Expectations for the Seminar

I am excited to learn about the Third Wave because so much of my previous women studies have focused on the positive and negative repercussions of the Second Wave, or as we call it in our house “ Mama’s days”. While the Second Wave was responsible for bringing political and public awareness to the issues that plagued American women, many gender issues today were either overlooked or introduced in the “feminist agenda” later. I am interested to learn how this new wave of feminism (or gender rights) tackles the issues prevalent in today’s society that were not the focus during the 1970s and 1980s. I am fascinated by this idea of “feminisms”, pluralizing the term because the group “women” consists of multifaceted identities and experiences. I also hope to learn about activism within the realm of gender studies. As stated in our first class, gender studies is not simply theory but also has the ability to be practiced and shared with the larger community.

I have dedicated the last two years of my St. Olaf career to learning about women; it is finally time for me to start sharing my opinions with a group of people equally dedicated to the study of gender inequality. While I am still formulating my thoughts on certain issues, my time abroad on Global has helped me solidify many convictions I have surrounding issues of women’s sexual and reproductive health. I hope to bring these experiences to the table, especially the issue of cultural sensitivity versus potential health risks, in regards to women’s sexuality. Many of the cultures I witnessed were entrenched in patriarchal values, thus, hindering the flourishing and creativity of both genders. I heavily focused on the oppression of women within these cultures, and now hope to explore how the socialization of men in a hyper-masculine environment affects the way women and men communicate and experience relationships together.

I cannot wait to discuss all these issues revolving around genderized roles and sexuality with you all!