HW #5

Weekday class due: Tuesday 4/1
Friday class due: 4/4

Read the following essay:
The Combahee River Collective Statement

Consider how this essay, along with Audre Lorde's "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House", relate to one another.

• What points did the Combahee River Collective make in 1977? 

• Why do they say it is so difficult to have an open, frank discussion about race in the feminist community?

"War on Men" article

"War on Men" by Suzanne Venker, the article I read to you in class.

"Freedom Riders" Film

Weekday class: Finish by Monday, 3/31
Friday class: Finish by Friday 4/5

"Freedom Riders" on PBS

Extra credit opportunities

Extra Credit instructions

 

Brooklyn in Film: The Landlord

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 6:30PM

Central Library, Dweck Center

Beau Bridges plays Elgar Enders, a privileged WASP who buys a building in the transitional neighborhood of 1970 Park Slope, planning to evict all the occupants and construct a luxury home for himself. Enders’ ideas are changed, however, when he becomes acquainted with the tenants, who include Marge, a fortune-teller; Professor Duboise, a black segregationist; the Copee family; and an invalid couple who live in the basement. He decides to remain as the landlord and help fix the apartment building. Curated and hosted by Glenn Kenny. Dir. Hal Ashby. (1970; 112 min).

Brooklyn Museum: Judy Chicago's "Dinner Party"

Weekday class:

We will be attending this event for class on Thursday, 3/27. We will meet in U219.

Voter Rights Act 1965

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

Homework #4

Weekday class: Due Monday 3/24
Friday class: Due Friday 3/28

Read the essay, "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House" by Audre Lorde

Answer the following questions:
1.  What prompted Lorde to write this essay?  
2. What are the "master's tools"?  How do you know what she's talking about?  Give examples.
3.  What is Lorde's claim about race in this essay?  How can this essay be tied to the "white privilege" piece? 
4.  Explain what the following quote means: "Women of today are still being called upon to stretch across the gap of male ignorance and to educate men as to our existence and our needs. This is an
old and primary tool of all oppressors to keep the oppressed occupied with
the master's concerns. "  Can you give an example of this?
5.  What does "the personal is political"?  Where did this phrase originally come from?

Biography and obits

Weekday class: Read for Thursday 3/20
Friday class: Read for Friday 3/21

Read this biography of writer, Joan Didion

And this obituary of Yvonne Brill

Be prepared to discuss.

Friday Syllabus

Link to Friday syllabus

Homework #3

Weekday class: due Monday, 3/17
Friday class: due 3/21

Read:  Abridged version of the "Introduction" to the Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir and answer the following questions:

Beauvoir Questions
1.  Define the following words: objective, androcentric , virility, emancipation (cite your source!)

2.  Explain what Beauvoir means by “woman as Other”.  How does it relate to our discussion about dominant vs. marginalized?

3.  How has biology argued that women are inferior?

4.  Historically, who has answered for women in society?  What was the justification for this?

Of interest and relevant

"Bossy" girls

also, give this a read for Thursday, 3/13

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/07/15/884649/-Why-there-s-no-such-thing-as-Reverse-Racism

Blog entry from Racism 101

Read this and apply it to what we discussed today. I'll ask you about it Thursday.
Taken from Tumblr site: http://racismschool.tumblr.com/

When You Say, “It’s Just a Joke”

While the two most common phrases I hear when people justify saying something racist are “It was just a joke” and “I didn’t mean it THAT way” I find the “Just a joke” to be quite the indictment of the particular racist using this justification.
 

It is a fairly reasonable assumption to believe that saying something is a “Joke” is an implication that the “something” in question is funny to you, right? This isn’t an outlandish concept. This would be a fairly safe thing to assume. So, I can’t help but wonder, why would someone say something racist and when called on it, say it was “Just a joke?”
 

You’ve said something racist. Someone gets upset and yells at you. Maybe even calls you a racist. Your reply, “Calm down, it was just a joke. People are too sensitive.”
 

Okay so, your reply is saying that you thought what you just said is funny, right? Again, this isn’t too far of a stretch to make. Joke=Funny. It makes sense. The problem is, what you are saying is that you believe what you’ve just said is funny. What you just said was racist. You think the racist thing you just said was funny. Your go-to defense was to say that you think racism is funny. Perhaps you didn’t mean it on such a general scale as “All” racism is funny but yes, you did imply that the racist thing you said is amusing to you.
 

We’re getting into critical thinking territory here and I know that certain people who really need to think about this will be furious by this point. ‘Cause as we all know, being called a racist is far worse than being the victim of racism. No really, just ask any racist. None the less, I’m going to have to ask you to really think this out. Let’s be honest with each other here. Racist people DO like racist jokes. I know that YOU are totally “Not racist” and you totally have [Fill in the racial blank] friends and you

“Don’t have hate in your heart” and stuff. But…

You ARE saying that you found the racist thing you just said to be funny.

Please read for class, Tuesday 3/11

Origins of Violence Against Women

Happy International Women's Day!

HW# 2

Weekday class: DUE Monday 3/10
Friday class: DUE Friday 3/14

Read the essay "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh and answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper:

1.  In your own words, what is privilege in reference to this essay?  Give an example of a privilege YOU have.  
2.  What do you think of the list?  Are the things listed still true?  What isn't true?  Give specific examples.  
3.  Explain why you think she usues white privilege to explain male privilege.
4.  Give three examples of male privilege, three examples of heterosexual privilege, and three examples of able-bodied privilege.   
5.  Who has the most privilege in society? 

HW #1

Weekday class: Due Thursday 3/6
Friday class: Due 3/14

Read pages 0-6 (Introduction and Chapter 1) of the following book, Feminism is For Everybody by bell hooks

On a separate sheet of paper that you will turn in at the beginning of class, answer the following questions:

1.  What is the definition of feminism, according to the author?

2.  What are the misconceptions many people have about feminism? Did you have simlar misconceptions?  Explain those.

3. Why did she decide to write this book?

4. Did this excerpt help you understand what feminism means?  Why or why not? How?

Women's History Month

 

 

We will meet AT THE EVENT on the following days:

 Monday 3/17 in MAC Rotunda

Tuesday 3/18 in MAC Rotunda

About you: if you didn't do it in class Monday

Please number your answers.

1. What is your full name?
2. What is your major AND how many semesters have you completed thus far?
3. Have you taken a Women's Studies class before? What class and where?
4. Where do you intend to transfer if anywhere?
5. What is the grade (letter, ie A, B, C, D) you EXPECT to get in this class?
6. What is one thing I should know about you? (ie "I have a child, two jobs, etc)
7. Why should Women's History courses exist?

Weekday Syllabus

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday class syllabus