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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Bettina Von Arnim And Civil Action: How To Defy Oppression By Championing Others, Tesla L. Gontjes Jul 2022

Bettina Von Arnim And Civil Action: How To Defy Oppression By Championing Others, Tesla L. Gontjes

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Children, cooking and church: Like most of the European world before 1900, these were “the three Cs” designated by society for women in Germany. However, some women broke through these expectations and pursued a fourth “C”: Civil action. Such a woman was Bettina von Arnim (1785-1859). A writer, activist, feminist, and intellectual, von Arnim was politically active during a time when women were delegated to domestic duties and expected to be completely subservient to their husbands. She lived during a tumultuous era of French, Prussian, and Austrian occupation of Germany during the early 19th century. Instead of being a mild-mannered …


Strategies Of Student Activism: A Qualitative Study Examining Racial And Social Justice Organizing On A Midwest College Campus, Rebecca J. Lambert Jan 2016

Strategies Of Student Activism: A Qualitative Study Examining Racial And Social Justice Organizing On A Midwest College Campus, Rebecca J. Lambert

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

A college campus can serve as a reflection of the larger issues occurring within society. In working to address topics such as racism, sexism, classism, or homophobia, student activism plays a critical role in an individual’s experience in higher education. The need for a safer campus, the desire to change university policies and various other factors contribute to the motivation for students to join campus organizing groups, but such activism is a practice that has significantly contributed to the college student experience. What may not be as apparent, however, are the strategies that are used by students to organize on …


Are They Listening?: Revisiting Male Privilege And Defensive Learning In A Feminist Classroom, Cameron A. Tyrrell Jan 2016

Are They Listening?: Revisiting Male Privilege And Defensive Learning In A Feminist Classroom, Cameron A. Tyrrell

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Privileged students, particularly male-identified students, in women’s studies classrooms have been a population of study previously. Many feminist educators have encountered resistance from a male-identified student in their classroom. Scholarship has been done that analyzes the discourses around how male privilege is invoked by men in women’s studies classrooms. This study defined defensive learning with specific acts of disengagement that hinder privileged students, particularly male-identified students in Gender and Women’s Studies, from taking classes that are considered “feminist,” and from learning about systems of privilege. A series of semi-structured interviews with six male-identified students who were enrolled in women’s studies …


Feminist Identities: Career Choices And Experiences Of College-Educated Women, Kerry Diekmann Jan 2015

Feminist Identities: Career Choices And Experiences Of College-Educated Women, Kerry Diekmann

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This qualitative study explored how feminism as a social identity impacts how women interpret their career and life experiences. The overarching research question that guided the study was: How do feminist-identified women make sense of their feminist identity, life experiences, and career path? The theoretical framework that provided the lens for the study included feminist, multicultural, intersectionality, and career development theories. Two distinct bodies of literature were reviewed to provide a foundation for the study: (a) women's career development, in particular, the supports and barriers experienced, and (b) feminist identity, including influences to adopting the feminist label and factors associated …


Abortion Is Communism: A Genealogy Of "Abortion Culture", Heather Nicole Bradford Jan 2015

Abortion Is Communism: A Genealogy Of "Abortion Culture", Heather Nicole Bradford

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In the twenty years since the collapse of communism in the Eastern Bloc, various scholars of history, women's studies, sociology, political science, and reproductive rights have studied the occurrence of abortion in these formerly communist countries. Although some have sought to question the notion of "abortion culture," most look to these countries as places where abortion was tragically prevalent and accepted. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the assumed knowledge concerning abortion and how this obscures understandings of abortion in formerly communist countries of Eastern Europe. By creating genealogy of "abortion culture," this research seeks to trace the …


Christian Feminism: Female Pastors And Feminism, Amanda A. Slowinski Aug 2014

Christian Feminism: Female Pastors And Feminism, Amanda A. Slowinski

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Christian feminism is a belief system, ideology, and an identity of feminism that combines Christian beliefs with feminist theory. Using the methodology of oral history, I interviewed two female pastors in southern Minnesota. I wanted to know how they dealt with issues such as women’s place in the church, abortion, sexist behavior, sexuality, gender roles, the gender of god, and inclusive language while being a pastor. I also investigated why the two women I spoke with either chose to identify themselves as a Feminist or not. I analyzed the interviews using theoretical perspectives from Christian feminist, feminist, and religious texts …


The Ambiguity Of Panem: Capitalism, Nationalism, And Sexuality In Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games Series, Megan Ann Peters Jan 2013

The Ambiguity Of Panem: Capitalism, Nationalism, And Sexuality In Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games Series, Megan Ann Peters

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The publication of and the critical and public success of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy marks a significant departure from the norms of traditionally-popular young adult literature, particularly in its portrayal of a fiercely active female protagonist. This thesis argues that despite the noticeable progress these novels make in representing a strong female character, The Hunger Games series fails to adequately challenge other important aspects of oppression. I conduct a feminist literary analysis of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, focusing specifically on representations of capitalism and commodification, national and district pride, and sexual objectification and sexual harassment …


Claiming The Feminist Label: A Cross-Generational Exploration Of Self-Identified Feminists, Kaitlyn Kenealy Jan 2013

Claiming The Feminist Label: A Cross-Generational Exploration Of Self-Identified Feminists, Kaitlyn Kenealy

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The word feminist is often associated with negative connotations that prevent many individuals from adopting the feminist label and self-identifying with the women's movement. This creates challenges for feminists and the movement because individuals choose to believe stereotypes and distance themselves from feminism before fully understanding its purpose or positive aspects. The negative stereotypes and misconceptions associated with feminism and the women's movement contribute to individuals' hesitation to claim the feminist label. Conservative media outlets and social groups would like members of society to believe feminism is dead. As a gender and women's studies graduate student, I know that is …