GWSS 1001 - Gender, Power, and Everday Life

Category 2: On Feminism(s) - (3 points)
Post by noon on Monday 1/29
300-500 word post

Instructions: Cite at least one passage from any of the course readings (include author & pg#) to respond to one idea in the following prompt -

What did you know of feminism(s) before this course? Now, after some of the readings, how do you define it? What is signficant about feminism, feminist theory, feminist scholarship and/or feminist activism? (Meaning: why might we be spending a semester studying all of these feminist theories and "issues"?)

OR

You may want to focus on a specific reading or passage, for example, you can respond to one of the following reading prompts:

hooks write about her personal relationship to feminism, the "academization of feminism", and calls for passionate politics. What do you think the role of the university and scholarly feminist thought and theory is? How do you see her vision of spreading feminism beyond the academy?

OR

In Tidal Waves Evans also writes of her experience in the women's movement - her participation in feminist consciousness-raising groups and her decision to shape her life's work around women's history. How does her experience help define her feminism?

OR

In "A Day Without Feminism" from Manifesta Baumgardner and Richards write:

Has feminism changed our lives? Was it necessary? After thirty years of feminism, the world we inhabit barely resembles the world we were born into. And there's still a lot left to do.

What do you think? What has the role(s) and form(s) of feminism(s) been? What is it now? What should it be?

OR

What are some of the misconceptions about feminism(s)? Why the backlash? How do you respond to these critiques?

Notes:

* Do not repeat exact response as those who posts before you. If someone has posted what you intended to say, build upon their thoughts, use additional examples to illustrate your point. Or, choose another piece of the prompt to respond to.

* It is recommended that you type your response in word, spellcheck and check your word count, and save it as a document file. Then, copy and paste your writing into a blog entry (warning: sometimes the web will freeze and lose what you type).