GWSS 1001 Section 3 10:10AM

Week 14 Q's

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 08:29:45 -0600

1) What are examples of things of which you would have to train your eye to look at objectively? Why and how should we train ourselves to view these things objectively?
2) Should we be viewing gender and sexuality from the perspective we are now, or should be be trying to obtain a new sense of these concepts? Is the feminist view of gender and sexuality the necessarily the "best" view for individuals to have? Why or why not?

Gender and Sexuality

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:27:46 -0600

Does pornography serve to objectify and degrade women, or can it be a tool of sexual empowerment for women?

Does the sexual double-standard still exist? To what extent? How does the standard affect men?

How is gender related to sexual orientation? Do gay males and lesbian women get treated differently? If so, how?

Blog #5

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:08:28 -0600

What a person is going to be accepted as, whether they have a place in the art world and what their identity will be is determined as, is often dependent on their gender, race, sexuality, and class. The “criteria�?, I use quotes because there never truly seem to be a set standard, differs throughout societies and cultures. But to confuse things further the culture or society one’s work comes from can also be a determinant of if it is art or not. This idea is illustrated by Alice Walker with the quilt that was created by an anonymous black woman from a different time a culture; a quilt is not often thought of as fine art that lands in a museum.

This brings me to my next thoughts, how is art classified as woman’s art, feminist art, black art, etc? I have always believed that the artist created these titles, but I have recently learned that Georgia O’Keefe, who is often called a feminist artist, spent her life denying this. Now, I understand this issue of when a woman seems to continuously create art that looks vaginal it may be perceived as feminist. Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party is a good example of feminist art with the repeated vaginal imagery, but should the artist decide what their art is about. If Georgia O’Keefe claims her work is solely about flowers, then should we the audience and the critics respect that and leave their misgivings behind?

This tells me that although it may be the artists creating the work it is that critiques and art museums creating the image of the artist and doing this by using their identities, such as female, lesbian, or black, to categorize their art. If this is true then their identities have a lot to do with who gets to be an artist in certain cultures, stereotypes seem to be placed on an artist by use of their identities. Their identities (and the stereotypes that go with them) as well as their art need to “fit in�? or have a compliant place within a society, or else there doesn’t seem to be a place for them. Back to Georgia O’Keefe, would she have been so well known had it not been for the fact that she was being portrayed as a feminist artist? Would people have been so interested in her flowers had they not believed there was further meaning behind them? In her case, although she has been given a stereotype she claimed to be false, she was probably helped because of it.

week 13 questions

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:11:15 -0600

1) Globalization, a term found in several of our GWSS readings, is thought to diminish regional diversity and lead to a homogenized world culture. This is viewed as being a negative aspect of globalization, but is it really? Why or why not?
2) Why do females seem to feel the reprocutions of stardom more prominently than males (ie fall prey to eating disorders more frequently, more vulnerable to social criticisms about appearance, etc.)?
3) Why, even in the modern society of today (era of globalization), do women still conform to typical female stereotypes -- with a particular emphasis on the influential, “public�? female role models – when they have the potential to change the criteria of what is socially acceptable in regard to female behavior? Do they want to continue to be sexualized within society? Also, why is it that for a women to be successful within the entertainment industry they have to meet public expectations of beauty (ie sexualization).

questions

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:49:19 -0600

1. Why is the art world so important in the topic of gender inequality?

2. Does classical art portraying women come from a biased male gaze? Do you find that type of art offensive?

3. What types of feminist imagery do you find most common in the art world? Why do you believe these images are so comonly used?

Week 13 Questions

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:45:53 -0600

1. Why is the art world so important in the topic of gender inequality?

2. Does classical art portraying women come from a biased male gaze? Do you find that type of art offensive?

3. What types of feminist imagery do you find most common in the art world? Why do you believe these images are so comonly used?

Discussion Questions

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:17:13 -0600

Women have always contributed to the arts, traditionally through pottery, quilting, and clothing and other functional art. Because of the functionality of their creations, women's artistic contributions have not been defined as "fine art" or "real art." Does this bias still exist today? Can you think of any women who have defied tradition and have become important artists? Has their work dealt with issues surrounding gender/sexuality/race/class? In what ways?

Week 12: AIDS Questions

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:47:32 -0600

Being that many European countries, as well as Japan and New Zealand, consciously avoid reliance upon placebo-controlled trials, how can the U.S. move away from placebo-controlled trials? What does the fact that the U.S. still uses these trials say about the state of medical ethics and individual rights in research? What might be involved in a move away from placebo-controlled trials in the U.S.?

week 12 questions

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:27:38 -0600

There seems to be much debate on what is ethical when testing new drugs in poverty stricken countries. In the case of AIDS/HIV, a wide spread life-threatening disease, is it okay to test a new drug on only part of the control group even if the participants will never recieve any treatment otherwise?

The children are often indirectly affected by the treatment of their mothers and the community. Should children be used in experiementation, if so how young is too young, or when do you know if the child has informed consent?

11th Week Question

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 01:22:13 -0600

How has violence in society changed over time? Do you think back then it was less acceptable for a male to put his hands on a female? And in terms of domestic violence, why it is not an enormous issue when the male and female which roles?

Week 11 Questions

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:46:57 -0600

1. Have you ever personally experienced gender violence of any scale in your life? What was your reaction and why do you believe this situation occured?

2. Why do you think women in abusive/violent relationships continue to see their partner? What would you do if you were i this situation?

3. How can women effectively deal with violence within the home?

4. What are your thoughts on men being abused in a relationship? Why is this less common and do you think it happens more often than mentioned?

Questions

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:27:16 -0600

The Platform stresses the violence that is portrayed in the media, what are some of the long term effects, or the backlash, that violence toward women in the media have on society?

The Platform mentions that violence toward women is often difficult to enforce protection for them and to punish perpetrators, why is this and what can be done to change this?

Week 11 Questions

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:40:03 -0600

Within thinking out of our own cultures, what are some acceptable forms of domestic violence (accepted within other cultures but not within our own)?

Within thinking that women are not protected, Is it considered protection or unequal opportunity that women can go to war and fight, for the U.S.A. but they are not allowed to fight in the front line, of an actual war (not practice or training).

what i learned

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:29:03 -0600

I have never notice how the male gaze appears in movies before we had the speaker on wednesday. I learned that it is often our subconscious bias that comes through in whatever work we do. Men tend to objectify the female body which appeals to both men and women in different ways. Men see it as a sexual object of desire, while a female often tends to admire how the female actress provokes the attention of the man and seeks to imitate the behavior.

Discussion Questions: week 10

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:02:16 -0600

Do you think there is a way that women directors and camera-workers can counter the male gaze with a female gaze?

Should there be a "female gaze"?

What would the "female gaze" consist of? Is it even possible to have a "female gaze" within the patriarchal construct of cinema referred to by Kaplan?