Women Studies Exam Review PDF

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UNIT 01 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 1 •

What is Women's Studies? What is the importance of Women's Studies both inside and outside of the academy?

Women's Studies emerged in the 1960s and is what we would call an "interdisciplinary" field of study. Women's studies is an important and exciting experience that introduces new ways of seeing both the world and oneself. Women's studies courses investigate women's experiences, perspectives, and contributions, placing women at the center of inquiry.

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Why have educational systems traditionally been limiting rather than empowering places for women? 1. The first is the push to "female" careers. Women are too often encouraged to pursue occupations that have traditionally been associated with women rather than those that have traditionally been associated with men. This is in part because of gendered expectations of where women and men's natural abilities lie, but it is also because once women get to high school, or university, they often encounter primarily male teachers or professors. 2. Secondly, women are often constructed as passive and emotional. Teachers, parents, media, and others in positions of authority, reinforce stereotypes that women are by nature passive and emotional rather than inquisitive and assertive. 3. Thirdly, in the education system men tend to occupy positions of authority. Men typically are the ones in higher-level administrative roles. Because of the gender imbalance that we find when it comes to those who have the most power when it comes to structuring the education system, women, women's experiences, and work by those working in Women's Studies have not been adequately brought into the mainstream education system and curricula.

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What does Rich mean by "claim an education"? What is at stake in not claiming it?

Rich suggests that we should think about what a university education really means. She wants us to rethink the teacher-student relationship in ways that allow us to move away from this kind of educational paradigm. Her view is that we should think of the student-

teacher relationship as a contract. The teacher is obligated to respect the student's abilities, taking her ideas and abilities seriously. The student is obligated to take responsibility for her own learning. The student must take an active role in what happens in the classroom, because it is the student that has the most at stake when it comes to what is learned and how it is learned.

UNIT 01 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 2 •

What does feminism mean today? What are some of the reasons that women do not want to be associated with feminism?

Today, Feminism means equality for men and women, but some women do not want to be associated with feminism because of the stereotype that feminist women are men haters. •

What are the key issues that characterized each of the three feminist movements?

The first feminist movement (18C to 1930s) is concerned with better education for women, political representation and the right to vote, the second feminist wave (1960s to 1980s) is concerned about advancing the social and legal status of women, media representation, domestic violence and abortion, question the prize marriage and children over education and career. The third wave (late 1980s to the present) focuses on marginalized identities, class, race, age, ability, women empowerment and equality and the representation of all women around the globe.

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Do you agree with conservative feminist writer Christina Hoff Sommers "that you can't have everything" with regards to women having both a career and a family? If so, why? If not, why not?

You can but there is a price to pay and is extremely hard do unless you are wealthy or have a very flexible job. The average women most likely can't. - Careers are on hold - Bad policies regarding maternal leave •

Does having more women in political office necessarily mean we will notice a more "feminist voice", and a more equal society for women and men? What are the arguments for and against this view?

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Equal representation of women's voices and experiences More stable and equal polices Truer democracy

UNIT 02 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 1 •

What is the "privilege of invisibility" as outlined by Michael Kimmel? According to Kimmel, how has women's studies affected this privilege? Please explain. Provide an example to support your answer.

The privilege of invisibility is the fact that many privileged people do not see their privilege that is given to them, they take is as the norm. The privileged have the luxury to ignore the centrality of gender in their lives. Women's studies have helped make men aware of their privilege. Making gender visible. •

What does Kimmel mean when he says that he is the "generic person"?

That because he is white, male, straight, middle class and cisgender, he is the norm/default. All of those qualities are invisible to him.

UNIT 02 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 2 •

How does the argument Mill make in The Subjection of Women anticipate the goals of the First Wave feminists?

John Stuart Mill was one of the first men to fight for women's equality. He argued that the nature of women can only be observed unfettered. Who is to say what women's true nature is if we haven't tried any other social arrangements? •

Explain why Kimmel thinks men can be profeminists but not feminists. Do you agree with his reasoning? If yes, then explain why. If no, then explain why.

Kimmel states that in order to be a feminist, you need to realize that "feminism involves an empirical observation - that all women are not equal - and the moral position that declares they should be" (Kimmel, 2004). He states that obviously men are capable of and do agree with this statement, but he goes on to say that "since only women have felt experience of oppression about gender, it only makes sense to make a distinction in how we identify ourselves" (Kimmel, 2004). Thus, according to Kimmel, we should call men "pro-feminists" as opposed to "feminists". I personally do not agree with this as formal definition of feminism should be considered rather than opinions. Feminism is about equal opportunity for both sexes, and limiting judgement based on sex. Not allowing men to take on this label mirrors some of the oppression women experience in that men are then excluded and are not provided an equal opportunity. Thus, feminism shouldn't be about actually being a woman. It should be about abolishing stereotypes and social gender norms that men can be sensitive, and women can be tough for example. Any deviations

from this goal of equality (such as allowing men to identify only as profeminists) precludes the goals of true feminism. Allowing men to be labeled as feminists goes hand in hand with the goals and values of feminism.

UNIT 03 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 1 •

What does it mean to say that gender is socially constructed?

Our sex does not biologically assign our gender but is society telling us what to do, wear, act. etc. It has created gender norms. Gender has been naturalized society "Boys will be boys". Gender varies between cultures. •

Explain the significance of a binary framework for understanding gender. Why do we say that "woman" is a "marked" category?

Femininity relative to its binary opposition, masculinity. The two concepts (or words) get their meaning in opposition to one another. Importantly, however, both sides of the binary are not equal. One category is always a "dominant" category, and the other a "marked" category. In our case, female is the marked category because it is conceived as a departure from the dominant/normal category. Humans structure binary oppositions this way; such that they are never both "equal", but hierarchical. •

Distinguish between natural and naturalized. What does it mean to say that gender norms are naturalized?

Once we've been naturalized or in other words, once we are used to doing a certain thing a certain way, it becomes natural. Since gender is socially constructed, we have also been naturalized to these norms such that our own gender identity is natural. We are oblivious to the fact that these gender norms we place ourselves into are socially constructed. •

Explain the metaphor "gender is like a text".

Gender is like a text because it is rewritten and interpreted, but always within preexisting systems of meaning. Gender will always have more masculine or feminine components as they are already laid out in terms with society

UNIT 03 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 2 •

What is the "problem with no name" as described by Betty Friedan? How did people in the 50s and 60s try to downplay or trivialize this problem?

The "problem with no name" is a woman-only problem that was dismissed, in one way or another, by almost all who talked about it. Initially, it was not even considered "real" by most men, and many women. Women in the 60s lacked the tools to characterize the pressures associated with the role of a mother because it had become so normalized that there was no way for women to even conceive of the anxiety they felt as their kids went off to school, or the husbands went off to work, etc. •

What was the importance of Friedan "naming" the problem?

By naming the problem, she made the problem real. Making it visible to people especially women. Conceptualizing what was once only feeling anxiety. Challenge the social norm and showed women that they had a choice.

UNIT 04 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 1 •

How did the cultural shifts that accompanied the industrial revolution bring about a focus on women's beauty?

Marriages were planned and not normally based on physical attraction. Unless a woman was aristocratic, her value in marriage was measured by her work ethic, her physical strength, stamina and constitution, and fertility. Their work complemented men's and their value as women was not measured according to their physical beauty. After the industrial revolution, women were bombarded with images. And as women joined the workforce, the hardworking happy wife was replaced with a youthful beauty and cleaning products were replaced with skincare ads. •

According to Wolf where did the beauty myth come from? Why is it a myth?

After the cult of domesticity began to weaken, women are targeted by advertisers for diet and beauty products. Standards of beauty and the pressure for women to conform to them continue to increase, directing and controlling women's behavior. The beauty myth actually prescribes behaviour, even more so than it prescribes appearance. It is a myth because beauty does not equate to success Yet, many conform to it due to the ads telling them so. •

How does the beauty myth work to keep women subordinate to men?

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It creates competition among women Values youth and devalues age

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Maintains a dependency on outside approval. This dependency on outside approval works to lower women's self-esteem and make them more easily controlled

UNIT 04 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 2 •

How does a feminist/cultural paradigm for understanding eating disorders reorient our thinking about them?

The paradigm allows us to see the social and cultural instances that have led women and even sometimes men to believing the this is the only way. Media imagery is one of the many things that has led to the development of eating disorders. Even if that are those who aren't developing an ED, they are still internalizing the cultural messages we all face on a regular basis. •

Why does Bordo think that it is problematic to say that the eating disorder sufferer is employing "faulty reasoning"?

In a culture like ours, we should expect to see young women reason in these ways, so it makes little sense to call this kind of reasoning flawed. •

Outline two critiques levied against the feminist/cultural paradigm. What response does the feminist give to each of them? 1. The feminist political agenda is being pursued at the expense of

those suffering Feminists are not saying that eating disorders are not biological and psychological. They are saying that they aren't just biological and psychological 2. How can cultural analysis account for the fact that only some

women develop eating disorders while others do not? Different people are affected in different ways

UNIT 05 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 1 •

What is the repressive hypothesis? Why does Foucault reject it?

The repressive hypothesis is the view that 19th century Europeans didn't talk about sex, that it was taboo, and not a polite topic for conversation. Foucault rejects this because

he argues that we saw an increase in talk about sex during this period. He also argued that talk about sex shifted, but never lessened. What emerged in the 19th century were new institutionalized ways of talking about sex, with new boundaries for authority and new inducements to speak. (sexual desires to confessions to psychoanalysis) Public to private

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How does discourse about sexuality shift in the 19th century? What institutional changes facilitated that change?

Remember: discourse is an institutionalized way of speaking or writing about reality. It defines for us what can be said, and by whom. The discourse about sexuality shifted in the 19th century as new institutionalized ways of talking about sex emerged. There was a great increase in the discussion of sex in this period. Sex has moved about being about pleasure to being about confession; its laden with moral and religious meaning and is a highly structured and hierarchical way of speaking Structured confession then gets transformed by the 19th century sciences to a more psychoanalytic form -- psychoanalytic study of sexuality is based on the idea that our own sexuality, desire and pleasure are opaque to us. Our sexual desires are no longer something we speak about, and we have turned the talk of sex into something discursive (discovers scientific truths about sex) Discourse on sex set to uniform the truth of sex. •

In what ways is a postmodern view of the individual different from a modern view? In your answer make reference to the way that gendered identities are constructed.

In postmodern views we are much freer to explore and experience sexuality that may not completely align within the male and female binary

UNIT 05 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 2 •

What is the purity myth, and how is it related to the sexual double standard? Why is this myth impossible to realize for women?

The purity myth is basically a cult of virginity. There is a social value placed on women's purity, and that this purity has actually been hypersexualized and commodified in recent pop-culture. Therefore, you'd think that women would aspire to be pure based on this simple view of society. Although, it is not his simple. Women are sexualized in pop culture and the media. They are given mutually exclusive goals (purity and sexually active) and expected to achieve the impossible synthesis of the two. Women are expected to be both sexy and virginal.

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What is the Madonna/whore dichotomy? Your answer should make reference to the "marked" category in this pair and explain the consequences of those who fall into this category. (In answering this question, you might want to revisit the notes on gender binaries from Unit 03.)

The Madonna/whore dichotomy is a binary where two extremes are compared to each other. This is because women's desires are always presented in extremes. In this case, the "Madonna" is the dominant category, and the ‘whore’ is the marked category. Marking is conceptual based on an implied hierarchy of value. Therefore, being pure is better. Sexually active/curious women (unlike sexually active/curious men) are abnormal. This all has to do with male desire and how women's sexuality is defined by it. Men are still attracted to ‘whores’ but because of society, they place a higher value on "Madonnas”. This can cause sexually active women to be victims of the sexual double standard. They would not be taken as seriously, and this would occur only because of an assumption that was made by some or someone. In actuality, this woman could be even more of a "Madonna" than who she was being compared to

UNIT 06 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 1 •

How does advertising work to naturalize certain ideals about how gender ought to be performed in order to live up to current ideals about what it means to be an ideal woman in our culture? Consider gender, race, class, sexual orientation, and ability in your answer.

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Not only do they sell us consumer products, but they also tell us who we should be, who we should look like, and how we should act. They set unattainable standards of beauty Women of color are seen as exotic Hardly any gay people in ads Women receive the message that they must be thin to be successful, making women feel badly about their bodies and resulting in women buying fad diet products (celebrity endorsements)

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How does the objectification of women in advertisements contribute to violence against women?

Many time women are presented as images in ads. Ex: a close up shot of her cleavage or her body literally transformed into an object). Some even depict violence against women. This, normalizes violence

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How are men and women differently presented in advertisements? What are the negative social outcomes for each?

Men, too, are often presented in objectifying ways. The difference, however, is that they are pictured in ways that make them appear stronger, bigger, and more powerful. They are not normally presented in the same passive and vulnerable poses as women.

UNIT 06 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 2 •

What is the male gaze, and how does it structure narrative cinema?

Women's bodies become not only the subject of the gaze of the viewer, but also the objects of desire for the protagonist in the film. •

What is phallocentrism? What do we mean when we say that mainstream film is phallocentric?

Is the assumption that the phallus (penis) is the central element both in sexual development, and in the ordering of the social world. Phallocentrism concentrates on the idea that masculinity is the central focus and source of power and authority. Because of this, all male interests and needs are exalted while females are made subservient to male desires. Film is organized around male activity and saying that mainstream film is phallocentric means that there is a symbolic order that works to uphold male dominance. Women work to uphold this order as well through their lack. Women have a lack of phallus and symbolically disempowered. Men are in control of the woman and hold the power. •

How are women portrayed in film? How do filmic techniques work to objectify women? How are other techniques used to empower male protagonists?

Women are portrayed in a sexual manner known as scopophilia (pleasure in looking); always sexualized. Women are never the subjects, just the object of the gaze. film techniques are used in a way that we see the female character as the male protagonist or how a peeping tom (audience) sees her. The film techniques normalize the male desire and the right to look and take pleasure in looking. Techniques that are used to help empower male protagonists are close up shots of their face and lower angle shots making them look larger and more dominating.

UNIT 07 STUDY QUESTIONS TOPIC 1 •

What is the problem ...