Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Final Class Pot Luck

Hello Class.

As I said today, I will be ordering pizza for the final exam date from Lazy Moon with Kelly Hales help. If you'd like to bring something please post it as a comment here. Thank you.

Nina Perez

Monday, April 19, 2010

Final Service Learning Presentation Requirements

WST 3015: Introduction to Women’s Studies

Final Service Learning Presentation Requirements

Goals/Purpose:

This assignment asks students to take an active leadership role in the learning process by sharing their Service Learning experience with the class. The presentation should reflect an understanding of how Service Learning relates to the course, show the process of creating an activist project, and to show how your project deepened your understanding of the major course concepts.

Description of assignment:

During the Final Examination Period, you have 10 to 15 minutes only! After 15 minutes you will be cut off. Your presentation should do the following things:

· Explain the overall project and how it relates to women studies. This section should provide at least two specific textual examples. For example, if you were working with Feminist Agenda Radio, you could use Seely’s chapter The ‘F’ Word” to discuss how the radio show attempts to break down stereotypical views of feminists.

· Explain how you were personally impacted by the project. Was it what you initially expected? Do you plan to continue working with this organization? What did working with your community partner teach you about activism?

· Show the process that led to your final finished project. What was your group’s game plan going into the project? How did you organize the project and work together. What things went well and what didn’t? Did you have to change elements of your project through out? If so, how did you handle it as a group?

· What does this project do for a feminist understanding of activism? How does you local community project enable long-term macro changes?

· Each group member must participate in the presentation, which means that every member must speak to their involvement in the project.

What to do in preparation:

· Look back to your weekly logs to help develop your presentation

· Meet with your group multiple times prior to the presentation

· Make sure to pace yourselves so that you have enough time to effectively complete the presentation

Criteria for Evaluation:

· Follows directions and meets the requirements

· demonstrate knowledge of course materials

· shows organization and group collaboration

· avoid reading to us from notes, but, of course, your jottings are permitted as prompts

· include proper MLA citations as needed

· use no more than 15 minutes

Grades will be based on how well you meet the criteria described above.

Rules:

If you are absent, this presentation cannot be made up. There are no exceptions.

Final Reflection Paper on Service Learning Project Directions

WST 3015: Final Reflection Paper on Service Learning Project

Purpose:
• To reflect on and connect your SL project with the goals and content of the
course.
• To demonstrate your knowledge—at semester’s end—of the course materials
• To consider how SL deepened your understanding of these materials
Your paper will include three sections: Service Learning Project Summary; Synthesis of Project and Course Materials; and Personal Reflection/Connection. While one final project, each section should be clearly labeled. Please include a word count at the end of each written section.

1. Service Learning Project Summary 30%: 500 words; please be concise; note that much for this section probably already exists in your proposal, which I hope you will draw from here.

o Origins and scope of project: what did you plan to accomplish and why?
o What exactly did you do? How did the project evolve, what were the
successes and limitations of your project and its goals, and what have you
learned from that?
o What institutional framework did your project interact with?
o What was the significance of your project to the texts, themes, and goals
of the course?
o How was your understanding of the texts/issues considered in the course
upheld, complicated, or negated by the process of completing the project?
o What do you hope your audience gained from your project?

2. Synthesis of Service Learning Project and Course Material 35%: Answer ONE of the following questions that most connects with your SL project. This section should be 500 words and should include textual support and/or documentation from course texts and at least two external resources. You should be able to use your weekly activism logs to answer this question.

o What can people do in their communities on behalf of women and/or
girls? Discuss how one or more of the following impediments impacts
action in communities: internalized oppression, internalized domination,
operating from a politics of scarcity, subscribing to a hierarchy of
oppression, not knowing one another’s history.
o Discuss a single institutional framework that shapes women’s lives and
impacts their lack of human rights. Discuss how that institutional
framework could be redefined from a feminist perspective.
o What idea, concept, or story stands out as the most significant thing you
have learned about women and their experiences with regards to diversity
of women across differences in culture, religion, sexuality, race, age,
socioeconomic situation, etc?
o What is the relationship between women’s present situation and one of the
following: biology, religion, education, media, culture, violence,
economics, globalization, sexuality, militarization, environment?

3. Personal Reflection and Connection 35%: This section should be 500 words and can be in the form of an ONLINE scrapbook, photo-essay, or a video journal. If you choose the multi-media approach to this section, remember that you must still address how you have engaged with the course and provide some reflection of how you personally were impacted (this can be done in captions, etc.)This would be included in your presentation.

o This section will consider what you’ve read, discussed, and experienced
throughout the semester, both in and out of class, including both the
readings and the SL project you completed. Describe specific moments, or
readings, or events and connect them with specific thinking or behavior of
your own. Of course, these specific instances may be positive and
negative, clear and unclear (sometimes both at the same time!). The
important thing here is to demonstrate that you have connected what you
have read and done in this class to who you are as a woman or a person
who lives in a world with women and how you might think and behave in
the future. Here you might consider what is next for you, as a student or
as a global citizen.

Criteria for Grading:

CONTENT: The paper follows the requirements of the assignment and meets the criteria described. The paper is organized and developed sufficiently, with claims supported by evidence from the texts and from your SL project experience. The paper is free of empty language and unnecessary or uninformative sentences and words. The paper observes academic language, diction, and grammar, is presented in proper format for MLA citations, and is generally free of mechanical, spelling, and proofreading errors.

ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT: Each section of the paper is developed in a clear and systematic way that reflects its overall purpose and focus. Paragraphs use topic sentences effectively and support points with evidence. Supporting evidence is clearly and explicitly connected to assertions and claims. Ideas are developed to logical conclusions—that is, the paper goes beyond what to how and why.

KNOWLEDGE DEMONSTRATED: Each section of the paper demonstrates your ongoing presence in and engagement with the course and its materials and central issues and concerns. Your writing demonstrates mindful interaction with specific texts and their implications. Your use of texts is wide-ranging, demonstrating a depth and breadth of understanding.

Quotes for reflection and inspiration:

“The personal is political.” --feminist slogan

“Too many of us have become passive and disengaged. Too many of us lack confidence in our capacity to make basic moral and civic judgments, to join with our neighbors to do the work of community, to make a difference. Never have we had so many opportunities for participation, yet rarely have we felt so powerless . . . . In a time that cries out for civil action, we are in danger of becoming a nation of spectators.”----A Nation of Spectators: How Civic Disengagement Weakens America and What We Can Do About It (1998 – National Commission on Civic Renewal)

You may not be able to do much about the government, but you can do something about what is in your power.-- Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner (2004). The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience. New York, NY: Lantern Books, 2004. 128-29.

Activism is not issue-specific
It’s a moral posture that, steady state,
propels you forward, from one hard
hour to the next.
Believing that you can do something
to make things better, you do
Something, rather than nothing.
You assume responsibility for the
privilege of your abilities.
You do whatever you can.
You reach beyond yourself in your
imagination, and in your wish for
Understanding, and for change.
You admit the limitations of individual
perspectives.
You trust somebody else.
You do not turn away.
--June Jordan, cited in WLMP 532

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Ecofeminism and Film due 4-14-2010

Due 4/14/2010



In the last couple of weeks, we have discussed magazine images, TV shows, blogs, and song lyrics from a feminist perspective. Now this week you will analyze media using Eco-feminist theory. In this week’s blog assignment, you will discuss one film from an Eco-feminist theoretical perspective.



Below is a list of sixteen films, chosen by your instructor with gendered environmental themes. Write a 500-word response on one of the films below using course texts. You must cite two texts from the selected readings to inform your analysis. To avoid excessive repetition, you will choose one of the below songs on a “first come first serve” basis. ***There can only be 2 students to a film. Post your film choice as a comment to this blog so other students can see what film are unavailable. Film choices sent via email will not be accepted. Use the following topics to guide your response, but feel free to go above and beyond these topics. Remember that you are expected to conduct an analysis of the film - not a summary.



By April 19th you must reply to two other students postings.





Topics:



· Are there any stereotypes and/or myths?

· How are women roles depicted?

· How are women connected to nature? How are men depicted in connection to nature?

· Do women/girls manage nature for men/boys? If so how?

· What is the representation of nature? Is nature gendered?

· Is nature “oppressed”? If so, how?

· Is nature active or passive? Are the women connected to nature?

· Does character clothing relate to nature?

· How is food depicted in connection to gendered nature?

· Is the representation of people diverse? If so, do they fit cultural stereotypes?

· Is there eco-activism in the film? If so, is it gendered?

· How is the “wilderness” depicted?

· Who created the film and for what purpose? Was it merely entertainment or was it political?

· What does this film do for a feminist discussion of media?



Movie List:

· Mists of Avalon

· The Secret Garden

· The Village

· Bridge to Teribithia

· FernGully

· Nim’s Island

· Fried Green Tomatoes

· Avatar

· The Secret Life of Bees

· Erin Brocovich

· Pan’s Labyrinth

· The Secret of NIMH

· Swiss Family Robinson

· The Deer Hunter

· The Incredible Mr. Limpet

· The NeverEnding Story

Monday, March 29, 2010

Personal Narrative Blog

4/5/2010 Blog Assignment


This week’s blog assignment will focus on personal narratives distributed on the internet. In class, we read an excerpt of Riverbend’s blog Baghdad Burning. For this assignment, you will go to Riverbend’s complete blog at http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/ and choose one entry before 2006 to write on and fulfill the following requirements.


Using the notes provided in class and the readings on globalization and miltarization, write a 500-word response answering two of the below questions in a well developed thesis centered response. Remember that you are expected to conduct an analysis of the blog and not merely describe it. Use of the course texts to inform your analysis is required (minimum two cited sources from the readings).


Please reply to two classmates postings before April 12th 2010. Remember that responses are required.


*** Make sure to review the notes provided in class.


Questions:


1. What is the story that Riverbend gives us in contrast to the “myth” she describes of the Iraqi people? How does this tie into the purpose of the blog?


2. How would you characterize her blog? As personal, political, educational, etc? Why?


3. How does Riverbend explain religious fundamentalism in comparison to Islam?


4. What does the narrative tell us about Iraqi culture, food, and customs?


5. How does Riverbend establish women’s liberation on Iraqi terms?


6. How does Riverbend’s tie into feminist discussions of militarization and globalization?

Monday, March 15, 2010

Vixen in the Kitchen- Angel in the Attic

Blog due 3-17-10

This week’s blog assignment will continue the discussion of “outside” influence on individual social development. For the last blog, we focused on music lyrics, but this week we will be working with TV shows. You will be focusing on how women are depicted as wives and mothers, and how these TV shows construct female domesticity.

Using the March 17th readings, write a 500-word response on one of sitcom choices provided at the end of this posting. While you must use one of the episodes provided below, please feel free to reference other episodes that may be pertinent if you are familiar with the show. Use the following questions to guide your response, but do not merely answer these questions. Remember that you are expected to conduct an analysis of this show and not merely describe it. Use of the course texts to inform your analysis is required (minimum two cited sources from the readings).

Please reply to two classmates postings before March 22nd 2010. Remember that responses are required.

Questions:

1. How does the episode perpetuate and/or challenge traditional gender roles about motherhood or wifehood?

2. How do the husbands treat their wives? How do children treat their mother?

3. Are their different types of mothers? Does the role of mother and wife conflict?

4. Not all maternal figures are literally mothers. How are other characters depicted as alternative caregivers.

5. How are responsibilities divided? Do the men and women have specific gender based responsibilities? For example, is the wife always depicted doing the dishes and the husband watching television?

6. How are the wives and husbands depicted physically? Do the characters fit a stereotypical appearance of the mother/wife or the father/husband?

7. How are attitudes depicted? Does the wife accept all her husbands’ wrong doings? Is the “good husband” the one that listens to his wife’s nagging?

8. Does the show make fun of gender roles through sensationalism? If so, what are the implications?

9. How does this show sustain or challenge oppressive stereotypical gendered representations of women?

10. What does this show do for a feminist discussion of women’s role in society?

Episode Choices

1. Family Guy (Go Stewie Go Season 9)
a. http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=familyguy

2. ‘til Death
a. Season 4, Episode 2: http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=death

3. Glee
a. Season 1, Episode 7: http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=glee

4. Big Love
a. Season 2, Episode 9: http://www.surfthechannel.com/video/2651/57858.html

5.LOST
a. "What Kate Does" season 6: http://abc.go.com/shows/lost/episode-guide/what-kate-does/377717

6. Army Wives
a. Season 3, Episode 16: http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/army-wives/video.

7. Brothers and Sisters
a. Season 1, Episode 1: http://www.megavideo.com/?v=654E89AL

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Behind the Music

Main Post Due: 3/8
Comments Due: 3/13
Sign up for song by 3/1

Music is an influential media outlet present in our everyday lives. Music is not merely on the radio, but on TV shows, commercials, movies, and even political campaigns. There have been entire generations defined by music and whole individual identities created around music. Considering the power and wide spread use of music in our culture, you are to reflect on how music may or may not perpetuate systems of violence.

Using two of the readings from the section on violence against women (2/24 and 3/1 readings), write a 500-word response on one of the songs provided at the end of this posting. To avoid excessive repetition, you will choose one of the below songs on a “first come first serve” basis. ***There can only be 3 students to a song. Post your song choice as a comment to this blog so other students can see what songs are unavailable. Song choices sent via email will not be accepted.

Use the following questions to guide your response, but do not merely answer these questions. Remember that you are expected to conduct an analysis of this text and not merely describe it. Use of the course texts to inform your analysis is required (minimum two cited sources from the readings).

Please reply to two classmates postings by March 13th.

Questions:

1. How does the musician perpetuate and/or challenge systems of violence?

2. How is violence used/discussed in the song? Do video representations significantly change the depiction of violence?

3. How does gender, race, and class relate to violence in the song. Does class affect the violence? Is the violence directed at women or men?

4. How does the song address physical/sexual abuse? Does it make fun of abuse or does it bring awareness?

5. How are physical bodies portrayed in the song?

6. How do constructions of femininity and/or masculinity fit into the setting of violence?

7. Has this song been used in films or commercials? Is the song part of a longer collection of songs or does it stand on its own?

8. Is this song popular? If so, according to online music forums why is this song popular?

9. How are power systems negotiated in the lyrics?

10. What does this song do for a feminist discussion of violence against women?

Song Choices and Possible Video Considerations:

1. Date Rape by Sublime
a. Lyrics link: http://www.lyrics007.com/Sublime%20Lyrics/Date%20Rape%20Lyrics.html
b. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeMeDihwyrg

2. Bonnie and Clyde by Eminem
a. Lyrics link: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/e/eminem/97_bonnie_and_clyde.html
b. Video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b_JvaFlJGU&feature=related

3. Rape Me by Nirvana
a. Lyrics link: http://www.metrolyrics.com/rape-me-lyrics-nirvana.html
b. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJE3eSdvWYo

4. Goodbye Earl by Dixie Chicks
a. Lyrics link: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/dixie+chicks/goodbye+earl_20040999.html
b. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw7gNf_9njs

5. The Rake’s Song by The Decemberists
a. Lyrics link: http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-rakes-song-lyrics-decemberists.html
b. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSShUtevqDY

6. Die Die My Darling by Metalica
a. Lyrics link: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Die-Die-My-Darling-lyrics-Metallica/7091B3B7814013BE4825688D00358978
b. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXEITyvRAIs&feature=related

7. Smack My Bitch Up by Prodigy
a. Lyrics link: http://www.metrolyrics.com/smack-my-bitch-up-lyrics-prodigy.html
b. Video link: http://vodpod.com/watch/200321-video-smack-my-bitch-up-uncensored-prodigy-prodigy-smack-my-bitch-the-dailymotion-share-your-videos

8. Gonna Beat My Wife, Dead Milkmen
a. Lyrics link: http://www.metrolyrics.com/rcs-mom-lyrics-dead-milkmen.html

9. Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood
a. Lyrics Link: http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/underwood-carrie/before-he-cheats-16593.html
b.Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSy8yy-mr8