Bonnie Morris

Adjust Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies
Age: 52
Hometown: Born in Los Angeles, Calif., moved to Washington, D.C. in 1974
Education: B.A. American University, Jewish history and women’s studies; M.A. Binghamton University, U.S. women’s history; Ph.D. Binghamton University, U.S. women’s history
Time at Georgetown: 18 years
Courses Taught: “Introduction to Women’s Studies,” “Athletics and Gender”

What’s the title of your book?
“Revenge of the Women’s Studies Professor”

How did you narrow your focus to what you study today?
Well, I began looking at women in ultra-Orthodox Judaism, and now, I look at women in radical women’s music festivals. But they’re both examples of alternative communities where women define their own identities, so I’m interested in women in alternative communities.

What is a memorable encounter you’ve had with a student?
I’ve developed a very dynamic relationship with every team because I teach the sports class. I go to all the students’ games, and some of my best memories are being honorary coach for women’s basketball or having seven football players at once take a women’s studies class, so I would say interacting with Georgetown’s athletes has been very much a rewarding part about teaching sports history.

Do you think the Jesuit culture here changes the way you teach or the way you approach academics?
Well, I’m conscious not to be too offensive. I do teach the history of birth control, contraception, and well before we had an LGBT center, I was out as a lesbian and taught gay history. I never had anybody complain, and I think I’ve simply been honest and approachable. I don’t want to go out of my way to offend, but I also think the school has made it possible to be more proactive in confronting hate speech because of the cura personalis motive.

If you could teach one course that you’ve never been allowed to teach, what would it be?
I suppose it would be the history of the women’s movement. I wrote a book on women’s music festivals. I don’t know if anyone would take that class, though. That’s what I like to write about.

What’s something you wish more students would take away from your courses?
Well, an awareness of the historical timeline. I really think a lot of people don’t know when TV was invented or people started having an Internet. They have to go back and be aware at a certain point people were trying to contact each other with no Internet, no phone, before television, before ads, before media. I think there’s a blurring of when all that changed, and I go through that every semester. Like, this is when people got VCRs, this is when people got home computers, and it’s all changed so rapidly. Everybody’s playing with photos on their laptop while I’m talking about Hiroshima. Of course, in my day, I would doodle on the side of a notepad, so which is worse, right?

Interview by David Chardack