NPR Series on Campus Rape: Repeat Offenders, Failed Justice

NPR has been running a series of interviews, articles, and exposes on the continuing problem of rape on college campuses. The latest installment cites a recent study that finds 9 out of 10 campus rapists are repeat offenders, not single-incident occurrences. You can follow the links along this article's left and right margins to see other reports in the series. Given the upcoming Take Back the Night event here at JMU, and given our class discussions on women's sexuality and our culture's prevalence of gendered violence, I hope you'll take the time to read and comment on these articles.

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT 3/23, 6-10pm: The Commons

Take Back the Night is a night dedicated to raising awareness about ending sexual assault and violence against both men and women on college campuses and around the world. The event increases community awareness about sexual assault, serves as a voice for men and women to speak out about their experiences, and empowers each of us to take action.

6pm: Musical and dramatic performances
6:45pm-7:30pm: Dr. Rachel Griffin, Keynote Speaker. The speech is a PASSPORT EVENT. The keynote speech will be followed by a speak-out and a candle-lit march around campus. Dr. Griffin's research spans gendered violence, performance, Black masculinity, and critical race theory. Her work addresses notions of power, privilege, and voice.

The Vagina Monologues: 2/14 & 2/15

Tickets for this Valentine's Day feminist tradition are available online here. Please try to go, and let us know how it relates to this course.

Sponsored by Sister Speak, NOW, and the Student Wellness Office, The Vagina Monologues is a play by Eve Ensler meant to empower women and work toward ending sexual assault and other violence against women. Proceeds from the show will benefit the national cause, the plight of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; FirstStep, a local domestic violence shelter; and the Collins Center, a local rape crisis center. Shows are on February 14 and 15, Memorial Hall Auditorium at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Extra Credit Quiz

I will raise the lowest commentary grade by one (1) letter for the first five (5) people who answer any of the following questions about chapter 3 correctly. You can submit answers to all of the questions, but I will only raise one (1) commentary grade per respondent. Submit your answers as "comments" to this post. Answers must quote textual evidence and use proper citations. Here are the questions:

1. According to the readings, why do we need to accommodate more than two genders?

2. According to the readings, what limitations does the two-gender system impose? On whom?

3. How early does gender performance training occur, in the U.S. context, according to the readings? What form(s) do(es) such early gendering take?

4. In your day-to-day activities and interactions this past week, in what two ways were you rewarded for performing your gender correctly? In what two ways, if any, were you penalized for for not performing your gender correctly?

Course Schedule Changes Due to Recent University Closings

Updated 2/11, 1:27 p.m.

Please note the following schedule changes to accommodate the recent university closings. I have made these changes to the online version of our course schedule, available on this blog (see the January blog archive).

1. Due: online commentary on the readings for chapter 3, "Learning Gender in a Diverse Society." Please reply to my blog post of the same name, below, by Friday, 2/12, by 5pm EST.

2. During our next class meeting, we will discuss the chapter 3 readings. I expect this to be on Friday, 2/12.

3. We will discuss the introduction and readings for chapter 5, "Inscribing Gender on the Body," on Monday, 2/15.

4. Please note the following assignment date changes. Due:
M 2/15: Learning Activity: Thank a Feminist final paper
F 2/12: Learning Activity: Examining Privilege optional draft
F 2/19: Learning Activity: Tomboys and Sissies optional draft
M 2/22: Learning Activity: Examining Privilege final paper

6. Group Activism Project proposals are due on Wednesday, 2/24. See the January blog archive for the assignment. I will distribute hard copies of the assignment and take questions during our next class meeting. You should begin thinking now about possible group and project forms.

7. As we discussed in class, I have changed the League of Women Voters Learning Activity on the course schedule into a handout. The blog version of the Learning Activity handout reflects this change (see this blog's January archive or search the blog for "Assignments").

Learning Gender in a Diverse Society Online Commentary

In addition to our classroom discussion, we are holding a blog discussion on the readings from chapter 3. Please post your commentaries here as "Comments" to this blog item. Remember: your commentary may either initiate a discussion thread or continue an existing one. Commentaries, whether initiating or continuing threads, must comport to all other assignment parameters. Due date: Wednesday, 2/10/10, at 5pm EST.

Same-sex Marriage and Adoption in Mexico City

This article from the New York Times on the state's attempt to regulate who can make a family in Mexico is timely now. It will inform our later unit on family formation, same-sex marriage, and adoption.