By Ellie Jornlin
University of Maryland students and faculty explored the difference between sex and gender on Nov. 21 as part of another installment of the Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Lecture Series.
The lecture series, sponsored by the University’s Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, aims to recognize accomplished scholar-teachers and gives them a platform to share their own expertise with the campus. The 2024-2025 series features six professors, including Linda Steiner, a professor and an associate dean at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
“The lecture was very well attended. We had over 75 RSVPs, many joined virtually and we had at least 65 in the room,” said Natalie Cosner, the executive assistant to the dean at the journalism school.
Steiner’s lecture titled “Don’t Call Me a Female: Why We Should Distinguish Sex and Gender” discussed the importance of distinguishing between sex as a biological category and gender as a socially and culturally constructed concept.
“It was insulting to be referred to as a female professor or a female journalist,” Steiner said. “When, one, people didn’t really know if I really was a ‘female’ and only know how I ‘present,’ [and] two, when I realized that this left out people who might be women but not females, and especially insulting when, three, men’s biology and gender aren’t marked at all.”
Steiner said the significance of this topic has increased as politicians continue to deny gender-affirming services and limit protections for transgender and intersex individuals. She said the media plays a role in guiding society to use responsible language.
“Journalists and media professionals have a huge, important responsibility to use language ‘responsibly,’ over sex and gender, but also religion, race, nationality,” Steiner said. “Journalists’ use of language seeps into the public consciousness.”
Steiner is the journalism school’s associate dean for faculty affairs and diversity, equity and inclusion. She came to UMD in 2006. Steiner worked as director of the university’s ADVANCE program in the Office of Faculty Affairs before becoming a professor in the journalism school. Steiner also mentors doctoral candidates, having supported 19 since arriving at the university.
Aside from her work in education, she is also a writer and editor for “Journalism & Communications Monographs,” an academic quarterly journal published by Sage Journals. Steiner has authored or edited nine books and more than 80 articles.
Steiner’s research interests include media and journalism ethics and feminist theory surrounding media usage.
In 2018, Steiner was awarded the Teresa Award for Advancement of Feminist Scholarship from the International Communication Association. She was also the recipient of the Eleanor Blum Distinguished Service to Research Award from the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in 2020.
“I learn from my students—from the experience per se of teaching them, from doing the reading necessary to work on projects they are working on or that we are working on together,” Steiner said. “They ask questions, and that inspires me to work with them and to work harder.”
Steiner’s dedication to teaching and mentorship has left a lasting impact on her students and colleagues alike.
“I have learned so many things from Linda — one of the biggest benefits of learning from and being mentored by Linda is how much I have grown as a feminist scholar,” said Dinfin Mulupi, assistant professor of journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder and one of Steiner’s former students.
Rafael Lorente, dean of the journalism school, emphasized this sentiment during his introduction to her lecture.
“I count her as a trusted adviser and as one of the hardest-working human beings I have ever met in my life,” Lorente said.
Featured Image: Students listen during Professor Linda Steiner’s lecture in Knight Hall. Photo by Kate DeBlasis.