sekang's blog

I decided to take this course, because I think Bryn Mawr College is a nice place to learn about feminism. Also, having never properly and professionally learned about feminism, I did not understand the reason and the purpose of learning feminism. I did not have a full understanding of what part of feminism is so intriguing that some people choose to pursue Ph.D. in this subject. Hence, by taking this course, I not only wanted to get exposed to a subject that I was not familiar with but also wanted to know the purpose and the foundation of feminism.

I enjoyed using serendip a lot. I followed several students’ web events throughout the semester. I loved reading papers on different topics that each student is interested in. Reading the posts and the web events on serendip helped me think about feminism even outside of class. It definitely helped me read more articles about feminism. By posting on serendip, I was able to ask questions that I did not get to ask during class. Also, since there is no time limit for the serendip posts, I was able to put more time thinking before making statements. Though I was not too familiar with the online posts in the beginning of the semester, I learned to take advantage of the benefits of online media, on which I could embed articles and videos. I think one of the best part of the course was serendip.

I collaborated with epeck and dchin. The final project can be found here.

The Low Representation of Women in the STEM Fields

Hi guys, I found a "blog" that has a lot of interesting stuff! And I found a video that we all can related to. One of the videos presented in the class was "If I were a boy" by Beyonce. And this one is called "If I were a bro." Would we be able to argue and hold the same views as we did toward "If I were a boy"? Or, would you view this video (If I were a bro) just as a joke? Do you find anything similar in both videos?

If you can find something feministy about this video, which one do you think is the better way to approach this topic: jokingly or seriously? 

A friend of mine told me that Drops of Jupiter by Train is about lesbians or lesbianism (I don't know the difference between the two terms). He said that it's still being debated. I try to listely closely but I couldn't make any connection. Does anyone see it? 

As I was watching this film, I constantly asked myself a question, "Where do I stand in terms of sex work?"

Before watching this film, I was strongly against the idea of sex work, because I thought it objectifies women. And I believed that the sex workers make money by "selling" their body parts. But, after watching this film, I am not really sure where I stand anymore. Some part of me is still against the idea of sex work, and the other part of me is not so against it. As stated in the film, it is the women's rights to do whatever they want to do with their bodies. No one and no law should make any boundary of what is okay and what is not okay. If the women can pay the rent and support their families by doing so, I think the sex industry is actually helping women become more independet (financially). But still...it still objectifies women...I guess I'm okay with the strippers, because there is a glass between the customers and the strippers. But, I am not okay with the "private service," where the customers and the sex workers physically can meet each other. I think I'm more against the idea of "private service" because ANY thing can happene during that time, including rape, insault, and even murder. 

Where do you stand? Did watching this film change your view of sex work industry?

Similar to aybala50, I didn't see 'lifting belly' as a feminist poem. When professor Dalke told the class that we'll be reading a 'sexy poem' I thought she meant only 'canzone,' which I found pretty sexy. I didn't even know that 'lifting belly' was supposed to be sexy or even feministy. I definitely should have read it outloud in order to catch something, but it was just too hard to catch the message that the author was trying to say. Before the class discussion, I thought it was a conversation between two people and 'lifting belly' was one of their names.

But, I guess reading various feminist literature work is the point of taking this class. I'm not sure we already discussed this or not during the class, but I guess my question is that why did the author make it so hard to catch the message?

I recently read an article "Motherhood as a Retreat from Equality"  (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/world/europe/24iht-letter24.html?pagewanted=2&ref=feministmovement). It talks how many women go back to work after giving a birth in Germany and France.

Though motherhood seems far in the future, I know it is coming and it's coming quickly. So I asked myself a question. I want to be a doctor. That is one of the reasons to come to Bryn Mawr so I can get eduated well. And, I wouldn't be able to trust anyone to take care of my baby(ies). Then, will I be able to sacrifice my career to be a "full-time mom"? Then, is coming to BMC worth it? Will it pay off someday? Or, would having a baby make me happy?

I have always wanted to ask my feminist friends this question: which one is more important? motherhood or career? Why? If you want to go back to work after having a baby, would you feel comfortable hiring a nanny to take care of your baby? If you do not want to go back to work right after, how long will you take a break from work? And, what makes you believe that the companies still want to hire you even though there will be smarter, younger people who work for them?