Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Intersectionality And Feminist Pedagogy: Lessons From Teaching About Racism And Economic Inequity, Lisa J. Cunningham, Pao Lee Vue, Virginia B. Maier

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

This paper utilizes Rochester, NY, as a case study to argue that approaching race intersectionally and across disciplines creates a stronger model of feminist pedagogy. It is based on our work in the classroom and on the Fisher Race Initiatives—a series of three interactive workshops we created on our campus to create change in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, MO, and in the subsequent rise of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Our goals were to promote dialogue on race, to expose participants to factual information on race, and to emphasize the intersectional causes of poverty in the Rochester …

The New Normal: Wgs Programs And Professionally-Driven Students, Kathryn I. Sheffield, Elizabeth Ursic

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

In today’s volatile economic climate, students are increasingly choosing courses and majors that are primarily focused on professionally valuable skills and employment opportunities. This trend poses challenges for Women and Gender Studies programs, calling for a shift in both instructional and institutional strategies within the field. Yet, far from finding this a detriment, we have found that Women and Gender Studies courses have considerable value for professionally-driven students. In addition, we have found that the presence of professionally-driven students in Women and Gender Studies courses present opportunities for WGS programs. This article discusses the instructional and institutional implications of the …

Empowerment Through Dialogue: Women’S Experience With Division Of Labor As A Leisure Constraint In Family Life, Sarah Agate, Joel Agate

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

Women in American society experience high levels of stress and the resultant physical and psychological challenges. While leisure is often seen as a context for stress relief, a variety of leisure constraints make it difficult for many women to have this experience. A focus group was conducted with five women who are mothers of young children to explore the division of labor in family travel. This paper reports on the experience of participant empowerment, which occurred through the dialogue that took place. Findings from this study have implications for those seeking to empower people who experience discrimination and marginalization in …

Constructing Sexuality And Fetishizing Women In American History: Debunking Myths In Popular Culture From Pocahontas To The Cold War, Jamie Wagman, Katlynn Dee, Alison Tipton, Adrienne Whisman

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

This paper features recent teaching and scholarship produced in U.S. Women’s History and Women’s History coursework at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. We discuss using visual culture analysis and intersectionality in the U.S. History and Women’s History classroom to produce scholarship that interrogates the intersection of race, class, gender and sexuality at a particular historical moment and examines visual primary sources. We give examples of scholarship produced in coursework using these methods, from studying the Lavender Scare and popular culture’s constructions of Democracy that equated communism with homosexuality to the ways in which middle class social reformers used …

Underrepresented: The Lack Of Black Designers Featured In Harper’S Bazaar And Vogue, Tameka N. Ellington

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

During the Fall 2012 New York Fashion Week preview, only two African American designers showcased collections of the 127 designers (Mullins). Spring 2015 Fashion Week showcased 25 African American/African (Black) designers (Superselected), which is a significant increase. However, there is still minimal to no presence of Black designers in high-fashion magazines. There has been lay/popular research on this phenomenon (Kearney; madamenoire; Mullins; Williams; Woodberry), but no academic data has been published regarding this injustice.

Through a Critical Race Theory (CRT) lens the coverage or lack thereof that Black designers receive is divulged. CRT recognizes that racism is engrained in the …

Appearance Discrimination: Lookism And The Cost To The American Woman, Alyssa Dana Dana Adomaitis, Rachel Raskin, Diana Saiki

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

Lookism, or ranking an individual based on attractiveness, is a prevalent employment prejudice. Research has shown that looks influence salaries, career growth and even hiring (Warhurst, van den Broek, Hall, & Nickson, 2009). Because it is difficult to prove, there is no legislation that specifically addresses lookism. The current economy gives employers a vast selection of job applicants and candidates for open positions and “beauty premiums” (individuals considered above average with pretty faces) may have a better chance at being hired. According to a Newsweek national survey (2010) of 202 human resource staff which revealed that corporate hiring managers indicated …

Add Women And Stir: Female Presidents In Pop Culture, 2012-2016, Angela Laflen, Michelle Smith, Kristin Bayer, Riana Ramirez, Jessica Recce, Molly Scott

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

In this article, we argue that there was a representational shift in popular culture representations of female presidents following Hillary Clinton’s 2008 primary run, from earlier representations that were entirely preoccupied with gender to more recent depictions that tried to set aside “the gender question.” We explore three representations of female presidents produced since 2012 that can illuminate popular understandings of gender and the presidency between the 2008 and 2016 elections: Veep, State of Affairs, and Scandal. While all three texts attempt to normalize images of female presidents and break from earlier representations by treating a female …

Disrupting The Lean: Performing A 2016 Declaration Of Sentiments, Tambria Schroeder, Barbara Lesavoy, Melissa Brown, Brooke E. Love, Maggie Rosen, Brooke A. Ophardt, Audrey Lai

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

Inspired by the spirit of disruption, this article narrates the making of a “2016 Declaration of Sentiments,” invented in a roundtable, “Disrupting the Lean: Performing a 2016 Declaration of Sentiments,” at the fifth Biennial Seneca Falls Dialogues (SFD). We open the essay with a brief theoretical overview that informs manifestos written in a feminist theory or senior seminar course that take up questions of gender equity, labor, and acts of resistance. We follow with excerpts from these manifestos as read in the roundtable, closing the essay with a “2016 Declaration of Sentiments,” collaboratively authored and recited by roundtable participants. Looking …

Remembering Kate Gleason: Introducing A Twentieth-Century Businesswoman To Twenty-First Century Students, Michael J. Brown, Rebecca Edwards, Tina O. Lent

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

In the fall of 2015, the faculty of the Museum Studies Program at RIT mounted an exhibition titled "Kate Gleason, Visionary: A Tribute on Her 150th Birthday." While Kate Gleason’s name is familiar on the RIT campus because the College of Engineering is named for her, this association obscures recognition of her many and varied accomplishments. The challenge we undertook was to contextualize her work in engineering within her other entrepreneurial endeavors in manufacturing, banking, and building, focusing on the innovation and vision that united them. In addition, we wanted Gleason’s career and accomplishments to be compelling and relevant to …

Editorial Introduction: Women Have Achieved This, I Follow: What If?, Deborah Uman, Barbara Lesavoy

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

In turning to questions of gender, economics and entrepreneurship, the 2016 Seneca Falls Dialogues asked participants to explore how various forms of labor and compensation affect individual lives, societal movements, and institutions. One of the sub-themes for the conference was “Arts and Activism,” which led to our choice of keynote speaker Brenda Ann Kenneally and inspired Eastman professor of music education, Philip Silvey, to propose a performance of the University of Rochester’s women’s chorus at the Dialogues. With the full support of the Department of Music at University of Rochester, chaired by Professor Honey Meconi, and the full enthusiasm of …

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal, V. 2, 2017 (Complete Issue), Deborah Uman, Barbara Lesavoy

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

Memory. Disruption. Presidential. Underrepresented. History. Empowerment. Sustaining. Intersectionality. Transfeminism. These words capture the breadth and scope of essays in volume 2 and bring us back to the 2016 Biennial Seneca Falls Dialogues conference. Photojournalist, activist, and 2016 Seneca Falls Dialogues keynote Brenda Ann Kenneally uses her artistic work to explore the how and why of class inequity in America. Her project, Upstate Girls, set in Troy, NY, followed seven women for five years as their escape routes out of generational poverty led to further entrapment. Pictured on the journal cover, one of seven upstate girls, is Kayla and mom before …

The 1848 Declarations Of Sentiments: Usurpations And Incantations, Leah Shafer

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

Three video recordings of participants reciting the "1848 Declaration of Sentiments" at the Seneca Falls Dialogues conferences. In the first video titled "Sentiments and Usurpations", an excerpt is repeated over and over until it begins to sound like an incantation. In the second video, "Declaration of Sentiments 2014", still images accompany an audio track featuring the voices of the participants. The third video, "Declaration of Sentiments Wesleyan Chapel" uses the 2014 audio track for an avant-garde exploration of the interior of the Wesleyan Chapel.

The Disproportionate Impact Of Toxins In Consumer Products, Meredith Bollheimer, Elissa Reitz

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

The number of chemicals used in everyday products has grown exponentially over the last century. Many of these chemicals are known endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC’s) and they have not been proven to be safe for humans or for the environment. Rather, many of these chemicals have been linked to negative human health outcomes and damage to the environment. Corporate America is responsible for the production and liberal use of these chemicals in consumer and personal care products. The federal government has failed to provide effective or meaningful standards or regulations for the myriad chemicals of concern that make their way …

Changing An Institutional Environment Through Appreciative Inquiry: Rochester Institute Of Technology’S College Of Liberal Arts, Corinna Schlombs, Ann Howard, Caroline Delong, Jessica Lieberman

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

This article introduces readers to Appreciative Inquiry as a form of feminist engagement in higher education. Appreciative Inquiry is a strength-based approach to organizational change that builds on positive psychology as well as social construction of language. At Rochester Institute’s College of Liberal Arts, a group of women faculty currently pursues an Appreciative Inquiry process to change their institutional environment to make it more beneficial to the success of women (and colleagues of all genders) rather than changing themselves to better fit into the existing environment. At the 2014 Seneca Falls Dialogues, members of this group engaged conference participants in …

Sisterhood & Feminism: Engaging Gender And Women’S Studies Students In The Community, Angela Clark-Taylor, Jane L. Bryant, Susan Storey, Julianne Lawlor Nigro

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

No abstract provided.

Nature, Technology, And Ruined Women: Ecofeminism And Princess Mononoke, Wendi Sierra, Alysah Berwald, Melissa Guck, Erica Maeder

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

This article examines the popular anime Princess Mononoke through the lens of ecofeminism. In particular, we provide a close reading of the two female lead characters, San and Lady Eboshi, to demonstrate the problematic gender tropes that are often woven into films about ecological issues.

Confronting Student Resistance To Ecofeminism: Three Perspectives, Jennifer Browdy De Hernandez, Holly Kent, Colleen Martell

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

Teaching ecofeminism is a dynamic, vital practice, demanding a great deal of both educators and students. At the heart of this essay is the question: how can we teach ecofeminism effectively? In this work, we reflect on our successes and failures teaching ecofeminism within various topics and in different settings. While each co-author of this piece brings ecofeminism into our classrooms, we do so in very different ways and have diverse approaches to making ecofeminist theories and ideas feel vital, necessary, and relevant for our students. In our essay, we aim to offer some productive and provocative suggestions and ideas …

Editorial Introduction To The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal, V. 1, Barbara Lesavoy, Deborah Uman

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

No abstract provided.

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal, V. 1, Issue 1 (Complete Issue), Barbara Lesavoy, Deborah Uman

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

We are thrilled to introduce the inaugural edition of The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal. This multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, online journal grows out of the Biennial Seneca Falls Dialogues (SFD), a biennial conference launched in October 2008 to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the first women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York and the 60th anniversary of Eleanor Roosevelt’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal volume I draws from the 2014 SFD conference theme, "Ecofeminism: Cultivating Place and Identity", which was highlighted in the keynote address by BLK ProjeK founder and Eco-Warrior, Tanya Fields.

Contents …

Changes In Mental Illness Understanding And Treatment Throughout Time In The United States, Emma Cottrell

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Healthcare professionals have been overlooking mental health for centuries resulting in inadequate care. This paper reviews the progression of mental health care from the 13th century to the present day in order to understand why we are seeing a gap in healthcare. Mental illness is a growing health condition in the United States with nearly one in every five adults experiencing some form of mental illness a year (Parekh, 2018). In order to understand what mental illness is and why it is so common despite the majority of cases being treatable, one must understand the social and historical progression and …

Understanding The Importance Of Statues: Symbols Of Racism In Modern Society, Theresa Vanwormer

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Whether it is a monument, statue, plaque, or mural, the values and ideologies that are memorialized on public land reflect what reality the people of a country are choosing to remember. The United States’ political and racial history has led to the creation of controversial memorials, including memorials that honor the Confederacy and its leaders, influencing moral concepts based in racism, violence, and oppression. The continued veneration of these symbols on public land sends the message to the Black community that their oppressors are honored as heroes and that the society they live in still allows for their abuse. Annette-Gordon …

Shakespeare In The Wake Of #Blacklivesmatter: Teaching The Bard And Exploring Racism, Kathryn S. Kelly

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

This essay examines the ways in which teachers (specifically pre-service teachers) can approach teaching Shakespeare’s work in a culturally responsive manner in order to promote anti-racism and social awareness in the classroom, school community, and the world. This proposal for teaching Shakespeare includes a case study of Othello that is designed according to the principles in the Social Justice Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (SJPACK) framework created by Jeanne Dyches and Ashley Boyd to prepare pre-service teachers for the discussions about race they will someday facilitate with their students. The framework focuses on teaching the history of racism in the Early …

Evangelizing A Nation: Catholic Priests In America, Christopher J. Wild

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

According to the most recent statistics provided by the American bishops, there are an astonishing seventy million Catholics who call the United States home. Five hundred years ago, there was not a single Roman Catholic to be found anywhere in this vast expanse of forests, prairies, and mountains. (Moreover, presumably no one living at that time in what is now the United States had any knowledge of Jesus Christ, for the episcopacy of Erik Gnupsson in twelfth century Greenland hardly resulted in any evangelization of the Christian faith in the western hemisphere.) As the European authorities competed to establish colonies …

Toxic Masculinity In Henry V, Abigail King

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Toxic masculinity motivates the characters and plot of Henry V by William Shakespeare. The play revolves around King Henry V and how he is a model leader of England during the Hundred Years War. Henry uses what a “true” man should be to inspire his soldiers when morale is low. Further, manlihood is seen in the characters or lack thereof. Characters that fail to follow the high expectations of masculinity are killed. Audience members recognize the importance of masculinity throughout the play, although the outcomes of those stereotypes are dangerous seen in the superficial friendships and suppression of authentic self.

Blanket Dance, Lloyd Milburn

English Faculty/Staff Publications

Lloyd Milburn's poem “Blanket Dance” depicts a memorial dance at a Seneca Ganondagan Festival, and has just been published in The New Guard literary review Volume VIII, Fall 2019. The poem illustrates shared grieving, and music's tension and resolution to help the process.

“More Free Than He Is Jealous”: Female Agency And Solidarity In The Winter’S Tale, Stacey K. Mooney

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

No abstract provided.

Once Upon A Time...When A Revolution Evolved To A Civil War In Syria, Crystal M. Myers

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

This paper gives an overview of how the conflict in Syria has evolved from a revolution into a sectarian civil war. Power is maintained by the ruling Assad family through promotion of the Alawite minority within the government and military. Methods of persecution on the Sunni majority by the Assad government are discussed as well as a policy of strategic expulsion of the Sunni enclave to Idlib, a city on the outskirts of Syria (bordering Turkey).

#Occupywallst - A Study Of Rhetoric And Technology, Adam Hoffman

English Undergraduate

Is Twitter a modern tool for mobilizing a social movement and inciting calls to action that are comparable to those of the past?

In many cases, the root cause of past social movements has involved some type of economic downturn, and groups of disgruntled people came together to form an opposition. Rhetorical language was ultimately used to steer the mobilization and calls to action. Similarly, social movements have predominantly been based on the idea of utilizing a single orator – one identifiable individual to help mobilize the collective ideologies and beliefs of a social group. In general, this formula has …

Reactions To Highly Publicized Sexual Assault Cases Via Twitter Over Time, Tessa Sulimowicz

English Undergraduate

In public spaces, do reactions to sexual assault cases depict more of a victim blaming or offender blaming attitude? How has that changed over time?

Prior to collecting data, I hypothesized that I would find more Tweets portraying a victim blaming attitude rather than offender blaming. This hypothesis was ultimately derived from the research I did and the other studies I looked at.

The Power Of Positivity In The #Conservewater Movement On Twitter, Sarah Kubik

English Undergraduate

This poster looks into how authors on social media uses rhetoric to affect the perception and promotion of the #conservewater movement. This study used content analysis and analyzed 100 tweets from the 2018 year looking at who the author of each tweet was, what the tone of the tweet was, the function of the tweet, if there were any attachments and more. The findings gathered were overwhelmingly positive.