Navigating Gender 1010

Final Exam Info & Study Guide

2010-04-24T07:38:00.004-06:00

When: Tuesday, May 4, 1:30-3:20
Where: Classroom, 119 Old Main

The final exam is optional. If you are satisfied with the grade you earned for blog entries (15%), you may opt not to take the final exam (10%). If you take this option, the grade you earn for the blog entries is 25% of your grade for the course.

Final grades for your Gender, History & Hollywood presentations or essays will be posted on Blackboard, Friday, April 30. You may pick up the grading feedback forms for these presentations beginning Monday, May 3, in the JCOM office (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.). Based on these grades and the grades your team earned for the other class assignments (all grades are on Blackboard) you will be able to calculate your approximate grade for WGS 1010 and decide whether you want to take the final. Please note: If you take the final, the grade you earns counts, regardless of whether the exam grade raises or lowers your final grade for the course.

Please do NOT ask me to calculate your grade before the final exam. I will not calculate grades for the class until AFTER the final exam. You will need to do your own math. The percentage breakdown for each assignment and for each grade (A, B, C, D) is explained in detail on your syllabus.

FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE
Your final exam will consist of 4-5 essay questions based on the material we’ve covered during the semester (e.g., lectures, readings, class presentations, documentaries, etc.). Overall, you should be prepared to define and discuss the following gender concepts and theories covered in class and in your readings, and be prepared to apply the assumptions underlying these concepts and theories to specific gender and feminism examples.

• Concepts, theories & controversies
Biological essentialism
Androcentrism (male-centeredness)
Gender polarization
Patriarchy
Androgyny
Gender schematic
Gender aschematic
White Privilege & racism
Stages of feminist awareness
Heterosexuality & masculinity
Homophobia, heterosexism, sexual prejudice
Sexual identity, sexual orientation
Sexual minorities & civil rights
Sexuality and rights for same-sex couples
Women & Military

Death of "godmother of the women's movement"

2010-04-21T07:54:00.007-06:00

Dorothy Heights dies: Founder and four-decade-long president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)

The undaunted Dorothy Height
UPON HER DEATH Tuesday, Dorothy I. Height was hailed a hero, the grande dame of the civil rights movement, an icon. She was all of those things. Yet somehow words fail to capture what was so remarkable about this woman who fought for so long, and with such tenacity, dignity and resolve, for racial justice and gender equality.

Remembering Dorothy Height

Civil Rights Pioneer, Dorothy Height, Dies at 98: NBC Nightly News video

Life in pictures: US civil rights pioneer Dorothy Height

Grading Feedback Form: Gender, History & Hollywood

2010-04-21T07:35:00.003-06:00

5=Excellent
4=Above average
3=Average
2=Below average
1=Unacceptable

_____ Ability to identity major themes/arguments in the film and compare to historical facts in the women’s lives
_____ Clearly identified how challenges to patriarchal gender norms were depicted in movies
_____ Presented the information in clear, concise way
_____ Related your topic to appropriate gender concepts from readings & lectures (e.g. stages of feminist consciousness, etc.)
_____ Familiarity with the material (e.g., did not read notes)
_____ Ability to involve students in discussion of film and women’s life histories
_____ Organization of presentation
_____ Organization/quality of film clips
_____ Organization/content of outline

WGS Summer & Fall courses

2010-04-20T07:54:00.003-06:00

Summer 2010
FCHD 3110 Human Sexuality (online only). Kim Openshaw. Pre-requisites: FCHD 1500 & FCHD 2400.
HIST 4910 Women in Islam (online only). Debra Baldwin.

Fall 2010
ARTH 4610/WGS 4710: Greek and Roman Art, MW, 4:00-5:15, Alexa Sand.
ENGL 2170 (002) American Literary History 1865 to Present. MWF 11:30-12:20. Steve Shively.
ENGL 3520 (001) Multicultural American Literature. MWF 2:30-3:20. Steve Shively.
FCHD 3110 Human Sexuality. MWF, 10:30-11:20. Kim Openshaw. Pre-requisites: FCHD 1500 & FCHD 2400.
JCOM 4410/6410 & WGS 4410/6410 Gender & Mass Media. TR 3:00-2:45. Brenda Cooper
SOC 3010 Social Inequality: Race, Class, and Gender. MWF 10:30-11:20. Staff.
SOC 4370 Sociology of Gender. MW 1:30-2:45, Matt Cottrell.
WGS 4900 Directed Study (1-3 credits). Instructor Permission Required. WGS Staff.

Team member evaluation form: Gender, History & Hollywood

2010-04-19T07:56:00.001-06:00

Click here for the form. Evaluations are due the day your team presents to the class.

For your entertainment—End of Semester Laughs

2010-04-16T07:15:00.001-06:00

Tina Fey's back on SNL as Sarah Palin. Click here for clip—Sarah Palin Network.

Week 13—April 15

2010-04-09T06:43:00.015-06:00

New URL below with video of Tori Amos singing the entire song, "Me & a Gun," at a concert and new URL to the unedited version of TLC's "Unpretty" Leilani mentioned in class. And new one from Anne below:

India Arie: "Because I am a Queen"

April 15—Unapologetic Women & Rock 'n Roll. For your final blog post (YAY!!) respond to the lyrics from some of the women artists below. If you have a song that challenges dominant gender norms to add to this list, please post as comment.

Ani DiFranco
Righteous Babe Records
If He Tries Anything
Not a Pretty Girl

Tori Amos: Me and a Gun
Mary Chapin Carpenter: He Thinks He'll Keep Her
Pink: Stupid Girls
TLC: Unpretty: New link with unedited version Leilani mentioned in class yesterday.
Tracy Chapman: Why

Dixie Chicks
Goodbye Earl
Not Ready to Make Nice
Sin Wagon
*********************
In-class links:
Ani DiFranco
Righteous Babe Records
If He Tries Anything
Not a Pretty Girl

Tori Amos: Me and a Gun —New URL with Tori Amos singing the entire song at a concert.
Mary Chapin Carpenter: He Thinks He'll Keep Her
Pink: Stupid Girls
TLC: Unpretty
Tracy Chapman: Why

Dixie Chicks
Goodbye Earl
Not Ready to Make Nice
Sin Wagon

Research Tips—Gender, History & Hollywood

2010-04-08T09:21:00.002-06:00

Here are several very good suggestions for researching Gender, History & Hollywood projects, including how to access The New York Times Historical database, free through Merrill-Cazier Library databases.

Library catalog
New York Times Historical Database
EBSCOHost's Newspaper Source
ProQuest Newsstand
Storee's newspaper resources
Katie's Research tips

Search for documentaries and articles
Amelia Earhart
PBS
PBS #2
The New Yorker

Frida Kahlo
PBS
Frida Kahlo Museum
Website

Ideologies & Media

2010-04-08T09:18:00.007-06:00

Media concept – Ideology

Some Dominant Ideologies

Patriarchy: “[A]ny kind of group organization in which males hold dominant power and determine what part females shall and shall not play, and in which capabilities assigned to women are relegated” to domestic realms and excluded from political realms (cited in Dow, 1996).

Heteroideology: Privileges heterosexual and discriminates against sexual minorities. Asserts that sexuality is natally ascribed, immutable and natural, and heterosexuality is an integral aspect of human intelligence and nature. (Scheman, 1997).

White Privilege: The “everyday, invisible, subtle cultural and social practices, ideas and codes that discursively secure the power and privilege of white people” the “discursive processes through which whiteness secures its normalized cultural dominance.” (Gorham, 1999; Shome, 1996).

Capitalism: Economic system of private and corporate ownership; distribution of wealth and goods determined by free market enterprise and competition.

Christianity: Religion based on the Bible and teachings of Jesus Christ. (FYI: Approximately 33% of the world’s population practices Christianity).

Democracy: Government of the citizens of a country, determined by majority rule, based on elected representatives.

Ethnocentrism: “Our people are better than your people.” In other words, belief that one’s own culture, nation, or ethnicity is superior to all others.

Gender, History & Hollywood Presentation Dates

2010-04-07T06:59:00.010-06:00

TH April 22
Marnie, , Jeannette, Amber & Kendra Nelson: Amelia
Annalisa, Kendra Wimmer & Lauren: Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
Kassie & Lili: Rabbit Proof Fence

Tues. April 27
Jamie, Leilani & Chelsea: Boys Don't Cry
Eric, Kelli, & Stepfan: Serving in Silence
Aimee, Annie, Robyn: Erin Brockovich

TH April 29
Dez & Trent: The Accused
Melissa, Alisha, Sherrie & Danielle: The Rosa Parks Story
Mariah, Staci & Mindy: Milk

Individuals—Due by April 27. Need to reserve library study room & schedule out of class presentation time with Professor Cooper
Jesse: Frida

Afghanistan Women

2010-04-06T14:30:00.003-06:00

Beyond the Veil
Beyond the Veil—photo gallery
Analysis: Afghanistan's future

Afghanistan Unveiled
More Afghanistan Unveiled

Silence over Afghan women's rights

Aljazeera News English

Free Documentaries

2010-04-03T12:48:00.001-06:00

SnagFilms is a site that includes over 600 documentaries that you may view for free. You may find documentaries here that will be useful for your Gender, History & Hollywood projects.

Weeks 13, 14 & 15

2010-04-03T07:39:00.004-06:00

Week 13
April 13: Team work/research day—Gender, History & Hollywood. Teams & individuals meet during class time to work on final projects.
April 15: Check back for readings. Last blog journal entry.
Week 14
April 20: Team work/research day—Gender, History & Hollywood. Teams & individuals meet during class time to work on final projects.
April 22: Team/Individual Gender, History & Hollywood Presentations
Week 15
April 27 & 29: Team/Individual Gender, History & Hollywood Presentations

Optional Final Exam. Tuesday, May 4, 1:30-3:20. Study guide will be posted by April 26. FYI: Your final exam counts —regardless of whether if raises or lowers the grade you earn in WGS 1010.

Additional movies: Gender, History & Hollywood

2010-04-02T08:30:00.005-06:00

I've added some additional movie choices for the final project. If you would like to analyze one of the movies below, please post a comment below.

A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story (2006). (Lifetime Channel Movie; available to download from Lifetime). The true story of a young transgendered teen and his self discovery of living life as a woman and her murder at 17 because she was transgendered.
Boys Don't Cry (1999). (R, violence, intense brutal rape scene, sexuality, language & drug use). The story of the life of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who preferred life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female.
Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (Lifetime Channel Movie; available to download from Lifetime). Biography of famous and often controversial artist.
Rabbit Proof Fence (2002). (PG). Based on the story of three Aboriginal girls who escape from the Moore River Native Settlement in Australia, after the country passed a the Aborigines Act, designed to control the lives of this indigenous race. The Australian government recently issued a formal apology to the Aboriginal people.

Week 12: April 6-8

2010-04-02T08:03:00.004-06:00

Tuesday April 6: Book Analysis due. Come prepared to discuss your major arguments and conclusions about A Thousand Splendid Suns. Part of the grade you earn for this assignment will be based on your participation in the class discussion.

TH. April 8: Gender, Hollywood & History. Check back Saturday for additional readings. Your blog journals will be responses to these readings.

Blackboard: "It's Just a movie."
Online:
Hegemony and Hollywood: A Critique of Cinematic Distortions of Women of Color and Their Stories
Do movies shape your opinions?

Can a Film Change The World?
Do movies shape your opinions? Research indicates movies influence
views of history and social issues
An Oscar Crop With An Instinct For Change
History according to Hollywood

Film Choices: Gender, Hollywood & History

2010-03-16T19:11:00.006-06:00

1. You may do this final project as a team or individually.
2. New teams will be assigned based on film preferences. Please email your top three film choices to Professor Cooper or post your choices below as a comment.
3. Gender, History & Hollywood presentation dates (three each day)
April 22, TH
April 27, Tuesday
April 29, TH

Readings Week 11: March 30-April 1

2010-03-16T14:46:00.008-06:00

Women, Gender & Sports
March 30: Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports is an historic documentary chronicling women athletes and their struggle for recognition in professional and Olympic sports. Produced by HBO, the documentary combines rare film footage, photos and video interviews of many athletes from the late 1800s to the 21st century, including Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King. Please be on time for class. I'll begin this documentary at 3:00 p.m.

Women’s Pre-Title IX sports history in the U.S.
Title IX and the Growth of Women’s Athletics
Playing Fair: A guide to TITLE IX
Title IX AT 30…Still room for Improvement
GoGirlGo! Curriculum
Keeping Our Daughters Active
Title IX and Race in Intercollegiate Sport
Baseball was her game: First to play professional ball with men on men's teams

It’s ladies’ fight (women boxers)

(Dis)Empowering Images? Media Representations of Women in Sport
Women Athletes Often Debased by Media Images
'Goals for Girls!' campaign launched
Coming out stories: First-person accounts and profiles of gay and lesbian athletes
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Athletes Coming Out to Coaches
OutSports Women
Lesbian Athletes Finally Get Their Own Deals

Readings Week 9: March 9-11

2010-03-04T09:06:00.005-07:00

March 9
Blackboard:
Masculinity As Homophobia (pp. 81-92)
OR click here for HTML version

Online:
How do media images of men affect our lives?
Becoming A Man By August (download PDF)
Gender Roles
The Search for Masculinity
Growing up masculine
The test of masculinity
Hiding their tender selves
Many ways to be a man

Men’s movements
National Organization for Men Against Sexism
Website of Dr. Jackson Katz: Researcher & Activist—Masculinity & Violence

March 11
No new readings. Please review the directions for the next three assignments:
Women Rock the Runway
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Hollywood & History: Representing Unapologetic Women & Men

We'll go over each of these assignments TH and review examples.

Myths That Make It Hard To Stop Campus Rape

2010-03-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

"There's a common assumption about men who commit sexual assault on a college campus: That they made a one-time, bad decision. But psychologist David Lisak says this assumption is wrong —-and dangerously so." Click here for NPR story.

Women Rock the Runway Movie

2010-03-02T06:59:00.004-07:00

Writing Women Back into History

2010-02-28T07:28:00.002-07:00

Information about women in history. If you have not selected your unapologetic woman for the Runway assignment, you might find some ideas here.

National Women's History Project
HerStory

Readings week 8

2010-02-26T06:49:00.017-07:00

March 2: Gender & Military Issues: Kassie, Kendra Nelson, Lili & Staci
Women in combat
Roles for Women in U.S. Army Expand
On the Ground in Iraq: Three Women's Stories
Two Opposing Views on Women on the Battlefield
Reported Cases of Sexual Assault in Military Rise
Female Soldier Reflects on Injuries, Military Service
Scars of War Run Deep for Many Female Vets
Sexual Assaults on Female Soldiers: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

The Rise and Fall of a Female Captain Bligh

Female War Reporters Hide Sexual Abuse To Continue Getting Assignments
“Army specialist refuses to return to Iraq”
“Tailhook scandal” Sexual harassment in Navy
“Pilot breaks the Air Force’s gender barrier”
Navy to allow women to serve aboard submarines
First Woman Four-Star General: Dunwoody becomes first female four-star general. "There is no one more surprised than I—except, of course, my husband. You know what they say, 'Behind every successful woman there is an astonished man.' "
General Ann E. Dunwoody

March 4: Gender & Religion: Chelsea, Heidi, Jamie & Mariah
Check back later for TH readings
"Wiccan Holidays and Ritual Days"
Women & Theology
Women and Religion in America 1600-1900
Women & Christianity
Mother Goddess
Religious Tolerance.Org: mother goddess:
The Woman's Christian Bible by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Excerpt from Stanton's re-write of Genesis:

Christian Science and Mary Baker Eddy

Created by the Church of Christ Science a web site on Eddy:

Shakers and Mother Lee

A summary of Shaker history and links:

From Notable Women Ancestors, short biographies of women religious leaders:

Campus Rape Victims: A Struggle For Justice

2010-02-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

"A college campus isn't the first place that comes to mind in a discussion about violent crime. But research funded by the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1 out of 5 college women will be sexually assaulted. NPR's investigative unit teamed up with journalists at the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) to look at the failure of schools — and the government agency that oversees them — to prevent these assaults and then to resolve these cases." Click here for full story.

White House Push to End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Spurs Debate in Military

2010-02-24T07:24:00.002-07:00

Judy Woodruff takes a look at gay rights in America, as Army officials air concerns about the president's plan to move ahead with a repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Experts on gay rights issues examine the shifting politics of sexual orientation in the armed forces and beyond. Click here for full story from PBS Newshour.

U. conference to discuss violence against sexual minorities

2010-02-24T07:06:00.002-07:00

"Scholars will gather at the University of Utah this week to discuss how violence and cultural oppression are used to regulate sexuality, particularly people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender." Click here for full story, Rosemary Winters, Salt Lake Tribune.

Readings week 7: Feb 23-25

2010-02-19T15:37:00.018-07:00

Feb. 23: Genders & Sexualities
Adrian, Kellie, Eric & Stepfan

Glossary of terms
Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual
Transgender
APA--Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality

Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture
APA Officially Rejects Reorientation Treatment for Homosexuals
(Rethinking) Gender: A growing number of Americans are taking their private struggles with their identities into the public realm
LET THEM BE: What's the proper parental response when faced with a kid who's gender variant?
Our mutual joy: Opponents of gay marriage often cite Scripture. But what the Bible teaches about love argues for the other side.
Young, Gay and Murdered
States That Allow Same-Sex Marriage
Should government get out of the marriage business?

Queer Rights Movements
Stonewall Riot
Timeline: American Gay Rights Movements
The American Gay Rights Movement
Gay Liberation Front
Queer Rights Organizations
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD)
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)
Filmmakers
The Mormon Proposition: Sundance Documentary, 2010. Reed Cowan, USU Journalism & Communication graduate

Feb. 25: Gender & International Issues
Aimee, Annalisa, Kendra Wimmer, & Robyn

BULGARIA
GERMANY
BRAZIL
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

More young girls face rape in Afghanistan
Al-Qaeda damaged by arrest of 'rape and suicide bomb' woman
Curse of Al Khansaa: Recruited as suicide bombers, a group of women bravely quit. But their lives now are a kind of death.
The Opium Brides of Afghanistan: In the country's poppy-growing provinces, farmers are being forced to sell their daughters to pay loans
Afghan Girls, Scarred by Acid, Defy Terror, Embracing School
Afghan Women Slowly Gaining Protection
Afghan Court Backs Prison Term for Blasphemy, "after accusations that he had written and distributed an article about the role of women in Islam."
Somali fighters stone 'rape victim'
Starting at Home, Iran’s Women Fight for Rights
For Impoverished Girls, School Is Just a Dream
'This Is the Destiny of Girls': Across Much of South Asia, a Daughter's Life Is Circumscribed By Tradition and Poverty. But for Some, the Dreams Die Slower.
In much of India, boys study, girls work
“Rich World, Poor Women”
Status of the World's Women

International Websites & Organizations for/by women
RAWA: Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
South Asian Women's NETWork
Muslim Girl World

From GLAAD

2010-02-14T16:33:00.002-07:00

Glossary of terms
Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual
Transgender
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Amnesty International

Outline info: Team class lecture

2010-02-13T08:24:00.002-07:00

Outlines for team class lectures need to include a reference list that includes all of the sources cited during the class lecture.

FYI: This info was missing from the directions for the team class lecture. The directions are now updated. Apologies for the confusion.

Week 6 readings: Feb. 18

2010-02-12T07:45:00.026-07:00

Team presentation: Women's Movements for Equality
Danielle, Desirae, Sherrie, Mindy,

On Blackboard:
Church Politics & Sonia Johnson

Online Readings:
Margaret Sanger & birth control for women
Birth Control's 21st
Birth Control raid
Birth Controllers on Parade
“The Civilizing Force of Birth Control”
The Press: Catholic Censorship
Margaret Sanger: Top 100 people of century
Contraceptive Pill?

Feminism, Civil Rights & Women of Color
"Women had key roles in Civil Rights Era"
“Black suffrage and the struggle for Civil Rights”
“Equal Rights for Women” by Shirley Chisholm (1971)
“Dolores Huerta: Si se puede (Yes, it can be done)”

Women & the Movement for the Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment
History Behind the ERA
Utah & the ERA
Sonia Johnson: In the Battle for the E.R.A., a Mormon Feminist Waits for the Balloon to Go Up
Sonia Johnson: Biographical Sketch

The Feminist Chronicles, 1953-1993

“Firsts in Women’s achievements”

Week 5 readings: Feb. 9-11

2010-02-05T07:44:00.007-07:00

Feb. 9
No new readings for Feb. 9. Please review these articles assigned last week and the new ones assigned for TH. Feb.11. For your blogs, you may respond to articles for Feb.9 or Feb. 11.

Sexism, Misogyny & Heterosexism in Culture
Definitions: Sexism
Definitions: Misogyny
Misogynistic
Definitions: Homophobia, Heterosexism & Sexual Prejudice
Misogyny Vs. Sexism
The Feminine Mystique (1963). Betty Friedan
Chapter 1: The Problem That Has No Name
Chapter 2: The Happy Housewife Heroine

Americana: The roots of home. Time magazine, June 20, 1960

Feb. 11: Gender & Family Issues
Team Presentation—"Best Team EVER": Alisha, Amber, Jeanette, Marnie & Melissa
Additional articles TBA
Marriage & Divorce Stats
70% say brides should take husband's name
“Fatherhood 2.0”
“Do men really want wives like June Cleaver?”
“Women see less need for ol' ball and chain”
“Listen up, Utah girls”
More moms become breadwinners: Number of stay-at-home fathers grows to 158,000 as mothers head to work
Modern Marriages: The Rise Of The Sugar Mama
The Harried Life of the Working Mother
Don’t marry career Women/“Don’t marry a lazy man”

Documentaries on Reserve

2010-02-03T07:24:00.011-07:00

The following documentaries are on reserve for WGS 1010 in Media Collections, Merrill-Cazier library. You may check out these documentaries for 3 days, to use for your team class lectures. I'm placing some additional documentaries on reserve today, so check back TH before your team meetings for more options.

Gender & Religion
The Need to Know

Gender & International Issues
Afghanistan unveiled
Postcards from the Future
Beneath the Veil

Gender & Military Issues
Women in the combat zone

Masculinity
Tough Guise
Wrestling for Manhood

Women's participation in rights' movements
Freedom on My Mind (civil rights)
A Passion for Justice: Ida B. Wells (civil rights & suffrage)
One women, One vote (suffrage movement)
History of Women's Achievements in America (4 DVD set)

Readings week 4: Feb. 2

2010-01-29T09:16:00.016-07:00

FYI: The articles below will form our class discussion Tuesday. Regardless of what you select to respond to for this week's blog entries, the articles below are still required for class this week.

Sexism, Misogyny & Heterosexism in Culture
Definitions: Sexism
Definitions: Misogyny
Misogynistic
Definitions: Homophobia, Heterosexism & Sexual Prejudice
Misogyny Vs. Sexism

The Feminine Mystique (1963). Betty Friedan
Chapter 1: The Problem That Has No Name
Chapter 2: The Happy Housewife Heroine

"Self-Help" to Becoming a "True" Woman
Cult of True Womanhood (1820-)

Americana: The roots of home. Time magazine, June 20, 1960

Fascinating Womanhood (1963). Author Helen Andelin "was born in Mesa, Arizona. She majored in home economics at Brigham Young University (BYU), but dropped out after two years to marry a fellow-student, Aubrey P. Andelin. The couple had eight children. Helen began sharing the secrets of her own happy marriage with small groups of women in Fresno, California, in the early 1960s. She expanded on the topic in 1963 when she began working with the adult education department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her first book, Fascinating Womanhood, was published in 1963 as a text for her classes. By the mid-1970s the book had become the basis for courses taught across the country designed to teach women how to be happier in marriage by winning a man's complete love and adoration. The Fascinating Womanhood Foundation was established to train women in the techniques of feminine enchantment."

Total Woman (1974). Author Marabel Morgan is the cover story for Time magazine, March 14, 1977. "Countering the prevailing notions of the women's liberation movement, Morgan, a Miami housewife, makes a case for submission to male desires as the key to improving married life. Despite scathing reviews, the book becomes the number one bestseller for 1974." Click here for full story.

The Surrendered Wife (2001). Author Laura Doyle tells readers a wife "should stop controlling, criticizing and interrupting her husband. If she slips up, she should apologize for being "disrespectful." She should give him the checkbook and leave the bills, investments and purchases to him. She should tell him what she wants, but if he doesn't agree, she should stay mum and do what he wants. As for sex, at least once a week even if she's not in the mood. And while she should express herself in terms of what she feels rather than what she thinks, she should never ask about his feelings. It would be easy to scoff at such ideas, elaborated by Laura Doyle in her book The Surrendered Wife (Simon & Schuster) as retro or ridiculous. But last week Doyle made the national media rounds, and her book is already on Amazon's Top 10." Click here for full Time story

LDS women & Suffrage

2010-01-28T07:43:00.001-07:00

Emmeline Wells, 1828-1921

Unshakeable in her commitment to plural marriage, Emmeline Wells was a leading figure in Mormon politics and in the women's suffrage movement who helped close the gap of misunderstanding that separated Mormons and non-Mormon America for more than fifty years.

Stages of Feminist Consciousness

2010-01-26T07:29:00.003-07:00

1. Denial: Passive acceptance of patriarchy and traditional gender roles.
2. Awareness: Some event or individual triggers questioning of patriarchal roles.
3. Anger: Begin to find strength with select women and sometimes, feminist men.
4. Rage: Begin to develop positive feminist identity, transcend patriarchal sex roles. Motivates next step—take action.
5. Positive action for change: Active commitment to non-sexist world. Evaluate women and men on individual basis, ot on their sex, evaluate women and men as equals.

Readings Week 3: January 26-28

2010-01-21T17:30:00.010-07:00

On Blackboard
Diana Maxfield: "Media Coverage of the Women's Suffrage Movement, 1910-1920"
HerStory: Suffrage news coverage & activists

Alice Paul

Boats for women vs. votes for women

Suffragists Storm Over Washington D.C. in 1917

Woman on White Horse Pressed for Suffrage

Marching for the vote

Women's Suffrage Movement

Reluctant Suffragettes: When Women Questioned Their Right to Vote

Alice Paul Pulls the Strings

Optional:
Library of Congress suffrage documents—excellent site
Suffrage images--Library of Congress
Online museum exhibit on suffrage
One hundred years toward suffrage: Overview
American Woman Suffrage Timeline
Suffrage statue

Readings Week 2, January 19-21: Societal Understandings of Gender & Feminism

2010-01-14T15:30:00.013-07:00

Tuesday, Jan. 19

Blackboard articles
Understanding feminism
“The F-word at Utah State University” (Lindsay Kite, USU graduate in JCOM & WGS)
“Feminism”: HJNews article (Lindsay Kite, USU graduate in JCOM & WGS)

New feminisms
“From Barricades To Blogs:” Women’s movement/feminism
Lift and Separate: Why is feminism still so divisive?
“Kinds of Feminism”

Feminism & LDS women
“Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History” (Chapter 1)
“Ulrich touts women in history”

Optional
Quotes from Mormon women on feminism & women’s rights (1872-1991)
“Mormon feminists? Feminism among Latter-day Saints is dying”

Some feminist websites & blogs
New Moon magazine: “Bringing Girls' Voices to the World” (ad-free magazine written by girls, ages 8-14)
Feministing: Liberal Blog
Feminist Mormon Housewives

TH, January 21
Defining Gender for Women & Men: Theories of Gender Development
Theories—Construction of Gender Identities
Early Childhood Gender Socialization
General Introduction to Theories of Gender and Sex
(Rethinking) Gender: A growing number of Americans are taking their private struggles with their identities into the public realm

Readings week 1: January 12-14

2010-01-08T13:07:00.002-07:00

Course overview—Why Women & Gender Studies?

Bra-Burning & other feminist myths & urban legends
Pageant Protest Sparked Bra-Burning Myth
Great link with info & photos of protest at the 1968 Miss America pageant

"The other 'F' word”

Utah, like rest of West, is short on women

2009-05-14T07:03:00.002-06:00

Utah is 50.5 percent male and one of only 11 states with more men than women.

Scores of Afghan girls ill in third school poisoning

2009-05-12T07:19:00.000-06:00

Five young girls slipped briefly into comas and nearly 100 were taken to hospital after a gas attack on their school on Tuesday, the third in a series of such incidents north of Kabul, Afghan officials said.

Kenyan women's group tells men: Make war? No love

2009-05-01T07:29:00.002-06:00

Thousands of Kenyan women vowed Wednesday to begin a weeklong sex strike to try to protest their country's bickering leadership, which they say threatens to revive the bloody chaos that convulsed the African country last year.

One young woman's fight to set up schools for girls in Afghanistan despite formidable cultural and logistical obstacles.

Mr. Moms (by Way of Fortune 500)

2009-04-23T07:05:00.001-06:00

"Unemployed fathers can now be seen at the elementary school and the grocery stores, or walking with children along the quiet streets, taking their places, by necessity, in the largely women’s world of childcare, housework and school life."

Nike Ads

2009-04-16T08:51:00.001-06:00

Here is the link to the Nike ad featuring Marilyn Monroe

Thunder Thighs

In Nike ad campaign, big isn't just better, it's celebrated

Afghan Women Protest New Law on Home Life

2009-04-16T08:29:00.002-06:00

The young women stepped off the bus and moved toward the protest march just beginning on the other side of the street when they were spotted by a mob of men. "Get out of here, you whores!” the men shouted. “Get out!”

The women ran to the bus and dived inside as it rumbled away, with the men smashing the taillights and banging on the sides.

“Whores!”

But the march continued anyway. About 300 Afghan women, facing an angry throng three times larger than their own, walked the streets of the capital on Wednesday to demand that Parliament repeal a new law that introduces a range of Taliban-like restrictions on women, and permits, among other things, marital rape.

"A Man's World" video link

Iraq’s Newly Open Gays Face Scorn and Murder

2009-04-08T13:28:00.002-06:00

"In the past two months, the bodies of as many as 25 boys and men suspected of being gay have turned up in the huge Shiite enclave of Sadr City, the police and friends of the dead say. Most have been shot, some multiple times. Several have been found with the word “pervert” in Arabic on notes attached to their bodies, the police said."
The New York Times, April 8, 2009

April 9: Women & sports

2009-04-08T11:48:00.003-06:00

Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports is an historic documentary chronicling women athletes and their struggle for recognition in professional and olympic sports. Produced by HBO, the documentary combines rare film footage, photos and video interviews of many athletes including Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King.

Please be on time for class. I'll begin this documentary at 3:00 p.m.

Vermont Legislature Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

2009-04-07T14:46:00.000-06:00

Vermont on Tuesday became the fourth state to recognize gay marriage.

Free Full-length documentaries

2009-04-06T16:04:00.002-06:00

SnagFilms is a site that includes over 600 documentaries that you may view for free. You may find documentaries here that will be useful for your gender, Hollywood & History projects.

Readings: April 7 & April 9

2009-04-03T14:14:00.003-06:00

April 7: Gender, History & Hollywood Issues
Hegemony and Hollywood: A Critique of Cinematic Distortions of Women of Color and Their Stories

Do movies shape your opinions?

Can a Film Change The World?

April 9: Gender & Sports Issues
Women’s Pre-Title IX sports history in the U.S.

Title IX and the Growth of Women’s Athletics

Playing Fair: A guide to TITLE IX

Title IX AT 30…Still room for Improvement

GoGirlGo! Curriculum

Title IX and Race in Intercollegiate Sport

It’s ladies’ fight (women boxers)

FIlms on reserve: Library Media Collections

2009-04-02T11:24:00.002-06:00

The following films are on reserve in Merrill-Cazier library, Media Collections. The movies are available for WGS 1010 students for a three-day check-out. FYI: None of the other movies selected for the Gender, History & Hollywood project are available through Media Collections. Check Hastings and Hollywood Video.

Milk
Serving in Silence

Generation Diva: A Newsweek special report

2009-04-02T08:03:00.002-06:00

How our obsession with beauty is changing our kids.

What a lifetime of beauty maintenance will cost a modern diva

Youth in a jar: A century of outrageous beauty ads

Through the Looking Glass: A former child model on the perils of growing up in front of the camera and why she chose to become a photographer.

BYU study links women's safety, nation's peace

2009-03-22T12:04:00.001-06:00

Scholars compile database they hope will advance gender-focused social science in the future.

Shampoo Is Big Business

2009-03-21T08:40:00.002-06:00

Very interesting NPR story about the role of advertising and marketing shampoo to American women.

The current trend of frequent shampoos may have started on May 10, 1908, when the New York Times published a column advising women that it was OK to wash their hair every two weeks. At that time, once a month was the norm. Decades later, TV marketing campaigns began to convince us that daily washing was the thing to do.

Ditch the doll? West Virginia lawmaker out to outlaw Barbie

2009-03-20T13:17:00.001-06:00

"West Virginia state delegate says iconic toy overemphasizes beauty to girls"

'Barbie Ban' Delegate Proposes Ultimate Fighting for W.Va.

March 24-26

2009-03-18T07:43:00.002-06:00

March 24: Class meets in Merrill-Cazier library conference room (101) for the WGS Reinventing Barbie Bash.

March 26: Book analysis of A Thousand Splendid Suns due. Come ready to discuss your analysis with the class.

No new readings for March 24 or 26!

Obama to Sign UN Gay Rights Declaration

2009-03-18T07:41:00.000-06:00

The Obama administration will endorse a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that then-President George W. Bush had refused to sign, The Associated Press has learned.

Reports of sexual assault in military rise in 2008

2009-03-18T07:39:00.000-06:00

Reports of sexual assault among U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan rose 26 percent from the previous year, according to an annual Pentagon report presented to Congress on Tuesday.

After Dora uproar, Nick and Mattel soothe moms

2009-03-17T14:06:00.001-06:00

When toy maker Mattel, working with Nickelodeon, announced earlier this month that a "tween" version of Nick's beloved "Dora the Explorer" cartoon character would be unveiled in the fall, the response was overwhelming ... overwhelmingly negative.

Obama creates panel on women's issues

2009-03-12T18:13:00.001-06:00

Obama argues that gender equality has not been reached yet.

Readings March 19: Gender & International Issues

2009-03-11T08:40:00.008-06:00

Abused Afghan women often wind up in jail

More young girls face rape in Afghanistan

Al-Qaeda damaged by arrest of 'rape and suicide bomb' woman

Curse of Al Khansaa: Recruited as suicide bombers, a group of women bravely quit. But their lives now are a kind of death.

The Opium Brides of Afghanistan: In the country's poppy-growing
provinces, farmers are being forced to sell their daughters to pay
loans

Afghan Girls, Scarred by Acid, Defy Terror, Embracing School

Afghan Women Slowly Gaining Protection

Afghan Court Backs Prison Term for Blasphemy, "after accusations that he had written and distributed an article about the role of women in Islam."

International Websites & Organizations for/by women
RAWA: Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan

Please note: The readings below are optional for this week. Some of the articles may, however, be useful for your book critique of A Thousand Splendid Suns, due March 26.

Somali fighters stone 'rape victim'

Starting at Home, Iran’s Women Fight for Rights

Study cites Palestinian abuses: Rapes, beatings of women go unpunished

For Impoverished Girls, School Is Just a Dream (photo gallery)

'This Is the Destiny of Girls': Across Much of South Asia, a Daughter's Life Is Circumscribed By Tradition and Poverty. But for Some, the Dreams Die Slower.

In much of India, boys study, girls work

“Rich World, Poor Women”

More International Websites & Organizations for/by women
South Asian Women's NETWork

Muslim Girl World

Readings March 17: Gender & Work Issues

2009-03-11T08:24:00.007-06:00

Dr. Christy Glass, assistant professor in sociology, is the guest lecturer for WGS 1010.

Guide to Hiring Women 1943

Many Women at Elite Colleges Set Career Path to Motherhood

The Opt-Out Revolution

Women are charging up the corporate ladder … unseen by the next generation

The Opt-Out Myth

Study: U.S. trails most nations on family-oriented workplace policies

AAUW unequal pay report

State by state gap

Women at work

UT Wage gap among the widest

Lisa Carricaburu. @The Salt Lake Tribune, Apr 22, 2004. pg. E.1

Utah women earned 70.3 percent of what their male counterparts earned in 2002, an improvement from 65.8 percent in 1999, but a gap still wide enough to rank the state fifth-worst in the nation for wage disparity based on gender.

A woman working full time in Utah in 2002 earned an average annual salary of $27,000, compared with a man's average annual earnings of $38,400, according to a report released earlier this week by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR).

Such disparity also exists in neighboring states. Wyoming ranks last in the nation, with a gender pay gap of 66.3 percent; Idaho is 40th, at 72.5 percent, the report by the Washington, D.C.-based public policy research organization shows.

Nationwide, women earned $30,100, or 76.2 percent of men's $39,500 average earnings.

"Clearly, we as a nation are still a long way away from demonstrating that we value the work women do," said Lorna Vogt, director of Utah Progressive Network, an economic justice advocacy group that reviewed the report at the IWPR's request.

Even the report's good news should be read with reservations, Vogt said. Utah's wage gap improved, but not because women's pay made significant gains. From 1999 to 2002, women's wages increased 1.1 percent, but men's wages decreased 5.4 percent.

"The fact that men earned less is the primary reason the gap narrowed," said April Shaw, an author of the report. "That's obviously not how we want it to happen."

Shaw and her co-authors say wage disparity exists in part because women often have less education, job training and work experience than men. They also are underrepresented in higher-paying occupations. That is especially true in Utah, which ranked 41st in the nation in 2001 in the percentage of women employed in managerial and professional jobs, at 30 percent.

However, they cite research by the U.S. General Accounting Office that suggests 45 percent of the wage gap between men and women cannot be attributed to differences in training or choice of occupation, but rather is rooted in unequal treatment.

"People are reluctant to admit that we're talking about discrimination for a good part of this," Vogt said.

Her organization has addressed wage parity through legislation that last year led to a study of the wage gap in Utah state jobs. It will continue to lobby for measures intended to narrow the gap.

Much also can be done to help young women realize they can help narrow the gap, said Lecia Parks Langston, a Utah Department of Workforce Services regional economist in St. George.

Many still believe they will marry and raise children on a single income earned by their husbands, yet it often does not end up that way. Census figures show 61 percent of Utah women work compared with 57.5 percent nationwide.

Women who establish themselves in high-paying careers end up having more choices when it comes to balancing their responsibilities, she said.

Arden & Rubinstein: First ladies of lipstick

2009-03-10T19:45:00.003-06:00

Only prostitutes and performers wore makeup before Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden created the modern beauty industry in New York in the early years of the last century.

Ms. Magazine online

2009-03-04T10:24:00.001-07:00

" More than a magazine—A Movement"

Great info here. Check out the cover of the winter issue!!

Hollywood & History: Representing Unapologetic Women & Men

2009-03-04T06:47:00.009-07:00

Due dates—TH, April 22, Tuesday, April 27 & Thursday, April 29

Overall Goal: To identify how real-life challenges to patriarchal gender norms are depicted in Hollywood movies.

Research has demonstrated that when stories of women (and to a lesser extent, men) and sexual minorities who challenge ideological gender and/or racial norms are depicted in Hollywood films, these stories of brave and unapologetic women and men are often diluted, distorted and fabricated, privileging the stories of men over women and Caucasians over people of color. Working with your teams OR individually, you’ll analyze how mainstream Hollywood films have depicted some of these women or men who have challenged their respective gender norms, comparing the Hollywood film version to historical accounts of the women and men.

Assignment: Select a film from the list below. FYI: I’m open to other suggestions for film analysis. Assign responsibilities to each team member: fact-finder, film review finder, etc. Analyze the movie as a team and compare to historical facts. How do the facts privilege or distort the gender challenges? Do the film narratives work to privilege or challenged patriarchal ideology?

Class Presentations: Develop a 25-30 minute presentation. In thinking about your team presentation, please remember that you will need to use examples from the film you examined. But the entire presentation cannot just be showing clips from the video; select scenes that illustrate the key points you what to make, discuss those points, and remember to leave time for your conclusions and questions from classmates. At the time of the presentation, each team must hand in a detailed outline describing 1) the major points of your presentation, 2) the role each team member played in the project, and 3) all sources you used in preparing your presentation.

Click here for grading feedback form.

Films: http://www.imbd.com; http://www.rottentomatoes.com;http://www.metacritic.com
The Accused (1988) (R): Based on the true story of a woman who is gang-raped in a New Bedford, MA bar, and her subsequent legal battles to bring the men to justice within a legal system that blames her for the rapes. FYI: This is an important film that tackles many of the rape myths prevalent in American society, but the rape scene is difficult to watch. I include this film because of the important and controversial topic it addresses.
Amelia (2009). (PG). Biographical story of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank), who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.

Boys Don't Cry (1999). (R, violence, intense brutal rape scene, sexuality, language & drug use). The story of the life of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who preferred life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female.

Eleanor Roosevelt Story (1965) (Not-rated): Story of her work for the oppressed at First Lady, women’s and civil rights activist, U.S. representative to the United Nations, chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, where she was a key contributor to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Erin Brockovich (2000) (R): Based on Erin Brockovich, an unemployed single mother, who exposes illegal dumping of deadly toxic waste by Pacific Gas & Electric Company that contaminated water and poisoned residents and resulted in one of the biggest class action lawsuits in American history against a multi-billion dollar corporation.
Eva Peron (1981-TV)(NR). Based on life of Eva Maria Duarte, who rose from poverty to marry Argentinean revolutionary Juan Peron, and later became a controversial leader in Argentina. (Not the musical starring Madonna).
Frida (2002) (R). Biography of artist Frida Kahlo, a political, artistic, and sexual revolutionary, who channeled a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.
Gorillas in the Mist (1988) (PG-13). Story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who traveled to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and her efforts to stop the decimation of the endangered apes.
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) (R): Chronicles the life of singer African American and actor Dorothy Dandridge, her battles with 1950s racism, her affair with film director Otto Preminger and the fallout for being involved in an interracial relationship, and becoming the first Black women to be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar.
Laramie Project (2002). (HBO: language). Based on the story of gay college student Matthew Shepard who was murdered in 1998 in Laramie, WY. Originally a play, HBO made the film version and dialogue is based on transcripts from the murderers’ trials, and interviews with individuals involved in the case and friends and family of Shepard.
Milk (2008). (R: language, some sexual content, brief violence). “The story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White” (Josh Brolin).
North Country (2005) (R): “A semi-fictionalized account of a long legal battle of group of women miners who endured a hostile work environment and numerous and continuous insults and unwanted touching when they became the first women to go underground at Eveleth Mines in Minnesota.” Based on the book, Class Action.
Rabbit Proof Fence (2002). (PG). Based on the story of three Aboriginal girls who escape from the Moore River Native Settlement in Australia, after the country passed a the Aborigines Act, designed to control the lives of this indigenous race. The Australian government recently issued a formal apology to the Aboriginal people.
The Rosa Parks Story (2001) (Made for TV). Based on Rosa Parks and her role in the civil rights movement.
Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (1995) (TV). The story of a decorated officer's legal challenge to her involuntary discharge when she admitted she was a lesbian (Glenn Close)
Silkwood (1983) (R): Meryl Streep plays Karen Silkwood, an Oklahoma nuclear-plant worker who blew the whistle on dangerous practices at the Kerr-McGee plant after being contaminated and who died under suspicious circumstances (many believe murdered to prevent her from exposing serious worker safety violations).
What’s Love Got to Do With It? (1993) (R). Based on the life of African American singer Tina Turner, her rise to fame, dealing with racism, and her battle to escape domestic violence in her marriage to Ike Turner.

Tips for doing a critical film analysis: Your goal is to analyze the film in terms of how gender and gender challenges are represented, not simply to do a plot summary. Here are some questions to help you identify the major gender lenses operating in the film narratives.

1. How does the director present issues related to gender, race, sexuality (and class) in the film?
2. Could the director have portrayed gender in a more responsible way (Be sure to explain how you are defining responsible film making).
3. What themes, characters, elements of the film provided new insight? What themes, arguments, elements of the story challenged your current way of looking at the issues raised by the film?
4. Are any of the gender concepts, issues, etc. we’ve covered in class depicted in ways that provide a new perspective to that concept?
5. What does the film teach us about gender, race, and sexuality (and class)?
6. Use specific examples from the film to illustrate your major arguments and conclusions.
7. How does the film represent challenges made to traditional gender norms and expectations?
8. Do you see evidence that the film narratives are limited by the lenses of gender/patriarchy?

Gender concepts to consider:
Enculturated theory of gender development/ Lenses of Gender (Bem, 1993).
• Biological essentialism: The perception of “male-female” difference as a natural consequence of biology that leads to the inference and acceptance that male dominance is natural.
• Androcentrism— “male-centeredness”—defined as the “privileging of male experience and the ‘otherizing’ of female experience.”
• Gender polarization: The pervasive organization and division of society and social life around the distinction between male and female. Biological sex is a major organizing principle in virtually all areas of human experience.

Ideological Perspectives to Consider:
Heteronormativity/Heterosexism: Privilege of heterosexuality and discrimination and bigotry against sexual minorities.
Patriarchy: “[A]ny kind of group organization in which males hold dominant power and determine what part females shall and shall not play, and in which capabilities assigned to women are relegated” to domestic realms and excluded from political realms (Dow, 1996).
White Privilege: The “everyday, invisible, subtle cultural and social practices, ideas and codes that discursively secure the power and privilege of white people” the “discursive processes through which whiteness secures its normalized cultural dominance.” (Gorham, 1999; Shome, 1996);

Stages of Feminist Awareness
1. Denial 2. Awareness 3. Anger 4. Rage 5. Positive action for change

Team Suggestions
1. Argument summary: Identify major themes in the film & how the film compares to historical accounts.
2. Provocative Passages: Identify and include at least three of what you consider to be the most significant or interesting quotations from the film that will facilitate class discussion.
3. Discussion Questions: Based on what you consider to be the most significant issues presented by the filmmakers, write 2-3 discussion questions that will help to facilitate class discussion and participation.
4. Additional materials. Search for historical information about the women depicted in the movies. Identify the differences between the historical and film versions of the women and their gender challenges. You may also include current events and issues related to the gender issues addressed in the movie (e.g., sexual harassment, domestic violence, women’s rights, etc.)

In the Barbie World

2009-03-04T06:22:00.003-07:00

"She may be 50 years old but she still has killer thighs, a flat stomach, long blonde hair and perfect pink lipstick. And Utah State University students are reminding the public that she’s plastic."
Manette Newbold, Herald Journal

Check out today's HJ story about the WGS Reinventing Barbie Bash. The hard copy includes several photos.

Utah is No. 1 - for online pornography consumption

2009-03-03T07:42:00.001-07:00

Besides its political bent, Utah's per capita appetite for online pornography makes it the nation's run-away red-light state.

Readings March 4: Boys, Men & Masculinity

2009-02-28T08:17:00.004-07:00

Team "Boys M & M": Torie Clark, MacKenzie Rupert, Linds Moody & Daniel Young

Chapter 3: How to Be a Grown Man (pages 70-97).

The Search for Masculinity

Growing up masculine

The test of masculinity

Hiding their tender selves

Many ways to be a man

The Myth about boys

Men’s movements: National Organization for Men Against Sexism

Optional Reading: Review chapter 5, Pink Think: “A Manly Shade of Pink: A Brief Guide to the Other Side” (pages 133-161).

Readings March 2: History of Women's Movements for Equality

2009-02-28T07:57:00.003-07:00

Team Women Rock the Vote!
Stacy Peterson, Makoto Ichikawa, Krystle Grant, and Rebecca Williams

Women’s Battle for the Vote in the UK

Women’s History in America

The History of The Equal Rights Amendment

Website on Women’s Suffrage

Women had key roles in Civil Rights Movement

History Shows Women’s Movement Wasn’t Colored Blind, But Was Filled With Racism

Article on Peace in the online Feminist Newsjournal

Are Women Suited for Politics?

8 Million More Women than Men voted for Obama

Men lag women at the voting booth

Women Are Never Front-Runners by Gloria Steinem

Women explore gender roles in American politics

Sorry Sen. Buttars, gay rights won't destroy us

2009-02-26T07:56:00.002-07:00

Robert Kirby, Salt Lake Tribune columnist

Kirby: Conversion through contempt never works
On Tuesday, I got an e-mail from a fellow Mormon calling me "a pimp for the homo agenda."

Readings Feb. 26: Gender, Family & Relationship Issues

2009-02-20T10:09:00.007-07:00

Jannette, Ashlee, Britney & Albree

He Thinks He'll Keep Her—Mary Chapin Carpenter

Do men really want wives like June Cleaver?

Women see less need for ol' ball and chain

Marriage by the Numbers: Twenty years since the infamous terrorists line…

Fatherhood 2.0

Dan Quayle vs. Murphy Brown

Don’t marry career Women/Don’t marry a lazy man

USU student marriage rate

Our model marriage

Readings Feb. 24: Gender & Education Issues

2009-02-20T09:59:00.003-07:00

Team Fantastic 4 Women: Storee, Ashley, Lindsey & Amy

Pink Think, pp. 197-202

G rowing up too fast: Influence of teen icons

Politics of Fashion

Brief History of USU

‘Quiet Desperation’ of Academic Women

WOMEN AND HIGHER EDUCATION

Women in Education

Half Empty or Half Full?

Teen Voices Online
This site is just to explore, for fun

Buttars: Gays top 'threat to America'

2009-02-19T06:59:00.003-07:00

The senator's says the movement is 'the beginning of the end' and worse than Sodom and Gomorrah.

On February 16, 1884, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about women's rights.

2009-02-16T08:11:00.001-07:00

This Harper's Weekly cartoon by C. G. Bush supports the commissioning of women as steamboat captains.

Gender & Sexuality Outline: Brittny Goodsell, Jessica Collett & Shannon Jolley

2009-02-13T07:09:00.002-07:00

1. Opening Activity: Rites of Passage
2. Introduction of Terms
a. Sex: Biological identity based on chromosomes, internal organs, and external organs
b. Sexual Orientation: An enduring emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to another person
c. Gender Identity: Psychological sense of being male or female
d. Gender Role: Expression of stereotypical traits assigned by society to gender
e. Transgender/Transsexual: Refers to a person whose gender identity does not correspond to their genetic sex
f. Cross-Dresser: Refers to a person (usually a heterosexual male) who dresses in clothing considered appropriate for the opposite gender
g. Hermaphrodite: A person born with both male and female sex organs
h. Intersex: A person who exhibits some combination of both male and female sex organs
3. Biological Overview
a. Male and female fetus sex organs are identical in early stages of gestation; between 6-8 weeks, sex organs begin to differentiate and fetus is bathed in higher levels of either testosterone or estrogen
b. Guinea pig experiments: female fetuses bathed in testosterone; external sex organs became enlarged and partially fused; internal organs shrunk; guinea pigs exhibited stereotypical male behavior and attempted to mount other females
c. Clip from For the Bible Tells Me So
4. Intersex
a. About 1 in 500 people are born with issues related to their internal or external sex organs or both
b. Until recently, most of these children were assigned a sex (usually female) and raised according to gender stereotypes
c. David Reimer Case Study
5. Transgender
a. Clip from TransAmerica
b. Gender Identity Disorder
c. Why are there more transgendered people today?
d. Transitioning
e. Is transsexualism truly a mental disorder?
f. How should families raise children who exhibit gender dysphoria?
6. Homosexuality
a. Corazon Opuesto story
b. Heterosexual privilege: The basic civil rights and social privileges that a heterosexual individual automatically receives, but are systematically denied to gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons on the sole basis of their sexual orientation.
c. Heterosexual questionnaire: perspectives of homosexuality
7. Homophobia
a. Definition: prejudice against (fear or dislike of) homosexuals and homosexuality
b. How homophobic are you?
c. Homophobic levels of attitude: repulsion, pity, tolerance, and acceptance
d. Positive levels of attitudes: support, admiration, appreciation, and nurturance
e. Keith Olbermann clip
8. Hate Crimes
a. Story of Matthew Shepherd
b. What is a hate crime?
9. Hate crimes throughout the past 10 years
a. Lawrence King, a gay 15-year-old from California, was shot in the head during class and died of brain injuries two days later in 2008.
b. According to the FBI, 9,535 hate crimes were reported to law enforcement during 2007. About 58 percent were victims of anti-male homosexual bias. About 24 percent were victims of anti-female homosexual bias.
c. In January 2005 a father beat his three-year-old baby to death.
d. In 2007, a 62-year-old man was strangled.
e. A teenager in Jersey was murdered in 2003 because she was a lesbian.
10. Hate Crime Legislation
a. Different states claim different rules regarding hate crimes. Wyoming, Indiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Arkansas do not have hate crime laws.
b. Utah has some type of hate crime law but it does not include protection of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Utah Women Gain Right to Vote

2009-02-12T07:07:00.002-07:00

February 12, 1870: Women in Utah Territory get the vote

Guv, at odds with most Utahns, backs civil unions for gays

2009-02-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

Huntsman also supports other gay-rights bills, but they may be long shots.

Book Analysis Directions

2009-02-09T12:26:00.008-07:00

A Thousand Splendid Suns
Due date: Tuesday, April 6

For those of you who want to get an early start on the book analysis of A Thousand Splendid Suns, here are the directions.

Essay Directions: Your goal is to analyze the novel in terms of how the challenges the women make to the dominant cultural definitions of gender are represented. What are the gender norms for the three major women? How do they work to challenge those norms and survive within the norms? Please do not simply write a plot summary. Here are some questions to help you identify the major gender lenses and ideologies operating in the novel’s narratives.

1. How does the author present issues related to gender and sexuality in the film?
2. What themes, characters, elements of the novel provided new insight? In other words, what themes, arguments, elements of the story challenged your current way of looking at the issues raised by the author?
3. What does the novel teach us about gender, race, and sexuality for Muslim women in Afghanistan?
4. Use specific examples from the novel to illustrate your major arguments and conclusions.
5. How can you relate the stages of feminist awareness to the two women protagonists in the novel?
6. How do the historical events described in the novel relate to historical and news accounts of life for Afghani women?
7. How can you relate the lenses of gender be applied to the novel’s major themes? Patriarchy? White Privilege?
8. Are there any parallels with the women in the novel and the women who fought for women's rights the U.S.?

Stages of Feminist Awareness
1. Denial
2. Awareness
3. Anger
4. Rage
5. Positive action for change

Gender concepts to consider
Enculturated theory of gender development/ Lenses of Gender (Bem, 1993).
• Biological essentialism: The perception of “male-female” difference as a natural consequence of biology that leads to the inference and acceptance that male dominance is natural.
• Androcentrism: “Male-centeredness”—defined as the “privileging of male experience and the ‘otherizing’ of female experience.”
• Gender polarization: The pervasive organization and division of society and social life around the distinction between male and female. Biological sex is a major organizing principle in virtually all areas of human experience.

Some Ideologies to Consider:
Patriarchy: “[A]ny kind of group organization in which males hold dominant power and determine what part females shall and shall not play, and in which capabilities assigned to women are relegated” to domestic realms and excluded from political realms (Dow, 1996).
White Privilege: The “everyday, invisible, subtle cultural and social practices, ideas and codes that discursively secure the power and privilege of white people” the “discursive processes through which whiteness secures its normalized cultural dominance.” (Gorham, 1999; Shome, 1996).

Writing Guidelines
1. Typed, 12 pt. font, double-spaced papers (APA or MLA style) are required for all assignments. Three page maximum length.
2. Grades you earn are based on thoroughness, clarity and insight. Use specific examples to support your ideas and conclusions.
3. Avoid extended quotations. Most can be cut down and paraphrased. I’m looking for your original thought and synthesis of information/data, not just regurgitation of what others have said.
4. Do not use Wikipedia as a source. This online dictionary is unreliable and prone to errors.
5. Spelling/syntax/grammar/punctuation/style errors lower the grade you earn.

Readings Week Six: Feb. 10-12

2009-02-06T08:40:00.011-07:00

Feb. 10: Gender & Military Issues
Cami & Jennifer

Roles for Women in Army Expand

On the Ground in Iraq: Three Women's Stories

Two Opposing Views on Women in the Battlefield

Reported Cases of Sexual Assault in the Military Rise

Scars of War Run Deep for Many Female Vets

The Tailhook Scandal: 1994

Pilot Breaks Air Force Gender Barrier

Army Gets First Female Four-Star General
"There is no one more surprised than I—except, of course, my husband. You know what they say, 'Behind every successful woman there is an astonished man.' "
General Ann E. Dunwoody

'Don't Ask' Policy Hits Female Soldiers Hardest

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turns 15

Feb. 12: Gender & Sexuality Issues
Brittny, Jess & Shannon

(Rethinking) Gender: A growing number of Americans are taking their private struggles with their identities into the public realm

LET THEM BE: What's the proper parental response when faced with a kid who's gender variant?

Our mutual joy: Opponents of gay marriage often cite Scripture. But what the Bible teaches about love argues for the other side.

Poll: Utahns back some gay rights, but not weddings or adoptions

Young, Gay and Murdered

Outside their 'safe zone'

2009-02-05T10:29:00.001-07:00

Utah prodigy schools all-male troupe on the art of dance
Kearns High School's first all-male ballet dance

Team Member Evaluation Form: Gender, History & Hollywood

2009-02-03T07:40:00.008-07:00

Each team member completes this evaluation form and submits to Professor Cooper on the due date for the assignment. Evaluation forms are designed to provide you with the opportunity to rate your team members in terms of their contributions and participation in the class lecture. All evaluations are confidential.

Please rate each team member, including yourself, in terms of how much time each devoted to the assignment. The total must add up to 100%. For example, if you have five team members and feel that each contributed equally to the assignment, then you would assign each team member 20%. If, however, of the five team members, one member did much more work toward the assignment than others, you might assign 40% to that team members, and 15% to the other four team members.

Team Project:_________________________________________

Team name:__________________________________________

Your name_______________________________ Percentage of work:_______

Team member name_________________________ Percentage of work:_______

Team member name_________________________ Percentage of work:_______

Team member name_________________________ Percentage of work:_______

Team member name_________________________ Percentage of work:_______

Team member name_________________________ Percentage of work:_______

Team member name_________________________ Percentage of work:_______

Team member name_________________________ Percentage of work:_______

Additional Comments:

Man Enough?

2009-02-03T07:09:00.001-07:00

Stereotypes changing in a predominately female career
Brittny Goodsell has a story in today's Herald Journal about males choosing a career in nursing.

Readings Week 5: Feb. 3-5

2009-01-30T12:48:00.003-07:00

No new readings for this week. Please review your readings from Pink Think and come ready to discuss in class. We'll relate "Pink Think," "Blue Think," and "Tough Guise" gender expectations to the Reinvent Barbie assignment.

For your blog entries this week, please respond to some of the issues, etc. presented in Pink Think, Chapters 5-7.

Meet with teams during class time Tuesday, Feb. 3. After the meeting, team coordinators email me the following info:

1. Names of team members who attended.
2. Team decisions—individual or team work for Reinventing Barbie assignment.
3. Short report on decisions about team lecture assignment.

"Miss Bimbo" website

2009-01-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Alarm as dolls get breast implants in "Miss Bimbo" game

Become the hottest, coolest most intelligent and talented bimbo the world has ever known!

Team Work Day: Tuesday, February 3, 3:00-4:15

2009-01-25T15:31:00.005-07:00

Teams will meet during class on Tuesday, February 3, to work on your Barbie Bash and/or class lecture projects. You may meet in the classroom or schedule a place to meet outside the classroom (e.g., teams may reserve library study rooms).

This meeting is required for all team members. If you miss ANY of your team meetings you will receive a zero for that assignment (F). No excuses—period. For example, showing up at the wrong place for your team meeting is NOT an excuse. It’s your responsibility to know where and when your team is meeting and then be there on time with your work for the meeting completed.

Tuesday, February 10—Gender & Military Issues
Meet in library
Cami Burke, Team coordinator

Thursday, February 12—Gender & Sexuality
Meet in the Hub
Jess Collett, Team coordinator

Tuesday, February 24—Gender & Education
Meet in classroom
Storee Powell, Team coordinator

Thursday, February 26—Gender, Family & Relationships
Meet at sorority house
Jan Clayton, Team coordinator

Tuesday, March 3—History of Women’s Movements for Equality
Meet in classroom
Rebecca Willliams, Team coordinator

Thursday, March 5—Boys, Men & Masculinity
Meet in library
Daniel Young, Team coordinator

Dolls Resembling Daughters Displease First Lady

2009-01-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

The company that makes Beanie Babies has introduced two new dolls, named Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia .

Blog Entry Grade Information

2009-01-24T17:03:00.002-07:00

Grades for your blog entries are posted on Blackboard. I will post your blog grades every weekend during the semester. Please note that blog entries for Jan. 6-8 were optional and are not posted on Blackboard, but will count toward extra credit.

Readings Week Four: January 27-29

2009-01-23T07:17:00.011-07:00

Pink Think: Chapters 5-7 & Afterward

* Read the articles at the end of the directions for the Barbie Bash assignment below

Body Image Dissatisfaction: A Growing Concern Among Men

Drugs, Sports, Body Image And G.I. Joe

GI Joe vs. Barbie

Defining Gender for Women & Men: Barbies, Bratz & GI Joes
While Barbie talks tough, G.I. Joe goes shopping

Get Ready to Rumble

A Barbie Less Busty? Mattel Plans Plastic `Surgery' For Icon

Doll power: Barbie celebrates 50th anniversary and toy world dominance

Do thin models warp girls' body image?

Women have poorer body image than men

Optional: Fun sites
Barbie site

Bratz site

GI Joe official site

“Adios Barbie”: Click on the link “Feed the model”

About-Face

Optional Readings:
Jury awards Mattel Inc. $100 million in Bratz suit
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-08-26-3121810073_x.htm

Sometime to pout about: Has Barbie Delivered a Knockout Blow to the Bratz?
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1865952,00.html

Readings Week Three: January 20-22

2009-01-16T08:59:00.006-07:00

Think Pink: Chapters 3-4

Alice Paul

Boats for women vs. votes for women

Suffragists Storm Over Washington D.C. in 1917

Woman on White Horse Pressed for Suffrage

Marching for the vote

Women's Suffrage Movement

Reluctant Suffragettes: When Women Questioned Their Right to Vote

Alice Paul Pulls the Strings

Optional:
Library of Congress suffrage documents—excellent site

Suffrage images--Library of Congress

Online museum exhibit on suffrage

One hundred years toward suffrage: Overview

American Woman Suffrage Timeline

Suffrage statue

Blog Entry Directions

2009-01-10T15:10:00.003-07:00

Each week, you will submit responses to the assigned class readings. Your blog responses are one of the most important parts of this class, and one of the primary ways to demonstrate to me that you are reading and understanding the gender concepts and issues from class. You must write them and submit them on time to pass the class. Your responses need to illustrate to me that you have read the material for that week, and that you have spent time thinking critically about the issues we cover in class and in your readings. When discussing your personal opinions, avoid simple writing that— “I like this reading” or “This reading was boring” — rather, focus your responses on statements that more critically discuss the arguments/issues presented. You may also include personal entries that demonstrate how you are able to relate the concepts, etc. from class to your everyday experiences, media, current events, etc.

As you formulate your comments, ask yourself what personal opinions you hold that influence your reactions of our readings, and what your opinions are based on. Your entries need to be posted before noon, every Monday during the semester.

Each week's journal entries are worth up to five points. Here is the grading scale:

5=Excellent
4=Above average
3=Average
2=Below average
1=Unacceptable

Some Definitions of a Feminist

2009-01-10T14:58:00.004-07:00

Some USU Students from other classes:

1. “Career women. Total bitch. Prim and proud. Suits. No cooking skills. Short hair. No or few kids. Divorced. Unreligious. Touchy. Lame sense of humor.”
2. “Boot wearing, genital chopping, no lipstick wearing, bra-burning, slogan chanting, man hating.”
3. “A woman who wants to be a man.”
4. “Pro-choice.”
5. “Feels it is time for men to be oppressed women to rule the world.”
6. “Extreme, selfish.”
7. “Nazi, lesbian, loud, self-righteous, hates men.”
8. “Irrational.”
9. “Bad idea.”
10. “Radical, overly assertive, biased, close-minded, trouble-maker.”

Rush Limbaugh: The way things ought to be. “A feminazi.”
• “[A] woman to whom the most important thing in life is seeing that as many abortions as possible are performed....Abortion is the single greatest avenue for militant women to exercise their quest for power and advance their belief that men aren't necessary. They don't need men to be happy.’ (p. 193)
• “The [feminist] movement is also driven by women who are angry--very angry. . . . They are angry and bitter women.” (p. 187; p. 189)
• “Many feminists leaders are humorless, militant, pugnacious and very unhappy people who do not want to equalize the status of women, but instead want to irreversibily alienate women from men and vice versa.” (p. 188)

Rev. Pat Robertson (1992 GOP Convention). “Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.”

Phyllis Schafley (Stop ERA Movement). “...[T]he feminist goal is not fairness or equality of opportunity, but power over men...what the feminist are after is the destruction of any man who does not conform to the feminist ideology and agenda....[Their] long term goal is to force the Supreme Court nominees--and the US Senate--to conform to the feminist definition of an unborn baby, i.e., the property of the mother that can be cut up and put down the garbage disposal or toilet at any time during nine months of pregnancy.”

Faith Whittlesey (spokesperson for former President Ronald Reagan). Feminism is a “straightjacket” for women.

Some views on feminism & working women
Former President Ronald Reagan: “Part of the unemployment is not as much recession. . . but . . .because of the increase in women who are working today.”
A California sheriff: “Women are enjoying a lot more freedom now, and as a result, they are commit more crimes.”

U.S. Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography: In explaining the rising rate of rape in US, report reasoned that because there are more women attending college and in the workforce, they simply have more opportunities to be raped.

Some different views of feminism
Julia Wood: (gender scholar): “I define feminism as an active commitment to equality and respect for life. . . . includes respecting all people. . . . my feminism means I am against oppression.”

Cheris Kramarae & Paula Treichler (gender scholars): “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.”

Barbara Smith (gender scholar) “Feminism is the political theory and practice that struggles to free —all—women: women of color, working-class women, poor women, disabled women, lesbians, old women--as well as white, economically privileged, heterosexual women. Anything less than this vision of total freedom is not feminism, but merely female self-aggrandizement.” - (reprinted in Gloria Anzaldua's, Making Face, Making Soul, p. 25.)

Brenda Cooper (professor of interesting stuff): “Feminists are women and men committed to equality and respect for all people, regardless of sex, race or ethnicity, or sexual orientation. In other words, feminists respect and appreciate diversity and oppose discrimination against anyone.”

Ted Pease (JCOM professor): “Sure, I’m a feminist, but not because I have hairy legs. For me, ‘feminist’ means ‘equalitist.’ What foolishness—and what a waste of human resource to discriminate against people because of the presence or absence of a single chromosome.”

Webster’s New World Dictionary Definition: 1. The principle that women should have political, economic, and social rights equal to those of men. 2. The movement to win those rights.

First known definition of feminism (in a 1895 book review). A woman who “has the capacity of fighting her way back to independence.”

Your Responses to the Definition of a Feminist
• Close Match/Shares Similarities with the Webster Definition: 18

• Do you consider yourself a feminist?
Yes: 12
Not sure: 4
No: 4
No answer: 1

Some of your descriptors of a feminist that are close matches to dictionary:
1. Male or female who desires equal rights and opportunities for all; Equal rights, liberties and justices; believes in and advocates for the equal rights of women; Desire and work towards the active existence of equality between women and men.
2. Man or woman who sees women as deserving of all opportunities and not as inferior to men or each other; Man r woman who believes that women are equal to men in regards to intelligence, strength, etc.
3. One who wants any minorities or majority to be equal; Someone who understands that all people are equal and will seek their rights.
4. Women empowerment and a strong woman who stands up for herself and what she believes in.
5. A person who expects equality among men and women and does it in a tactful and educated way.
6. Someone who supports women to have an opinion out in the world.
7. Supporter of feminism, in political, business and athletics; believes females are just as capable as guys.
8. Woman who is unrestrained to do whatever she pleases in all world realms, without societal consequence.
9. Fights for women’s rights and stands up for women.
10. Woman who believes in having the same roles, privileges as men.
11. Woman who fights against gender stereotypes; Pro-active for anything dealing with women.
12. Person who feels that women are treated unequally and we should do something about it.

Miscellaneous
1. “I am women hear me roar attitude.”
2. Someone who studies women.

What are your opinions of feminism/feminist based on? Where did you get your ideas about feminism and feminists?

Week 2 Readings: Jan. 13-15

2008-12-27T18:44:00.004-07:00

Societal Understandings of Gender & Feminism

Pink: Introduction & Chapters 1-2

“Kinds of Feminism”

"Why is feminism still so divisive?"

New feminisms
“From Barricades To Blogs:” Women’s movement/feminism

Feminist Blog

New Moon Girls magazine: “Bringing Girls' Voices to the World” (ad-free magazine written by girls, ages 8-14)

Feminism & LDS women
“Well-behaved scholar makes history” (Will send by email)

“Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History” (Chapter 1)

“Ulrich explains that well-behaved women should make history”

“Ulrich touts women in history”

Optional
Quotes from Mormon women on feminism & women’s rights (1872-1991)

Feminist Mormon Housewives website

“Mormon feminists? Feminism among Latter-day Saints is dying”

Week 1 Readings: Jan. 6-8

2008-12-27T18:43:00.005-07:00

Why Women & Gender Studies?

"Bra-Burning & other feminist myths & urban legends"

"Pageant Protest Sparked Bra-Burning Myth"

Check this: Great link with info & photos of protest at the 1968 Miss America pageant

Definitions of feminism

“The F-word at Utah State University”

“A liberal defense of the once-useful, now-reviled 'F' word”

"The Feminist Mystique": Statesman article by Lindsay Kite, USU graduate in JCOM & WGS; UofU graduate student

“Feminism”: Herald Journal article by Lindsay Kite
Features writer, Herald Journal
Copyright 2007: Posted with permission of Lindsay Kite

Feminism.
For many, the word alone evokes images of hairy-legged, man-hating, bra-burning abortion rights activists and nothing pleasant.
But a handful of local feminists – none of whom can identify with this description – are aiming to break the common, negative stereotypes by spreading the truth about woman’s fight for equality.
“Feminism isn’t the ‘F’ word that people often think it is,” said Brenda Cooper, director of the women and gender studies (WGS) program at USU, which has doubled in size over the past two years. “It is about equality and choices – not that all women need to make the same choices, but that they need to be given the same educational, economical and political opportunities that have always been available to white men.”
As women who proudly and openly describe themselves as feminists – accompanied by husbands who share their often misunderstood beliefs – USU Honors Program Director Christie Fox, WGS teaching assistant Sarah Cozzens and Cooper are just a few of the valley’s equal rights supporters who are eager to share their perspectives with anyone willing to listen.
“Feminism is simply the advocacy of women’s rights,” said Fox, who earned a master’s in women’s studies before a Ph.D. in folklore, but says her experiences in feminism began long before professors opened her eyes to the movement. “I was raised a feminist by my parents, though they may not have known that at the time. They taught me I had all the ability, opportunities and rights that any person had.”
At just 6 or 7 years old, Fox learned a lasting lesson in female empowerment after being asked what she’d like to be when she grew up.
“Since I liked math and science in school, I answered that I thought I’d like to be a nurse. My mom wasn’t paying attention until she heard me say that, but she turned and quickly snapped, ‘No, you want to be a doctor.’”

The clear memory of that experience has influenced more than just Fox’s own life, since her role as an adviser over the honors program gives her the opportunity to push students the same way her mother did.

With lives and experiences that differ greatly from each other and their like-minded counterparts, Cooper, Fox and Cozzens each emphasized the wide range of beliefs and issues that feminism can incorporate under its broad reach.

“Unfortunately, particularly in the last decade or two, people think that feminism is about protecting abortion rights,” Cooper explained. “That is one aspect that some feminist groups support, but many feminists are pro-life. It’s not about trying to change religious values, it’s about supporting rights. It’s gratifying to see students find out that feminism is much, much broader and based on issues they can apply to their own lives.”

Media myths about the Women’s Movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s – such as bra burning that never actually occurred – and stereotypes of angry activists have led to wide-spanning misconceptions about women’s rights proponents, Fox says.

“Feminism is a scary word. I don’t have a problem with people being afraid of the word, just what it stands for,” she said, noting most people will say no when asked if they consider themselves to be feminists. “But they’ll always say yes when I ask, ‘Should women be paid what men are? Should women get leave when they’re pregnant or when they have a baby? Should a woman have the opportunity to be president?’”

Fox says she’s found that many people’s beliefs are in line with feminism, but due to false assumptions about conflict with religious values and a shallow understanding of the Women’s Movement, many shy away from affiliating with the loaded title.

As an outspoken supporter of women’s rights and a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Cozzens is quick to dispel any myths relating to her beliefs.
“There isn’t anything in my religion that makes it so I can’t be a feminist. In fact, they’re one in the same,” said the Petersboro resident and senior in public relations and sociology. “Everything in the church is about empowering women and it teaches that men and women are equal and important.”

Despite the incessant myth-busting that local feminists seem to find themselves engaged in, Fox is always eager to debunk one common misconception that frequently arises: the idea that feminists are scary and humorless.

“People say to me, ‘If you’re a feminist, you can’t let a man open a door for you, but I say, ‘Women make 72 cents for every $1 a man makes. Until I get my 28 cents, they can open the door for me,” Fox said, laughing. “I guess it’s a lot cheaper that way.”

BOX – Feminism in Waves (compiled from information found on feminist.com and womenshistory.about.com)
First Wave: Began with the first Women’s Rights Conference held in 1848 at Seneca Falls, NY, it became known as the women’s suffrage movement, though it took 70 years to achieve. Led by Alice Paul, the “suffragettes” secured basic rights for women to vote, divorce, share joint custody, own and inherit property, etc., through the passing of the 19th Amendment.
Second Wave: Came alive in the mid-1960s with an Equal Rights Amendment, which did not pass. However, these women helped legalize “the pill,” have the right to an abortion and secured more equitable wages, among other rights.
Third Wave: Stems from diverse strains of feminism in the 1990s and seeks to avoid perceived failures of the second wave, such as an assumed universal female identity that over-emphasizes the experiences of upper middle-class white women.

WGS 1010 Index

2008-12-27T18:36:00.029-07:00

Welcome

Course Materials—Spring 2010
Spring 2010 syllabus

Assignment #1: Create an ID page

Blog Entry Directions

Blog Entry Grade Info

Some Definitions of Feminist

Best & Worst thing about being a woman (Sp2009)

Best & Worst thing about being a man (Sp. 2009)

Spring 2010 readings
Week 1
Week 2

Spring 2009
Team Class Lecture Directions

Book Analysis Directions: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Hollywood & History: Representing Unapologetic Women & Men

Feedback Form: Gender, Hollywood & History

Team Member evaluation forms

Spring 2009 Readings:
Week 1: Jan. 6-8
Week 2: Jan. 13-15
Week 3: Jan. 20-22
Week 4: Jan. 27-29
Week 5: Feb. 3-5

Week 10: March 17, Gender & Work Issues
Week 10: March 19: Gender & International Issues
Week 13: April 7: Gender & Film
Week 13: April 9: Gender & Sports Issues

Welcome to WGS 1010

2008-11-24T13:28:00.002-07:00

Do you recognize these names? Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Alice Paul. Barbara McClintock. Barbara Jordan. Madeline Albright. Katharine Graham. Julie Dash. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a renowned LDS author and feminist, said, “Well behaved women rarely make history.” And each of these women , in her own way, rejected the societal norm of the “well behaved” woman and made significant contributions to American culture and society.

Alice Paul organized rallies and hunger strikes to lead the battle for women’s suffrage during the early 20th century, resulting in the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote.

Barbara McClintock demonstrated that DNA structure could be rearranged and reprogrammed, a discovery that forms the basis for current genetic research.

Barbara Jordan was the first African American woman elected to Congress.

Madeline Albright was the first woman to hold the office of U.S. Secretary of State.

Katherine Graham was one of the first women newspaper publishers in the U.S. and published the Washington Post during the Watergate hearings until her death a few years ago.

Julie Dash is one of a few African-American film directors and her first full-length feature, Daughters of the Dust, received international acclaim.

The accomplishments of these women demonstrate that unapologetic women can change the world. And these women are just part of the focus of our course. But our course is not limited to studying women. The readings and assignments are designed to examine gender issues from a wide range of perspectives, with an emphasis on women’s and men’s diverse experiences and contributions, including the cultural beliefs and representations of women and men and their respective roles in society over time. WGS 1010 will provide you with an understanding of the role of gender and its practical implications in your basic life experiences, and insight into the current and future changes in the roles of women and men in this country and the world.