Week One
Hey everyone! My name is Christina Jorgensen and I am a sophomore this year. I just transferred from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, so this will be my first year here in Minneapolis. My hometown is Sioux Falls, SD, though I have also lived in Missoula, MT. I’m majoring in global studies, and I’d like to pursue a minor in Spanish as well. So far I think the U is great, and I am especially excited for this class.
The relationship of gender and power is something I really started to think about in high school. I picked up The Feminine Mystique my senior year, and it gave me a really good perspective on what life was like for women just before the Women’s Liberation Movement versus women’s lives today. By life (or everyday life) I mean women’s roles at home, in society, and what their expectations were within those worlds. My own definition of power is a little more dynamic.
Power is subjective and, I believe, is based more on comparison. For example: Country X has more power than Country Y, or Candidate A’s influence is more powerful than Candidate B’s. I also think power is subject to change—it is fluid. In terms of women, there has been a definite shift in empowerment over the last 50 years in the US. It will be interesting to see how it continues to change within our lifetimes, and what that will mean for our “everyday lives.� I’m excited to see how this class will define and relate gender and power.