By Minnie Stephenson
A new Global Classrooms course at the University of Maryland called “Teaching Menstrual Health: Dispelling Myths and Misconceptions,” looks to break the stigma and increase education around menstruation, both in the U.S. and in India.
The course brings together students from UMD and students from Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India. Students meet in person separately on Mondays and together virtually on Wednesdays.
UMD professor Elisabeth Maring said this course has been in the works for two years, dating back to when BHU professor Madhu Kushwaha was in Maryland on a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant. They worked together to submit the proposal to the Global Classrooms initiative. However, Maring and Kushwaha’s relationship goes much further back.
The two first met in 2006 when Maring came to India, also through a Fulbright grant. Maring works with the UMD School of Public Health, and Kushwaha specializes in teacher education.
“Menstrual health education is where our two fields intersect,” Maring said.
Many health classes fail to go beyond the basic biology of menstruation, and many young girls are left uneducated on the intricacies of the topic, especially due to the existing stigma around it in many areas.
Maring said teachers will often “not really focus on the sociocultural experience of being a menstruator.”
While stigmas exist both in the U.S. and India, Maring said there is more cultural stigma present in many parts of India.
“There are a lot of health outcomes that are impacted by stigma, in terms of girls’ education, in terms of early marriage,” Maring said. “[Menstruation stigma] is probably more pronounced in India, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t places where there’s very similar circumstances.”
The class is set around the book “Period. End of Sentence.” Kushwaha worked with a translator so her students could read the book. While many speak English, Hindi is their preferred language.
The second half of the semester is focused around group presentations, bringing the American and Indian students together to create a deliverables, which they will present virtually.
One group’s project is focused on introducing more environmentally friendly menstrual products.
One member of the group is Alicia Salcedo, a senior public relations major at UMD. She said she took the course because she wishes she had more knowledge about menstruation when she was younger and still wants to learn more.
“I wanted to … get more educated on menstruation. And I’m really happy I did,” she said.
Group member Amba is a BHU student in her final semester. She studies education.
Amba said she took this course because she always wondered, “Why can’t we talk about [menstruation] in public? Why can’t we talk about it with the main members of our family and our friends?”
Another group in the class is creating a board game aimed at 9 to 12-year-olds called “Menstruation Buddies: Let’s Fight Menstrual Stigmas Together.”
“The focus is building awareness of stigma in an age-appropriate way for late elementary and middle school age children of all genders,” said group member and UMD student Matthew Fairchild, a junior biology major.
Maring believes that “period pride” is on the come up, and this course celebrates that. She said she talks openly about menstruation with her two sons and hopes that others can do the same.
“I’m just really so amazed every day at how much more easily we talk about menstruation,” Maring said. “It’s really wonderful that [my children] are going to be better advocates for menstruators in their lives because it’s okay to talk about it.”
Featured image: University of Maryland students meet virtually with Banaras Hindu University students on Wednesdays as part of the Global Classrooms course, “Teaching Menstrual Health: Dispelling Myths and Misconceptions.” Photo by Minnie Stephenson.