Women's Studies Alumni Profile
Whitney Bair
Class of 2003
Like many other liberal arts students, Whitney Bair was encouraged by her advisor to take a variety of classes. In the fall semester of her junior year, Bair took Women in Religion with Professor Dianne Oliver. This class turned out to be one of the most important classes of her college career, jump-starting research that she would expand upon through the rest of her time as an Evansville student. Bair's research paper for this class examined Mary Magdalene and the subjugation of female leaders in the early Christian Church. Professor Oliver encouraged her to research this topic and to consider a minor in women's studies. Until then Bair had not thought of getting a minor because she already had declared two majors, archaeology and art history.
"Dr. Oliver became more than my teacher. She became my mentor encouraging me to continue my research on Mary Magdalene and to get my minor in women's studies. I went on to take a history class from Dr. Parks about women in the Middle Ages for which I wrote a paper about the concept of Mary Magdalene in the Middle Ages. I presented that paper at a regional Phi Alpha Theta [history honor society] conference."
Although Bair has left Evansville, she is amazed at how the professors she learned from have kept in touch and remained interested in her academic development. "Dr. Oliver encouraged me to apply for an undergraduate research grant from UExplore. In the summer of 2003, I was awarded a grant and researched the development of the popular conception of Mary Magdalene. In the Fall of 2003 my paper, 'Distorted Persona: The Struggle between the Gnostic Mary Magdalene and Early Church Theologians,' was accepted to the National Conference for Undergraduate Research."
Bair is now pursuing a master's degree. She credits her minor in women's studies with exposing her to many new academic ideas, "I would recommend this program to anyone wishing to learn more about this intriguing discipline."
