic in today’s society further gives students the opportunity to, “better understand the nature of vulnerability,” and recognize that looking the other way is not just counterproductive, but in the long run can be detrimental to those who looked away.