“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.” Albert Einstein

Friday, February 26, 2010

Failed Justice Leaves Rape Victim Nowhere To Turn : NPR

In image, below, Margaux's parents were shocked at how few options there were for their daughter to prosecute the man who sexually assaulted her at Indiana University.


This is a follow up report to a study that concluded that campuses do not take rape seriously enough. You can listen to Margaux and her parents tell her story by clicking on the link.
Failed Justice Leaves Rape Victim Nowhere To Turn : NPR

University of Massachusetts forensic psychologist David Lisak says most sexual assaults on campus are perpetrated by serial predators. Should serial perpetrators be thrown out of the university?

Do You Actually Want Young People to Quit Smoking?

Do You Actually Want Young People to Quit Smoking?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

http://www.feministing.com/archives/020144.html

http://www.feministing.com/archives/020144.html

Here is another very extensive report about sexual assault on campus. If you don't have time to read it all, just read the bold print.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Required for 3/1: For women in America, equality is still an illusion - washingtonpost.com


Read this article by Jessica Valenti (pictured left):
For women in America, equality is still an illusion - washingtonpost.com

What examples does Valenti give to support her argument that women have not achieved "equality" in the United States? What is the greatest threat women serving in Iraq face?

Pay particular attention to the way that U.S. women's problems are different from those of women in other parts of the world.

Why is feminism needed?

Don't forget to sign your full name and to enter your comment before class Monday.

Friday, February 19, 2010

V-men--ending violence

If you are a man looking for a way to prevent violence against women (and anyone or everyone) on campus, check out the new organization called V-men, which is a group of men dedicated to ending violence and oppression. Soon, there will be a special event at WIU that will involve the voices of men at WIU contributing to the struggle against violence.

According to Mark Matousek, " . . . violence against women is not merely a woman's issue; it is a human dilemma twisting the lives and consciences of men as well; men whose voices needed to be heard in order for the dialogue that began ten years ago with the founding of V-Day to be complete."

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Femail Genital Mutilation

I student in class shared this document with me. The document is published by the International Confederation of Midwives--a very reliable source. The describes the 4 types of Female Genital Mutilation:

Type I Excision of the prepuce with or without excision of part or all of the clitoris
Type II Excision of the clitoris with partial or total excision of the labia minora
Type III Excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of
the vaginal opening (infibulation)
Type IV Unclassified (includes several different forms of mutilation, one of which is cauterization)

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Required comment for 2/15--due BEFORE class. Sign your full name.


On College Campuses, a Shortage of Men - NYTimes.com

Consider these quotes from the linked article:

"Women have represented about 57 percent of enrollments at American colleges since at least 2000, according to a recent report by the American Council on Education. Researchers there cite several reasons: women tend to have higher grades; men tend to drop out in disproportionate numbers; and female enrollment skews higher among older students, low-income students, and black and Hispanic students."

“On college campuses where there are far more women than men, men have all the power to control the intensity of sexual and romantic relationships,” Kathleen A. Bogle, a sociologist at La Salle University in Philadelphia, wrote in an e-mail message. Her book, “Hooking Up: Sex, Dating, and Relationships on Campus,” was published in 2008.

“Women do not want to get left out in the cold, so they are competing for men on men’s terms,” she wrote. “This results in more casual hook-up encounters that do not end up leading to more serious romantic relationships. Since college women say they generally want ‘something more’ than just a casual hook-up, women end up losing out.”

W. Keith Campbell, a psychology professor at the University of Georgia, which is 57 percent female, put it this way: “When men have the social power, they create a man’s ideal of relationships,” he said. Translation: more partners, more sex. Commitment? A good first step would be his returning a woman’s Facebook message.

Women on gender-imbalanced campuses are paying a social price for success and, to a degree, are being victimized by men precisely because they have outperformed them, Professor Campbell said.

You may choose to address these questions in your comment:

Does it feel like there's a similar ratio of women to men on WIU's campus as there are on the campuses mentioned in the article?

How does the ratio of more women then men effect patterns of dating and hooking up?

On campuses where's there's 60% women, should admissions officials try to achieve a 50-50 balance by refusing some women who are more academically qualified in order to admit more men, even though they might be less qualified?

Friday, February 5, 2010

Required comment for 2/8 (1 of 2 options, see below)

Do some browsing on http://community.feministing.com/ (this is the "community" section of Feministing.com), and find a post that's interesting to you. You might pay particular attention to the column on the right that says "Community Faves This Week." Copy and paste the name of that post onto your comment and then say what you like about the posting you have chosen. Have fun.

Another Athlete Speaks Against Anti-Choice Superbowl Ad

Another Athlete Speaks Against Anti-Choice Superbowl Ad

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Successful abstinence-only education?

Successful abstinence-only education?

One new study seems to indicate that in some situations "abstinence" programs in schools can be effective if they are based on accurate information and do not advise students to wait until they are married to have sex.

New emergency contraception works five days after sex

New emergency contraception works five days after sex

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Monday, February 1, 2010

Required for 2/8

BREAKING: Scott Roeder Found Guilty Of Murdering Dr. George Tiller

Read the above link. If you like, log on to NYTimes.com and do a search for "Scott Roeder" to see if you can find out what Roeder was thinking when he plotted to kill Tiller.

Comment on this quote from Nancy Keenan: "Dr. Tiller was a tireless advocate for reproductive health who called on us to 'trust women' to make the personal, private decisions that are best for them and their families."

(Make sure your comment is at least 5 FULL lines)