Two Women Liberate Church Course

Members of a course at the Divinity School voted this week to devote two weeks of their class time to a discussion of womens' liberation.

On Monday, the students of Church 174, taught by Harvey G. Cox, professor of Divinity, voted overwhelmingly in favor of two resolutions presented by Linda Barufoldi, a second-year divinity student, and Emily Culpepper-Hough, a first-year divinity student--two women members of the course.

The first called for the devotion of "two weeks of the course to a presentation by women of the issues involved in Female Liberation and the discussion of these issues."

The second proposal, an effort to "integrate theory and action" called for "concerted efforts in the lectures and discussions of this course no longer to use sexist language." The proposal specifically called for a ban on the use of "Man," "Men" and masculine pronouns "to refer to all people."

It also urged that masculine names and pronouns not be used with reference to God.

Church 174, entitled "Eschatology and Politics," deals with radical theology.

Two weeks ago, Cox asked the 80 students to write a paper on the major problem they felt the course had raised--or ignored.

Culpepper-Hough said yesterday the idea first came to her when writing the paper. "My response to this course so far is a growing sense of rage," she wrote in her paper. "I am getting the distinct impression that somehow or other there is a lack of seriousness. talking about." She added that all the course readings consisted of "white men talking about everybody."

She discovered that Barufoldi had similarly criticized the course, and they went to Cox to discuss their proposal. Cox told them he liked the idea, but wanted the class to make the decision. The two women presented the resolutions to the class on Monday, and at the end of the discussion, Cox said he favored the idea.

At a weekly meeting of section men and students from the various sections yesterday, the group tentatively set Nov. 29 as the date on which the two-week period would begin. Members of the course meet today at 2 p.m. at Rockefeller Hall to discuss course content for the two week period.

Cox said yesterday he was very pleased with the decision. "What we've been trying to do is to stimulate student response and initiative, to have students find their own needs in courses," Cox said yesterday.

"This is what you're aiming at in education for liberation," he added. "Who needs teachers?"

He also noted that "SDS used take over of administration buildings. Women are smarter: they take over courses. Who needs administration?