Women's Studies Commons^™

Through The Autobiographies And Into The Art: A Deeper Look Into Women Of The 1920s, Kelsey M. Hoyt

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The 1920s in America reflected a time of change ranging from prohibition to the iconic Flapper girl lifestyle. Famous public figures tended to transform their ideals to the rapidly changing societal standards. Fortunately, for many artists, their lives encompassed the ideals that were established in the 1920s. Thus, the production of art simply became a reproduction of past experiences and lifetime events that the artist encountered. Seemingly obsessed with drugs, alcohol, and sex, artists fell into lives consumed with addictive and psychotic behaviors. The public eye saw these artists as victims of tragic lives and searched for any psychoanalytic meaning …

Female College Students’ Perception Of Self-Image Based On Fashion Magazine Advertising, Olivia Merritt, Kathleen R. Smith

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The goal of this study was to examine how fashion magazine advertisements affect female college students’ perception of self-image. More specifically, do female college students have high or low self-image perception based upon the fashion magazine’s model images? Results of the study revealed female college students had positive perceptions of confidence with their physical body and body image. Before viewing the magazine advertising, participants liked their own body and would not change their body. However after viewing the magazine advertising, the participant’s confidence level decreased and participants liked their bodies less. While college women were not more likely to change …

Finding Feminism In American Political Discourse : A Discourse Analysis Of Post-Feminist Language, Jessica Margaret Burris

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The term “feminist” is a widely used label that is often embraced by women who do not advocate feminism. The wide use of the feminist label in contrast to the declining presence of feminist activism indicates a problem with the development of a third wave of feminism in the United States. In this study, I evaluated trends in feminism in the United States through an analysis of public political discourse. A semantic discourse analysis of political discourse from 1870 to 2011 evaluated a shift in the use of inclusive and exclusive pronoun usage by female political speakers. Speeches compiled for …

Redefining Sisterhood: The New Nuns, Laywomen And Catholic Feminist Activism, 1953-1992, Alexandra Elizabeth Michaelides

Dissertations

The involvement of American Catholic women in the feminist movement after 1960 is considered an anomaly. Yet, Catholic feminist activism thrived in large American cities like Chicago. This dissertation works to explain the origins, trajectory, methods, and eventual radicalization of the Catholic feminist movement in the United States. I argue that the events of the Second Vatican Council and the Sister Formation Movement (an organized effort to educate American nuns) set the stage for unprecedented reforms, brought an excitement and optimism to women religious and laywomen, and led to unintended revolutionary consequences. Nuns and laywomen were optimistic that the church …

Gender Analysis Of Politics, Economics And Culture Of Korean Reunification: Toward A Feminist Theological Foundation For Reunified Society, Jin Sung Cholee

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In this study, I have focused on the process for an eventual reunification of North and South Korea. In this process, Korean political, economic, cultural and religious issues are necessarily present. My study focuses on cultural and religious factors. I adopt the German reunification as a case study. The German reunification process provides Koreans with lessons about the negative changes in the status of German women since the German reunification caused extreme instances of the loss of status and economic opportunity for women. German reunification shows that the unequal situation and systems in society were not only due to political …

How Porous Are The Walls That Separate Us?: Transformative Service-Learning, Women’S Incarceration, And The Unsettled Self, Coralynn V. Davis, Carol Wayne White

Faculty Journal Articles

In this article, we refine a politics of thinking from the margins by exploring a pedagogical model that advances transformative notions of service learning as social justice teaching. Drawing on a recent course we taught involving both incarcerated women and traditional college students, we contend that when communication among differentiated and stratified parties occurs, one possible result is not just a view of the other but also a transformation of the self and other. More specifically, we suggest that an engaged feminist praxis of teaching incarcerated women together with college students helps illuminate the porous nature of fixed markers that …

The 'Nevergiveups' Of Grandmothers Against Poverty And Aids: Scholar-Journalism-Activism As Social Documentary, Eric Miller, Jo-Anne Smetherham, Jennifer Fish

Women's & Gender Studies Faculty Publications

This article traces our collective experiences as a photographer, a journalist and an academic engaged in the process of documenting the lives of South Africa’s grand-mothers – who are confronting the HIV/AIDS pandemic while carrying an immense history of social struggle in the apartheid era. We set out with individual aspirations to record, in visual and narrative forms, the life stories and lived experiences of members of the Grandmothers Against Poverty and AIDS (GAPA) organization based in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Over the course of three years of building relationships and working with leaders of this organisation, we developed a social …

"To Bend Without Breaking": American Women's Authorship And The New Woman, 1900–1935, Amber Harris Leichner

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation focuses on constructions of female authorship in selected prose narratives of four American women writers in the early twentieth century: Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, Zitkala-Ša, and Gertrude Schalk. Specifically, it examines portraits of women in pieces that appeared in national magazines from 1900-1935 that bracket these writers’ careers and that reflect anxieties about their professional authorial identities complicated by gender and, in the case of Native American Zitkala-Ša (Yankton Sioux) and African American Gertrude Schalk, race as well. In a period characterized by fierce debates over the role of women in a dawning modern age, these writers participated …

The Life And Work Of Gloria Anzaldúa: An Intellectual Biography, Elizabeth Anne Dahms

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

The writings and life of Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa (1942-2004) have had an immense impact in a variety of disciplines. Her oft-cited text Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (1987) is included in many university courses’ reading lists for its contributions to discourses of hybridity, linguistics, intersectionality and women of color feminism, among others. Unfortunately, most scholars content themselves with the intricacies of Borderlands to the neglect of her corpus of work, which includes essays, books, edited volumes, children’s literature and fiction/autohistorias. This analysis presented here wishes to expand our understandings of Anzaldúa’s work by engaging with her pre- and post-Borderlands …

The Risk Of Violence And Intimate Partner Choice Within A Risk Society, Adam J. Pritchard

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This dissertation examines the influence of competing risks in shaping individuals' choices about potential intimate relationships. According to Ulrich Beck's "risk society" theory, the individualization of social risks has direct and measurable consequences for the ways people organize and evaluate potential intimate relationships (Beck & Beck-Gernsheim, 1995, 2002, 2004; Giddens, 1994; Lupton, 2006). This study investigates the ways in which subjective or identity-related risks hypothesized by scholars of late modernity shape the perception and the actual risk of dating violence. Empirical research on dating violence identifies many objective “risk factors” related to a person’s chances of experiencing intimate partner violence; …

Acculturation Of Asian Indian Women In The United States, Varudhini Kankipati

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The United States is home to nearly three million Asian Indians. The difference in Asian Indian and American cultures creates a need for Asian Indians to acculturate, upon migration to the U.S. It has been theorized that acculturation becomes harder when the two cultures of contact are dissimilar. Particularly, immigrant women and children have been found to be more vulnerable than men to acculturative stress, where acculturative stress is defined as the psychological impact of adaptation to a new culture. Hence, this study focuses on acculturation of Asian Indian women and specifically on factors influencing their acculturation.

Research findings from …

Drag Kings: Performing Masculinity, Lauren Cummerlander

Joyce Durham Essay Contest in Women's and Gender Studies

Gender performance as a means of political message has always been fascinating to me. The idea of being able to put on and take off gender at will is interesting; the added layer of power relations makes it even more intriguing. What better illustration of gender performance than drag. Drag is all about the performance of gender, with the goal of disrupting the power hierarchy. To me drag is an important part of gender performance because it is one which illustrates that gender is a performance and is nothing more than culturally accepted features that come to identify people. Surprisingly …

Extreme Pornography And Obscenity Legislation, Julianne Morgan

Joyce Durham Essay Contest in Women's and Gender Studies

Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act (CJIA), a piece of UK legislation that came into effect in 2009, seeks to criminalize the possession of extreme pornography with a particular focus on controlling the spread of such images available via the internet. The law mandates that an image is pornographic “if it is of such a nature that it must reasonably assumed to have been produced solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal.” An image is considered extreme if it is “grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character” and “if it portrays, in an …

Deconstructing "Chappelle's Show": Race, Masculinity,And Comedy As Resistance, Lyndsey Lynn Wetterberg

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

"Chappelle's Show" is a sketch comedy series that ran from 2003-2004 and that was created by and starred comedian Dave Chappelle. Chappelle focused on the issues of racism and race as gendered and as a social construction throughout the show's two full seasons. Using content analysis, my research highlights race and masculinity as a social construction within the context of "Chappelle's Show" by focusing on specific sketches within the series that play on issues of race and gender. The overarching theme of my analysis examines the idea of comedy as resistance to dominant society, specifically to race and gender norms …

Deviant Desires: Gender Resistance In Romantic Friendships Between Women During The Late-Eighteenth And Early-Nineteenth Centuries In Britain, Sophie Jade Slater

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Romantic friendships between women in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries were common in British society. Young women were drawn to each other, often in romantic ways, in part because of the way in which the society was ordered. In this period, females generally socialized only with other females, from birth until marriage. Even after marriage the majority of women spent most of their time with other women. This deep intimacy between women was encouraged and accepted and is visible in correspondence between female friends. Although there is scholarly literature surrounding romantic friendships during this period, the way in which these …

The Second Glass Ceiling Impedes Women Entrepreneurs, Douglas A. Bosse, Porcher L. Taylor Iii

Management Faculty Publications

The glass ceiling phenomenon that impedes the advancement of talented women professionals into senior executive roles inside large corporations is widely recognized in society, studied in the management literature, taught in business schools, and tangibly felt by many women executives. Outside the corporate setting, we show that a second glass ceiling exists for women entrepreneurs and women small business owners. This second glass ceiling is a gender bias that obstructs women-owned small firms from accessing the financial capital required to start new firms and fuel the growth of existing firms. This paper (1) defines the second glass ceiling phenomenon, (2) …

Women Managing Women: A Good Idea?, Wendy Cook, Nancy Graber Pigeon, James L. Nimnicht

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Business

As women continue to move into the workplace and into managerial positions, the wage gap for female employees is not improving. In this study, we examine the effect of having a female manager on the wages and hierarchical growth of female employees. Findings suggest that female employees may be better served by working for male managers.

An Interactive Guide To Self-Discovery For Women, Elaine J. Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project is a translation of ideas I have encountered in my journey through Women's Studies. With this interactive book, I offer a concise, understandable, and empowering method for self-discovery from one feminist's perspective. Traditional self-help materials often set the reader up as the one with the issue or problem and they rarely call out the functioning systems of oppression as a stumbling block or offer ways to circumvent them. With this project, I hope to shine light on the functioning systems of gender discrimination, racism, classism, and heterosexism, and to provide a framework for understanding. There are three main …

Selling The Third Wave: The Commodification And Consumption Of The Flat Track Roller Girl, Mary Catherine Whitlock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an ethnographic examination of the "modern" roller derby movement that began in the early 2000s, I explore Women's Flat Track Derby in Florida. What does it mean to be a roller derby player? How is she conceptualized and commodified? Or more centrally, how is third wave feminism used as a catalyst of this commodification? In order to fully appreciate, understand, and even embrace roller derby, I look at roller derby leagues as social movement organizations (SMOs) in order to note how they frame themselves and maintain collective identity the commodification of third wave feminism. First, I will explore various …

Can You Believe She Did That?!:Breaking The Codes Of "Good" Mothering In 1970s Horror Films, Jessica Michelle Collard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The threats found in horror films change with time, each decade consisting of threats that were most frightening for the time period. Horror film scholars, such as Andrew Tudor, determined that in 1970s horror films the threat has migrated from external forces into the home and the family. Invading aliens and monsters were thrown replaced by psychosis and evil children. This notion of making the familiar unfamiliar and threatening is paralleled in concerns addressed during the second-wave of feminism; women were making the normative and familiar idea of mother unfamiliar as they migrated from the private and into the public …

Frey-Spurlock Studies Women’S Roles In Society, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Maätita Studies Issues Of Motherhood, Sexuality, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Ibroscheva Looks At How The Media Portrays Women, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of International Human Trafficking On United States Prostitution Laws: The Case Of Expungement Laws, Carrie N. Baker

Study of Women, Gender, & Sexuality: Faculty Publications

When the issue of human trafficking first gained widespread public attention in the United States in the 1990s, the discussion centered on international human trafficking. In 2000, the United States passed an anti-trafficking law, popularly called the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), and the United Nations adopted an anti-trafficking treaty called the Palermo Protocol. Both the TVPA and the Palermo Protocol focused on combating international human trafficking by encouraging countries around the world to pass laws against trafficking and prosecute traffickers. Meanwhile, in the United States, state-level criminal justice systems treated United States citizens qualifying under the federal definition of …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Women In Leadership And Community At Old Dominion University From 1970 To 1990, Ann E. Wendle Barnes

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

During the 1970s college campuses in the United States were often the venue through which change occurred. Female faculty and students were assertive in their efforts to influence equality between men and women across the country (Morris, 1984). This historical phenomenological study examined the oral history of several women who advocated for women's rights at Old Dominion University (ODU) by establishing the Women's Caucus, Women's Studies Program, and Women's Center during the late 1970s through the 1990s.

Participants selected for this study took part in semi-structured interviews, and the results of the interviews were triangulated with archived documents available at …

Growth Of Women-Owned Businesses: The Effects Of Intangible Resources And Social Competence, Crystal X. Jiang, Monica A. Zimmerman, Chun (Grace) Guo

WCBT Faculty Publications

Previous research suggests that women entrepreneurs face many challenges in starting and growing a business. In this study, we examine the relationship of intangible resources and the growth of women-owned businesses. We focus on four intangible resources: social-, human-, and reputational capital, as well as social competence. Using case studies of women entrepreneurs, we found that a woman entrepreneur’s social-, human-, and reputational capital are related to the growth of her business. We alsofound that social competence moderates the social-, human-, and reputational capital – growth relationship in women entrepreneurs.

Theatre Of The Oppressed: Transitioning Feminist Pedagogy From Theory To Praxis, Megan Mary Rae

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Bell Hooks states in her text Feminist Theory: From Margins to Center that there is a "missing link" between feminist theory and praxis (113). This creates a "tug-of-war" mentality in higher education between practitioners and academics (hooks 113). Paulo Freire also challenges education structures with his critique of "the banking system" in his text Pedagogy of the Oppressed (72). In 1971, Augusto Boal created a venue of theatre founded on these educational challenges called Theatre of the Oppressed that allows for discussion, participation, and a shared experience between actors and audience members. In this research, I demonstrate the use of …

I Had An Abortion: Midwest Women, Stigma And Disclosure, Katie Stack

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Since the legalization of abortion is 1973, both pro-choice and pro-life sides of the debate have struggled for political and cultural influence. Meanwhile, the voices of women who have utilized abortion serves remain unheard, their stories invisible. Largely, this silence surrounding women's abortion experiences has been attributed to the stigma that is associated with the abortion procedure. Other have argued that women are not silent about their abortion experiences, but that they navigate the complex political and social contexts of their lives by managing the stigmatized identity of having had an abortion. By utilizing in-depth, semi-structured interviews, and encouraging a …

A Feminist Content Analysis Of Seventeen Magazine, Brittany Marie Trimble

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Over the past two decades, there has been growing concern among researchers, clinicians, and policy makers regarding the sexualization of female adolescents in the media. Developmental psychologists and researchers argue that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to messages presented in the media, as these messages are internalized as real. These messages afflict long-term emotional and physical effects on adolescent girls. Through content analysis and extensive research, The American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force (2010) argued that the sexualization of adolescent girls and women directly effects the psychosocial development of young women, creating self-objectification, negative self-images, anxiety, shame, depression, eating disorders, and …

“To Say Nothing”: Variations On The Theme Of Silence In Selected Works By Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz, Sandra Cisneros, And María Luisa Bombal, Hannah M. Frantz

Student Publications

This paper explores the various ways in which Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s La Respuesta, Sandra Cisneros’s “Woman Hollering Creek,” and María Luisa Bombal’s “The Tree” address the theme of silence. It interrogates how the female characters in each of these works are silenced as well as their responses to that oppression. Meaning is subjective, so writing is a safe outlet for the oppressed. These works each identify an oppressor, either a husband or the male dominated church, as well as an oppressed individual, who is the female lead. In La Respuesta, the Catholic church, and specifically …