List Of Student Final Paper Drafts

The permanent list will be at the Assignments page. Please note, in order to NOT break the links, you will need to edit the post you have previously posted and not just post a new version of your file as your final.

If you want to post a new version (with a new URL) then you need to email me that URL so I can edit the final version of the Assignments page, hopefully with a meaningful title in the name.

A hardcopy (without images) of the text of your final paper is due under my door by 5pm on Wednesday December 8th. (That part is worth 10 final grade percentage points).Then the online version of your paper needs to be done by Monday December 13th at 5pm (that version is due 5 percentage points).

You can also see what Last Year's Student Final Assignments looked like by clicking on the student website URLs.

I'm hoping this year's will be even better!

Name	Final Assignment
Section 1
Cassidy, Madison	A Fundamental Right
Flores, Julia	Final Paper
Fritz, Aly	Final Paper First Draft
Green, Derrick	A Nation of Separation
Guizar-Orozco, Yessy
Jordan, Jordan	My Final Paper
Kozik, Gabrielle	My Final Paper
Lee, Ashley	Marriage As A Social Construction Medium
Ma, Juliah	Final Paper
MacLysaght, Maeve	Final Paper-First Draft
McGown, Tricia	Marriage: The Gay Agenda
Padron, Jonathan	The Connection Between Interracial Marriage and Same-Sex Marriagesl
Patch, Rebecca	Beginning The Journey
Pino, David	Elevation to Equality
Robbins, Amy	Final Paper Draft
White, Hanna
Section 2
Garcia, Tracy	Tolerance is the Key to Respect
Gonzalez, Mariah
Hayes, Myaisha	Final CSP Paper
He, Christopher	A Critical Look At Marriage and its Implications
Lance, Jordan	Law and Marriage
Marquez, Gaby	Race, Culture and the Internal Strugle
Tieman, Sophia	Marriage and the Hegemony
Versi, Kamilla	LGBT Final Paper Draft
Wiggins, Kevin	My Final Paper

Gender Stereotypes Supported by Science?

I found this article on the blog cracked.com that argued that gender stereotypes we usually think of as "absurd" are actually true and supported by scientific studies. These myths include

women talk too much:

 

men are slobs:

women can't drive

According to the post, these gender based stereotypes can be proven by scientific studies. For example the post says that women do talk more than men do, based on the fact that "The areas of the brain responsible for language are over 17 percent larger in women than men." I was a bit reluctant to believe the claims made, because it is obvious that this is a comedy web site, but they do have the studies to prove their statements. I'm still a bit weary, but this has certainly made me think about gender stereotypes and if they hold any merit.

When Worlds Collide

While I was working on my CSP essay, I was also listening to Pandora. One of the songs that played on my radio station was entitled "When Worlds Collide" by Powerman 5000. I was passively listening, but when I did actively listen, I immediately made a connection between the song and the reading we had by Gloria Anzaldua. The phrases that struck me as amazingly similar were "Now who's the light and who is the devil/You can't decide so I'll be your guide/And one by one they will be hand chosen/Now this is what it's like when worlds collide" To me, this is like when Anzaldua states that "la meztiza  undergoes a struggle of flesh, a struggle of borders, an inner war" Click HERE to listen.

PSA of the Future... and President Chuck Norris

This is a video that I watched a few weeks ago. I laughed and showed it to anyone who would watch, but other than that did not really think about it. Analyzing this video now, I can't figure out if this is offensive or enlightening. This is a parody of those in today's society who have a tendency to take things to the extreme, but it could also be a disturbing look into what homosexuality means to those who are against homosexuality or very defensive about their own sexuality. I personally would like to think of it as a satirical remark on certain extremists who advocate against anything to do with homosexuality. But I can't help but think about the whole "grain of truth" thing. With all of the advances with gay rights in the past few years, could this be a fear that extremists actually have?

Effeminacy. Too Feminine?

While I was browsing Twitter this morning, I saw a link to an article that claims that there should be a line between those who are effeminate (and male identifying) and homosexual and those who are effeminate and claim to be heterosexual. The article (found here), pictures Bill Kaulitz from the German band Tokio Hotel. Bill is the lead singer, and self-identifies as a heterosexual male. He does, however, have a very soft face, and can often be seen wearing eye makeup, which I've come to realize is a signifier of femininity.

This is Bill. He doesn't, however, wear traditionally feminine clothing. He dresses in jeans and t-shirts, but he chooses to wear his hair long. I fail to see how this makes a person "too feminine to be straight."

Intrigued, I started thinking about the different ways that the media affects what people think of a person's sexuality. For example, Adam Lambert is openly homosexual, but his bass player, Tommy Ratliff (on the right), is heterosexual. During the "Glamnation" tour, there are multiple homoerotic moments between the two, and there are many different kisses throughout the night. Does this make Tommy Ratliff homosexual, or is it a part of the desire for more attention? Maybe it's just fun?

So then, where do we draw the line? At what point does typically homosexual behavior make a heterosexual man seem gay? Who decides?

The Big Black/White Binary

I have just recently read fellow blogger Tracy's post Discrimination Against Black Women and the article attached to it. While I am inclined to agree to everything said on the blog I am somewhat disturbed by this prevailing social binary of race relationships being simplified to either black or white. The article mentions how black women are discriminated against but  The "Black/White Binary"tends to exclude other races such as Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans and countless others from the conversation of race and ethnicity. Now, let us be clear, I do not blame Tracy nor accuse her of enforcing this social binary because she obviously is not. I am simply pointing out how we unintentionally simplify race as a black/white issue. Instead of asking the question "why are black women discriminated against?" we should instead ourselves "why are black, hispanic, and other minority women discriminated against?"

Turkey: A look inside Istanbul's transsexual brothels

Another cross-post. Have at it folks.



http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/turkey/100829/istanbul-transgender-rights-brothels

"In Turkey, transgender and transsexuals are often discriminated against, and for them, stable work is hard to find.
The women who work in this series of brothels are the lucky ones. They stand in sharp contrast to the thousands of transgendered and transsexual sex workers who are forced to walk the streets of Istanbul. Outside brothels, all prostitutes are vulnerable to police harassment, sexually-transmitted infections and violence.
For prostitutes working in the brothels, the houses provide not only a level of protection, but also a place to reconnect."

Turkey is a place of so many contradictions, this short piece brings to light an interesting community as well as featuring some spectacular photographs. A place that American culture views as dirty and immoral can be a safe haven, not only in Turkey but around the world. The view of sex, and sex workers, as somehow unworthy and unsafe is one I feel transcends gender identity, religious beliefs, and geography. In the same way persecuting homosexuals does nothing eradicate the phenomenon (it only serves to place the individuals who identify as LGBTQ in dangerous societal margins), persecuting sexual aspect of humans does nothing but endanger a large portion of society. Please come talk to me about the sex trade, it's a discussion I'd love to have.

What we take for granted

The internet moves to fast, make it stop.
Cross posted from my other blog, because I'm still trying to catch up from the two days when I didnt check my email. Does anyone even breathe without tweeting anymore?


Go read this article:
Guest Post: Go Where? Sex, Gender, and Toilets

"The segregation of public washrooms is one of the most basic ways that the male-female binary is upheld and reinforced...washroom signs are very telling of the way societies construct gender. They identify the male as the universal and the female as the variation. They express expectations of gender performance. And they conflate gender with sex."

A pithy deconstruction of the way bathroom signs express both current societal norms and deeper historical interpretations of male and female. The author makes some interesting points about the assumptions and connections we draw overlook between gender identity and graphical representations of such.
The author explains, with examples, several key aspects of washroom signage:

1. Underlying assumptions of Male/Female
   
2. The diametric opposites of Sex
3. The expected actions of Gender
4. The assumptions of Sexuality
5. The way in which all four of these elements are confused, combined, and constructed

An interesting read for those interested in semantics and graphics design, or if this was just a topic you had never considered before (I find myself in all three categories)

The Gender Spectrum

Today I decided to start working on our first writing assignment about gender, mostly just thinking of different expressions of gender and trying to determine where in the spectrum I fell, and how I wanted to identify myself. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the choices I could make and the different ways this assignment could go, I called a friend, and we had a discussion about gender that quickly turned into a debate about the differences between sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. After our conversation, I came away having tried to communicate the following things:

• Sex is what you are biologically: male, female, or intersex.
• Gender is how you identify in terms of sex. Most people who are biologically female identify as female, and same for males. However, if you choose to identify outside of the gender binary ( i.e. a man or boy expressing their gender as female), that is your gender identity.
• Gender expression is how you choose to communicate your gender.
• The way that you express your gender is not indicative of your sexual orientation (i,e. a man can choose to express their gender as female and still be heterosexual).

I looked up "gender expression" on Google to try to find a simple website that would help explain my point of view to my friend, and this was the simplest one that I could find: http://www.gendersanity.com/diagram.shtml. It's not extremely thorough, but it makes the same points as I was trying to.

I didn't really have the questions that I had answered at the end of the conversation, but it was still a conversation well-spent.

What we learn is actually relevant! (in the Buffyverse, anyway)

Before CSP19 today, I was reading a book I picked up at the library last night. This book is called Girls Who Bite Back. The specific chapter I was reading was called " 'Cuz the Black Chick Always Gets It First" by Candra K. Gill. The parallels between this chapter and the discussion we had in class were amazing, in my opinion. The topic that stuck out the most was the assimilation of a black girl to the white town of Sunnydale, CA.

In the book, it is stated that "[Kendra] is a young black woman who speaks in what sounds like a Caribbean accent. ... By the time she leaves Sunnydale to return to her Watcher, she has become more like Buffy, which is presented as a positive change." Basically, Kendra has a complete personality makeover, because she was originally the exact opposite of Buffy and then one episode later, she becomes much more like Buffy than would have been believable. Kendra is representing the "Model Minority." She is black and speaks with a Caribbean accent, and thus would never be able to fully assimilate with American culture. So rater than make her a strong but different character, the show turned her into an almost Buffy. Essentially, they made her into THE model minority.

Let's Talk About Race -- Tricia McGown

Is this joke funny?

*Warning. This joke contains racially insensitive material.*
http://stroganoff.tumblr.com/post/1062186845
(This is where I found the "joke.")

This is a spoof on the childhood joke that goes as follows:
Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine.

However, this joke is offensive. I found multiple comments on this joke talking about how funny it was and how hilarious this is, especially because of its stereotypical nature. Notice that seven has a bucket of KFC in one hand, a television in the other, and is almost impossibly "black." His skin is very, very dark, and six is looking at him with a mixture of what looks like confusion and disdain.

My question, I suppose, is not "Why does this image exist?" It exists because there is still racism in the world, no matter how much we'd like to deny it. My question is "Why should we fear blackness, or African-Americans?" Is there something inherently frightening about African-Americans that makes them subject to being the butt of jokes like these? I suppose the same answer could stand and that we can say that we fear African-Americans because this is a racist society that we live in today, but I feel as if that's a cop out. After reading Wideman's "Free Papers," I've started to see more clearly the fact that race does still play an important part in society. Sure, the article may not have been written a month or even a year ago, but there are parts of it that still ring true today, unfortunately.

This joke isn't going to make or break the world, but I had to stop and think when I saw it. What about you?