Arts and Humanities Commons^™

This Female Fights Back: Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, And Ambivalence Towards Feminism In Ms. Marvel Comics, Noelle Donnelly

Gender & Queer Studies Research Papers

This thesis examines the ambivalent stance taken by 1970s Ms. Marvel comics towards feminism, as well as the active push back against ambivalence taken by the 2014 run with the same title.

Living Between The Lines: Intersectionality And Self-Actualization In Shakespeare's Plays, Morgan L. Green

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

More than four hundred years after his death Shakespeare is still the most performed playwright in the English-Speaking World, and even in some cultures vastly different from Shakespeare’s England. Theatre companies continue to make him relevant by exploring new themes and tailoring the productions to the social mores of contemporary audiences. One particular theme being examined more and more by both scholars and theatre artists is diversity and the role of identity in Shakespeare’s works. Three works in which this can be easily examined are Antony and Cleopatra, The Merchant of Venice, and Othello with particular attention paid to …

Jessie Fauset’S Not-So-New Negro Womanhood: The Harlem Renaissance, The Long Nineteenth Century, And Legacies Of Feminine Representation, Meredith Goldsmith

English Faculty Publications

Fauset’s texts offer a repository of precisely what critic Alain Locke labeled retrograde: seemingly outdated plotlines and tropes that draw upon multiple literary, historical, and popular cultural sources. This essay aims to change the way we read Fauset by excavating this literary archive and exploring how the literary “past” informs the landscape of Fauset’s fiction. Rather than viewing Fauset’s novels as deviations from or subversive instantiations of modernity, I view them as part of a long nineteenth-century tradition of gendered representation. Instead of claiming a subversiveness that Fauset might have rejected or a conservatism that fails to account for the …

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2015, Michael S. Nassaney

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

This year the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (hereafter the “Project”) established new standards in research, teaching, and public outreach in the study of the fur trade and colonialism in southwest Michigan. The Project continues to collaborate in the generation and dissemination of knowledge under the auspices of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Advisory Committee (FSJAAC), Western Michigan University (WMU) faculty and students, interested stakeholders, supporters, members, and community volunteers. Highlights of 2015 include:

• Fort St. Joseph was featured in the exhibit “Evidence Found” at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in 2015, enjoyed by some 60,000 visitors.
• The Register of Professional …

Presentation Notes, Grady Johnson

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

Presentation notes about Edna Saffy by Grady Johnson delivered at the UNF Library Dean's Council Gratitude Reception, November 2015.

Marriage (In)Equality And The Historical Legacies Of Feminism, Serena Mayeri

All Faculty Scholarship

In this essay, I measure the majority’s opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges against two legacies of second-wave feminist legal advocacy: the largely successful campaign to make civil marriage formally gender-neutral; and the lesser-known struggle against laws and practices that penalized women who lived their lives outside of marriage. Obergefell obliquely acknowledges marriage equality’s debt to the first legacy without explicitly adopting sex equality arguments against same-sex marriage bans. The legacy of feminist campaigns for nonmarital equality, by contrast, is absent from Obergefell’s reasoning and belied by rhetoric that both glorifies marriage and implicitly disparages nonmarriage. Even so, the history …

More Educated And More Equal? A Comparative Analysis Of Female Education And Employment In Japan, China And India, Sucharita Sinha Mukherjee

Economics Faculty Publications

This paper attempts to explore the connections between expanding female education and the participation of women in paid employment in Japan, China and India, three of Asia's largest economies. Analysis based on existing data and literature shows that despite the large expansion in educational access in these countries in the last half century, women have lacked egalitarian labour market opportunities. A combination of social discouragement and individual choice largely explains the withdrawal, non-participation or intermittent female presence in the labour force, notwithstanding increased educational access. In taking stock of these issues and debates across these countries, it is argued that …

Pathway Toward Women's Economic Empowerment In Egypt, Safaa Shaaban

Business Administration

This paper examines the case of women economic empowerment approach in Egypt using capacity building and Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA). The project aims at empowering marginalized women to be more able to improve their socioeconomic conditions and improve their social and economic rights and thus strengthen gender equality. The project’s interventions are capacity building and Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA).The project helped equip women in the seven target regions (total 20,356 women) with needed skills which allowed them to participate in the process of developing their communities by leading initiatives in their communities and taking active actions. …

Ganga: River Health And Livelihood: An Exploration In The Relationship Of Women’S Health And Water In The Garhwal Region, Caroline Lutkewitte

India: Public Health, Policy Advocacy, and Community

Overall, the intention of this study is to provide a bases for understanding how the livelihood of Himalayan women affects the health of the Ganga and vice versa. An apparent paradox between the destruction caused by development and one’s own spiritual and religious fulfillment may explain the diminishing quality of the Ganga. Through interviews with Garhwali women and observations of lifestyles along the Ganga, a concept of women’s interaction with water was determined. These perceptions and uses of water were compared to perspectives on degradation of the river. Pollution and water diversion projects serve as two of the largest struggles …

Maternal Health In Villages Of Northern Uttar Pradesh Assessing Options, Practices And Outcomes In Bahraich District, Elizabeth Curtis

India: Public Health, Policy Advocacy, and Community

Maternal mortality distinctly highlights a health burden women face, particularly in developing countries. For that reason, poor maternal outcomes in rural India are a field in which Public Health workers and researchers continue to question and study. This project aims to understand the reasons behind poor maternal health outcomes for village women in Bahraich District of Uttar Pradesh. The focus of this topic is the accessibility of available health services and the attitudes of various players who distribute or consume services of the health system. Through fieldwork with doctors, medical institutions, auxiliary health workers, traditional health workers, and village women, …

The Perception Of Menstruation And Treatment Of Menstrual Ailments Among Tibetan Women In Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, Kara Spafford

India: Public Health, Policy Advocacy, and Community

Despite recent incorporation of quality of life assessments into goal setting, menstrual ailments are still left out of public health initiatives in developing countries. Due to lack of studies on perceptions of menstruation and treatment options for menstrual ailments, the specific health needs of Tibetan women are not met. The present study seeks to determine how Tibetan women are influenced by societal views of menstruation and to explore access to treatment for menstrual problems in McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh. A total of thirty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted among Tibetan doctors at Men-Tsee-Khang (Tibetan Medical and Astronomy Institute) and Tibetan women …

Bayard Vs. Drusilla: The Burden Of War And Legacy, Kate Shillingford

Student Writing

No abstract provided.

Brazen (Fall 2015), Hollins University

Brazen - Gender & Women's Studies Department Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Breaking Away From Reverence And Rape: The Afi Directing Workshop For Women, Feminism, And The Politics Of The Accidental Archive, Philis M. Barragán Goetz

History Faculty Publications

In 1974, the American Film Institute opened the Directing Workshop for Women (DWW). Trying to normalize the idea of a woman director, the program admitted nineteen women, providing each one with the materials to direct two films. Focusing on the DWW's first cycle, this article argues that the DWW's history is a vehicle for understanding the complex ways in which moderate and radical feminists interpreted the role of the women's rights movement in the commercial film industry by examining the controversy and media attention that surrounded it, as well as the ways in which race, class, and fame operated to …

University College Connection Fall 2015, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, University College

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

'His Women Problem': An Analysis Of Gender On 'The Newsroom', Chad Painter, Patrick Ferrucci

Communication Faculty Publications

This textual analysis focuses on the portrayal of female journalists on Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom, which premiered on HBO in 2012. The researchers argue that the four main female journalists are depicted as being unprofessional in the workplace, being inadequate at their jobs, and being motherly and weak. While these female journalists have impeccable credentials, stellar resumes, and a genuine interest in disseminating the best possible news, Sorkin and his fellow writers consistently depict these powerful women as inferior to the male characters.

The researchers conclude that Sorkin and his creative team failed in their ethical obligation to the audience …

Introduction: The 1970s, Shelly J. Eversley, Michelle Habell-Pallán

Publications and Research

Introduction to special issue, "The 1970s," of WSQ (Women's Studies Quarterly), edited by Shelly Eversley and Michelle Habell-Pallán.

The Justice-Seeking Power Of Women Who Experience Sexual Violence In Uganda, Caren Holmes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This six-week study explores the justice-seeking power of women who have experienced sexual violence in Uganda, by examining a diversity of avenues used to pursue justice. The research includes three unique case studies: examining (1) the formal prosecution system in the rural, eastern region of Kapchorwa, (2) the internal judiciary framework within Makerere University and (3) the unique alternative projects being brought forward by FIDA Uganda in post-conflict Gulu and the greater Acholi regions. The study looks to understand and evaluate each of the frameworks for justice considering the extent to which they are able to serve survivors of sexual …

The Alteration Of The Image – Women And Japanese Society (1600-2000), Frank Jacob

Publications and Research

A survey paper on the development of the female image in Japan's society from the Tokugawa period until the 2000s.

The Circle Of Empowerment: The Nzinga Group's Approach To Empowering Afro-Brazilian Adolescent Girls And Women Through The Cultural Tradition Of Capoeira Angola, Sofia Stafford

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Around the world gender and racial inequality leads to lower levels of empowerment related to self-esteem, autonomy, and self-confidence. These difficulties are exacerbated for girls and women who are faced with overcoming the double-stigmatization of being both black and female. However, Afro- Brazilian girls and women, when given the tools and support to empower themselves will empower their communities. Through a mixed-method approach of participatory research, observations, and nine interviews, this paper explores how the tradition of Capoeira Angola and specifically the roda, empowers Afro-Brazilian girls and women. More specifically, I examine how, through Capoeira, the process of “empowerment” can …

Women In Transition: Fighting Mentalities And Ensuring Political Participation In Post-Revolutionary Tunisia, Hayley Schultz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although democracies look different across the world, they all share a few things in common. One of the biggest factors which contributes to a strong democracy is an active and engaged civil society. Without people upholding the government and keeping them accountable for their actions, government officials feel they can do as they wish. Tunisia has recently undergone a democratic transition and is working on forming a stable democracy. Since the fall of the Ben Ali regime, civil society organizations have sprung up all over the country. These organizations are working to safeguard the principles of the new constitution and …

From Private To Public Women’S Cooperatives And The Construction Of A Public Sphere, Cecilia Garza

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This independent study project will explore how participation in the economy benefits women in more ways than just economically. Using the example of five cooperatives functioning in the Moroccan Rif, this paper will investigate how access to the economy not only provides women with supplemental income but also allows them to leave the home and build networks within their communities. These examples will illustrate how illiterate, rural women, who would usually be seen as powerless in the public eye, are taking advantage of the trainings, income and communities they gain from their participation in cooperatives to claim independence and prove …

Las Luchadoras Inspiradoras: El Papel De Las Mujeres En Los Movimientos Estudiantiles Chilenos, Arielle Ticho

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El presente estudio trata del rol que ocupan las mujeres en el movimiento estudiantil que busca reformar la educación en Chile, para lo cual abordaremos la investigación desde el año 2011 hasta la actualidad. Nos enfocaremos en el liderazgo de las mujeres del nivel secundario y universitario en las organizaciones estudiantiles y cómo sienten y desafían el machismo social. Se enfoca también en los pensamientos sobre género y las habilidades políticas de las líderes por su participación política. La investigación examina el papel de estas líderes estudiantiles en el contexto de la baja participación política de los jóvenes chilenos y …

Goddesses Versus Gynecologists: An Analysis Of The History Of Women’S Healthcare, Marion A. Mckenzie

Student Publications

Starting from the downfall of Goddess cultures in Europe, women's health care has been negatively impacted for generations. The rise of the white, male Indo-European "dominator model" along with the witch craze, caused the end of widespread wise women traditions and pharmacopeia methods. After women's traditional voice was silenced, medical colleges were established to pronounce new, "professional" knowledge. Only those who attended these universities were allowed to legally practice medicine; however, during this time, medical research and treatments for women primarily included mutilation and painful, nonsensical regimens. The horrifying state of women's healthcare has since improved, but was originally a …

Two-Spirit Indigenous Americans: Fact Not Fiction, Casey S. O'Higgins

Student Publications

This paper examines the narratives of Two-Spirit Indigenous Americans who have been oppressed by heteropatriarchal norms of colonization. Two-spirit creation stories are explored to show the prevalence and importance of their identities prior to contact with Euro-American settlers and the evolution of violence, exclusion, and marginalization due to colonization.The term "Two-Spirit" is examined as a cultural identity of the Indigenous Americans. Finally, the paper looks at how Two-Spirit scholars are looking to combine Queer Theory with Indigenous Studies to deconstruct colonial heteropatriarchal America.

Muslim Head Coverings, Raven C. Waters

Student Publications

I researched female head coverings in the Muslim culture, to see how the veils affected society and society's response to the covering.

Wsq: The 1970s Editor's Note, Cynthia Chris, Matt Brim

Publications and Research

This Editor's Note introduces the WSQ issue "The 1970s," co-edited by Shelly Eversley and Michelle Habel-Pallan, which explores the decade of the 1970s, its dynamic social movements and radical cultural shifts, from the rapid boom in feminist publishing to the failure to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

Cross-Cultural Childbirth: Prioritizing The Healthcare Experiences Of Migrant Women In Competent Models Of Care, Emma Hall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the context of the feminization of increasing global migration, it is impossible to understand maternal and child health in a given country without considering the experience of female migrants. As the total migrant population increases in the European Union, migration and its effects on health care provision in receiving countries and the experiences of immigrant populations must be recognized. Past research exposes an increased risk of complications and maternal mortality in migrant populations, but little information exists on the tangible programs that could respond to disparity. According to the World Health Organization, maternal health refers to the health of …

Abortion In Brazil - Todo Mundo Faz: An Analysis Of Social Movements And Social Support For The Liberalization Of Brazil’S Abortion Law In Salvador, Brazil, Maria Camila Caicedo

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study analyzed the current actions of feminist movements, black women’s movements, and other advocacy groups that have a stake in the current debate for the legalization of abortion in Brazil. The purpose of the study was to assess the current political avenues for approaching the legislative body available to marginalized groups who are disproportionately affected by the criminalization of abortion. It was built upon a comprehensive review of existing literature, which found very little information on the actions of feminist movements and black women’s movements in Northeast Brazil. The study was conducted over the course of four weeks in …

Hurdles To Health: An Exploration Of The Social Determinants That Affect Attitudes Toward Hpv Vaccination In Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, Megan Rogers

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2014, the Brazilian government began supplying free, preventative human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for girls between the ages of 9 and 13. This public health campaign has the potential to greatly reduce the high HPV infection rate in Brazil, but without targeted education and information to supplement this medical intervention the program is predicted to have a smaller impact. This study aims to assess how well information about the HPV vaccine is currently reaching young Brazilian girls and their families. Data was gathered by interviewing professionals who work in STD education, women’s issues, and healthcare advocacy, as well as one …