Mid-Semester Course Evaluations

From the beginning day (remember our "wagon wheel"?), this course has been completely different from any other I've taken in the Bi-Co. Granted, I'm only a sophomore, and this is my first Bryn Mawr class, but there are some other major ways in which this class is unique and the better for it. I like how a central theme of the class is the creation of overlapping community spaces. I find that the relationships between myself and my classmates (whose names I now all know!) makes me feel more connected to the classroom space, and that our evolving online community forces me to connect my academic knowledge to a virtual, cyber-relevance. This emphasis on Serendip is probably my favorite part of the course. I love that I'm pushed to be a "public academic," a role that I feel is more and more important for us to embody as members of (what should be) an increasingly global community. I do wish, like Josh said in his evaluation, that I could match usernames to "real" names--I think that would really link our online community to our classroom community. I also wish our online comments were more conversationally structured than they are now, but I understand the urge to post whatever's on your mind without needing to tailor the thought to anyone else's.

The abstract nature of our class conversation sometimes frustrates me, but I fully appreciate that this class is a core course, and as such is supposed to give us the tools to engage in thinking about sex and gender in any kind of discipline. I think I'm getting a lot of those kinds of tools from the course. To echo Katie, though: I often wish that we had more grounding in the fundamental literature of gen/sex theory. I know that we're supposed to have encountered that kind of literature in previous gen/sex classes, but I think that reading more of those texts in a core course is a good way to ensure that everyone who is embarking on a gen/sex concentration or minor is similarly well-versed in theory.

Overall, I really enjoy this class. I love snack-time and our occasional feline friend and the break-away conversations. I'd like to talk more in whole-class conversations and get a better head start on my readings, both of which are kind of difficult for me to do in a class that meets only once a week, but which I'm sure are attainable goals.

Overall, I have been thoroughly enjoying this course. I notice myself thinking about issues of Gender and Sexuality in my daily life and making connections between this course and my other classes. I'm taking Bio 200 this semester and as luck would have it, we began talking about sex differentiation and sex linked genes around the same time that we began our biology unit in this class. It has been interesting to read my textbook or be sitting in class and find myself taking note when I'm told that "Two X chromosomes make a woman, while an XY combination makes a man" as opposed to using male/female terminology. While I sometimes feel that our discussions become very theoretical, I think that for me personally these abstract discussions have led to some thoughts about applying our ideals in the society we live in. 

I enjoy the setting and timing of this class. It is fun to devote an evening to thinking intensively about our topics and then have serendip open for the remainder of the week to keep class discussion flowing. I have found myself taking more time to read others' postings as the semester has gone on. I also appreciate that we are constantly moving around and engaging with each other in small groups in this class. This is a fun way to get to know other people in the class and I am enjoying the sense of community that I think is beginning to arise in the group. Like Aybala, I find it much easier to participate in these small groups and enjoy the way that we are able to bounce thoughts off of each other and really candidly discuss the question at hand. However, one of my goals for the second half of this class is to start speaking up more frequently in our conversations as an entire group. I also think that it is important in a three hour evening class, that the class is constantly shifting (both physically and intellectually), I find that it keeps me engaged.

So far I am enjoying this class. It is forcing me to think differently than many of my other classes and I am finding myself thinking about the implications of the ways we are in the world or present "reality" to each other in new ways. 

I'll start off by saying this class is definitely not what I expected. I took two gender studies classes at community college before coming to Bryn Mawr, and after (what I considered to be) extensive exploration of gender, feminism, sexuality, theory, etc, I was I kind of "over" analyzing and discussing these topics. But - I decided to take this course because I wanted to see how Bryn Mawr did it. My previous classes in gender studies focused a lot on feminist theory and gender, and touched a bit on Judith Butler. However, my fellow community college classmates didn't  really share my enthusiasm on such topics, so I was excited to explore gender and sexuality topics in this class at BMC. I'm not disappointed, I really enjoy the class. It's definitely holding true to its "interdisciplinary" title. It's funny, as someone who doesn't have a strong high school background in science or math, I try to run as fast as I can from anything where these subjects might come into use. I sure didn't expect them to creep into my gender studies class! However, I guess if I have to decipher statistics, or discuss quantum physics, it might as well be under the guise of sex and gender. That makes it a little less anxiety producing :)

I have been enjoying this class a lot.  I think the way it is taught, gives everyone an equal opportunity to share their opinions whether its in a large group, in smaller discussion groups, or on the web forum.  I feel like it is one of my first classes at Bryn Mawr where I have heard everyone speak on multiple occasions.  I am usually shy in bigger discussions so I like the opportunity to talk in small discussion groups.

Some of the readings I have really enjoyed but I would like to hear a few more different voices.  It is one thing hearing different opinions by biologists and people who study the social aspects of gender but it would interesting if we had a bigger variety of readings.  I would be interested in learning more about where the bigotry about differences in gender and sexuality come from.  It would be also interesting if we addressed some of the issues we talk about in class from a more global perspective.  I feel like in every discussion we have, we try and answer the questions we have with the expectation that every where is as liberal (or more) than the United States.  

I feel like I am the class curmudgeon (it's not a feeling I particularly like).  But you asked for honesty, so here it is:

I really struggle to enjoy this class.  I am fascinated by gender, sexuality, and all the ways these two categories intersect with the rest of our lives.  And I am usually able to really enjoy discussions about gender and sexuality.  However, in this class, I find the conversations very difficult, for several reasons:

• Sometimes they seem too interdisciplinary (relating quantum mechanics to gender felt like a stretch).  I like talking about how different studies interact, but there is such a thing as going too far, and sometimes I feel like the discussion would be more productive if the focus was more about gender.
• Speaking of which, the discussion often doesn't seem to be about gender or sexuality.
• Sometimes I think we probe so deep in searching for answers that we lose the question.  For instance, during the barometer exercise, I didn't like that most of the discussion ended up being, "Well, how do we define this word?  How do we define that word?"  We will never settle on a single, universal definition for any word, and especially not for any adjective.  So discussing different definitions and trying to figure out which one was the correct definition (and how the correct definition changed the meaning of the question) felt, to be blunt, pointless.
• A lot of the time, the discussions feel disjointed to me.  In other words, I feel like one person will say one thing, and then another class member will say something related to the same general topic but centered within a totally different subtopic.  I feel like I'm watching still frames of a movie, but not seeing the scenes that connect one image to the next.  This is a difficult problem to solve, especially because gender and sexuality are very personal topics and we naturally have a tendency to want to share our own experience, which may not be strictly related to the those of the last person to speak.
• I feel like our conversations are rarely grounded.  Oftentimes, we ask questions like, "Well, why don't we as a world just get rid of gender?"  It's interesting to ponder, but it is obviously impossible (next question: why is it impossible?).  And the fact that we so frequently ponder these impossibilites makes me feel like I am floating around in nothingness, completely lost.  How do these things relate to the real world?
• Expanding on what jmorgant said, there are times when I feel hesitant to share because I feel like my response will be upsetting to others in the class, or because I fear feeling hated.  For instance, when we were discussing coherence, I was hesitant to stress how important I find coherence.  In all honesty, I usually get upset if I am talking to someone who lacks coherence, because I can't understand them, and I don't like being unable to understand things.  I know, it sounds like I am five.  I think in part my opinions on coherence stem from my father, who (aside from being one of my favorite people in the whole world) is a journalist.  He has always stressed to me that if my work isn't going to be coherent, it has not yet reached its potential.

So, there you have it (some of it, at least).  In addition to struggling with discussions, I am struggling with the reading.  Some of the authors, like Eli Clare, seem bitter to me, and I have never enjoyed people's complaints (ironic, I know), particularly when they seem to stem from having a huge chip on one's shoulder.  Some of the authors, like Joan Roughgarden, seem poorly written and incoherent, and/or made up of bad arguments.  Some of the authors, like Andrew Sullivan, I find enthralling and informative.  Oddly enough, he seemed to be the most disliked of those we have read.  But I relished how grounded his writing was (in personal experience and scientific facts!).

I do enjoy some things about the class.  I like so many of the people in it, and I liked meeting about our papers.  It helped to provide some grounding (my theme word of the night).  I like the enthusiasm everyone has, and the fact that the lectures are posted online (for the same reasons alice.in.wonderland shared).

I really want to love this class.  But as of right now, it's not working for me.  I'm a little bit terrified of posting this, but here goes.

To echo the sentiments of others in the class, I am loving how interdisciplinary this course is.  Particularly as a psych major, I like that we're bringing in the biological/nueroscience/brain/hormine side of things, because I think it is a hegemonic arguement that needs critique.  I also tink the typical humanities-based, theoretical gen/sex class doesn't equip you to ask the tough questions about these types of scientific discourse on gender.  It's nice to be able to discuss these issues in the context of a gender course.  When I have done the reverse by bringing up gender theory in psych courses, people usually look at me like I have 3 heads for challenging gender itself.  I am glad I am finally able to have this discussion... it's been a long time coming.  This also makes me wonder what type of conversational context I will experience in Psychology of Race and Gender, which is a new course being offered at Haverford next semester.  

However, with even though I love that this class is interdisciplinary, sometimes I get lost in the diversity, and have trouble tying our conversations back to gender and sexuality.  I think I had the hardest time with this and our conversations on disability and home, and I tried to use my web event to tie someof those ideas together for myself.  

I have been getting used to Serendip, and I think my next goal for myself is not just to think outside the box in terms of my ideas, but in terms of the mediums i use in my posts and web events.  I feel so tied to the academic essay, it's comforting, it's someting I know how to do well and that I'm confident with.  Videos and pictures are scary.  So I am going to try to get more creative... I think it is important particularly in terms of our conversations on disability.  My way of communicating is disabling to many (individuals who are blind, illiterate, etc.)  Attempting to create a piece that relis less heavily on standard academic discourse might also be disabling to me in a productive way, giving me a new perspective on the demands of academic coursework.

Like the majority of the posts that have come before my own, I am thoroughly enjoying the multitude of perspectives I've been gaining through our weekly class discussions. I engaged in my first evening class last year as a Junior and enjoyed the level of engagement my peers had for the subject material - let's be real, it's a Tuesday evening in the middle of Fall. You truly have to want to leave your room/the dining hall/whatever television show you're watching on MegaVideo to talk about gender, sexuality, and all that comes with it. Because of this desire to talk about said material, I feel that the level of conversation is enhanced. I become invested in others comments and excited when people stem off of something I've said; it's like being led down the rabbit-hole, in that you have no idea where one thing may lead you. Having a two-and-a-half-hour block lets us take our time to articulate thoughts in the best manner possible and eliminates the stresses that come from trying to touch on every single point within an hour or hour-and-a-half class.

The blog posts required for this class are another aspect that I've come to enjoy. Unlike some, this is not only my first class in the Gender and Sexuality department but also my first class that utilizes Serendip. In class I'm responsible for what I say, but on the Internet I truly claim my own words. There is something very concrete about putting a pen to paper, or, in this case, fingers to a keyboard. My thoughts become black and white, standing alone against the critique of others. I cannot "take back" what I choose to post, and that forces me to think a great deal before I post. We are responsible for our words and our actions. Posting on Serendip reinforces this idea.

So far I've been pleasantly surprised by this course. I haven't taken any pure gen/sex theory (although I have taken some cross-listed gen/sex courses) and I kind of thought that we were going to be bogged down in Freud and Foucault, but the diversity of readings (not just subjects, but also styles) has been refreshing. The interdisciplinary nature (nurture? j/k) of this course has challenged me to expand my outlook beyond a narrow political science frame, which I can sometimes get caught in. I need to do a better job of taking notes on the readings so that I have focused blog posts (and get them in on time!) but class discussions for the most part have given me plenty to think about throughout the week. I actually like how the class is once a week - our conversations can get so in depth that I think a 1 1/2 hour class wouldn't be enough time - and I think that the fact that it's at night somehow lends more intimacy and trust to the discussions we have. Thank you for stressing the importance of getting to know one another's names - as a result, I've actually made some friends (including BMC students, many of whom I barely knew before!) I echo someone's previous post, that it would be interesting to learn more about gen/sex in other cultures and international issues rather than maintaining the Western focus we've had thus far.

I know how important it is to be politically correct, because I really don't ever want to offend anyone, but sometimes I'm not sure how to formulate my responses without potentially outraging someone, especially if they have a personal connection to the issue, and thus sometimes I'm hesitant to contribute. I know this shouldn't be a concern, and that difficult dialogue can often be the most rewarding, but still...

First of all, I would like to say that I love that we meet once a week. I feel that it gives us enough time to discuss a great deal, and we have Serendip to throw out ideas that were not discussed during class. I think we have a great dynamic in class and a great deal of interest in our discussions. I like that we have members in our class that come from many different backgrounds and that we all seem to feel that we are in a safe enough environment to discuss our thoughts, feelings, ideas etc. freely.

So far we have been having amazing discussions, however I would like to have discussions that encompass a reality outside of the western culture. As lgleysteen brought up in her latest post, the conclusions we draw and the solutions we look for will not be effective or even realistic in many different parts of the world. I don't think that we have enough time in the world to discuss how everything would be, will be, should be in every area of the world, but I would still love to have discussions that also encompass some areas outside of the United States.

So far, I have found our readings very interesting and enjoyable. I don't think that we have too much to read or too many posts etc. to do. I think that we have all been doing our readings and contributing to class discussion fairly, aiding in each others learning as well as our own. One of my favorite things about this class is that I learn just as much from my classmates as I do from my professors and my readings. So far, I am happy with the way this aspect of the class has been going.

I love the snacks and I love the break. Despite my interest in the class, it is still at 7 pm on a Tuesday and the break and snacks are exactly what I need to clear my mind and wake up a bit. Personally, I feel that I could contribute to conversation more, but I have found that I love listening in this class. When we are in smaller groups I find that I contribute a great deal more than I do in the larger groups. I like that we have a mixture of both so that I still contribute and get to sit back and listen. However, I do think that I should try to contribute to the larger class discussions more often.

On another note, I love using Serendip. This is my fifth? sixth? class that has used Serendip and I have loved it every year. I am not always the biggest contributer in discussions in class and Serendip gives me the opportunity to post my thoughts in a less traditional way and what that is more comfortable for me.

Overall, I am very happy with the class, I would just like to expand outside of the United States in some of our discussions.