Category Archives: course discussion

Summary Jean Kilbourne’s “Killing Us Softly” explores the way the advertising world is reinforcing negative behavior towards women and how it it affecting females of all ages. She collects and interprets ads people see on a daily basis and asserts … Continue reading →

Summary By showing the stages of girls exposing themselves for the Girls Gone Wild tank top, including signing a consent form and refusal to participate, the videos convey the effect of agency. GGW shows “real” girls, with a lack of … Continue reading →

Summary The article “The Religious Right and the Reshaping of Sexual Policy” by Diane di Mauro and Carole Joffe discusses the Religious Right’s major influence in American politics and how this impacts sexuality policy in the United States(2009). The Religious … Continue reading →

Summary The article “Sex and the Social Construction of STD’s” by Schneider and Jenness (1995) , focuses on public responses that have “consequences for the expansion of social control mechanisms and the potential denial of civil liberties.”  Schneider and Jenness … Continue reading →

Summary In Luker’s “The War Between the Women” (1984), Luker gives us an insight to what the real meaning of “abortion” is. Luker explains both prolife and prochoice points of view, while not taking a particular side on the matter. … Continue reading →

Summary The conservative, and furthermore christian right, have had an integral role in the formation of sexual speech and education in America. Janice Irvine explores this in her book Talk about sex: the battles over sex education in the United … Continue reading →

Summary Hartmann (2003) discusses how sports in American culture teach men how to act hegemonically masculine.  Through sports, boys  are taught how to act appropriately gendered; being tough and aggressive separates little boys from sissies (girls).  Parents and coaches encourage little … Continue reading →

Please feel free to discuss the guest speakers from today (Ken, Shari and Courtney) by commenting on this post. You could just say thanks or write about what you found interesting? What you most appreciated? What did you wish someone … Continue reading →

Summary Wolf (1991) discusses society’s beliefs on beauty through the constant pressure for woman to achieve them, and all of the aspects that encourage the desire to be “beautiful.” Furthermore,  Wolf brings to light the  vital lies surrounding what she … Continue reading →

Summary Discussion Questions I just came across this and thought it was very appropriate for these readings:

Summary Ingraham (2006) talks about  heterosexuality as being socially constructed and controlled rather than being normal and natural. One of the ways we see this is through weddings. One negative aspect discussed is when people spend thousands on dollars to … Continue reading →

Summary In the pieces Courting Disaster (2002) and “Justice from a Victim’s Perspective” (2005) we are getting insights as to why as a society we have so much trouble adequately caring for the needs of victims who undergo these trials. … Continue reading →

Discussion Questions 1. Why is the thought of rape or “sexual terrorism” always in the back of women’s minds (whether on campus, at the laundromat, or when at the movies by themselves) Is this constant fear justified? 2. Why do … Continue reading →

Summary England, Shafer, and Fogarty’s (2007) article talks about the sexual revolution of the 1960’s and 1970’s that brought about a major change in the way the public felt toward sexuality. They then go on to further discuss the behaviors … Continue reading →

Summary The Pascoe (2005) reading concerns the use of the word fag among youth and its often ambiguous definition between sexual orientation/”un-masculine” behavior. The Tanenbaum (1999) piece discusses the similar role of the word “slut” and its variations, in the … Continue reading →

Summary David Grazian’s article (2009) goes over the modern young person’s courting rituals, particularly the males’.  He goes over the fact that though people rarely ever have sexual encounters with strangers, it seems to be a male custom to go … Continue reading →

Summary Katz (1999) continues to explore the construction of masculinities in our culture. This includes encouraging everyone, men and women, to critically consider what our cultural investment in hegemonic masculinity accomplishes including seriously re-examining the personal and interpersonal costs of … Continue reading →

Summary Messner (1999) and Kimmel (2006) move us further into a critical examination of hegemonic masculinity.These readings include consideration of what hegemonic masculinity means for the lived experience of different men. They also set us up to discuss what the … Continue reading →

Summary Young (2005) and Martin (1998) take a different approach than that of Fausto-Sterling (2000) and Sapolsky (1997). In contrast to Fausto-Sterling’s (2000) focus on how scientists are influenced by cultural categories, and Sapolsky’s (1997) direct effort to relay scientific … Continue reading →