Women Gender – Cheap Research Essays

Women Gender

Please submit short answers to the following questions (approx 1 page per question). Please write in question-answer format rather than summarizing all of your answers in a single paragraph.:
1. What are the main ideas in the readings, the Ahmed lecture, and the movie Yesterday? What struck you as most powerful?
2. How does globalization contribute to the debate on human rights?
3. Discuss race, class, and ethnic implications in Yesterday, the ipod lecture, and the readings.
4. The field of “Women’s and Gender Studies” struggles with being culturally sensitive to local norms versus setting absolute standards in terms of human rights. Where do you draw the line? Use examples from the readings/movie.
5. If you believe that the US should intervene in matters of international human rights…When? How? By what standard? If you think US should never intervene in the affairs of another country, why not?

Don’t forget to cite the readings and the movie that you discuss!

Topic 7: International Women’s Movements and Human Rights
Introduction:
The first half of this class largely focused on US perspectives. Gender inequality, and efforts to address it happen world-wide in different contexts. You may be familiar with Malala Yousafzai who appeared on John Stewart, was nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, and got alot of media attention recently. There are thousands and thousands of men and women working around the globe for gender equality. You will study a few of these efforts in the next two weeks.
Objectives:
By the end of the module, students will be able to…
•   Explain the complexities of gender as they relate to a spectrum of other identity determinants, such as race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality.
•   Analyze gender-related mechanisms of interpersonal and institutional power and privilege.
•   Place contemporary issues about women and gender within a larger historical framework and use that perspective to anticipate the future.
•   Formulate and evaluate various strategies for social change.
•   Articulate the relation of the study of women and gender to your own life and chosen discipline.
Instructional Materials:
Video:
“Yesterday” a 2004 HBO film about a South African woman facing a personal crisis. Spoken in Zulu and subtitled in English. Here is what the cover of the film looks like: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419279/
This is an excellent movie. It touches on some international, race/class/gender, and women’s health issues. Really spend some time thinking about this movie… Specifically, I’d like for you to think critically about the ways in which Yesterday’s gender and economic status impacted her ability to get health care. Note the form(s) of health care offered and the attitudes of the villages about each. Finally, think about how HIV is perceived in this movie versus how it is perceived in the U.S.
Topic 8: International Women’s Movements & Human Rights (cont’d)
Introduction:
This week we continue studying international women’s movements and human rights. Case studies are a nice way to illustrate the themes we are learning in this class. I provided a case study including readings and a lecture on women and Islam. Having lived in Cairo Egypt for three years and speaking arabic, I have a different understanding of the meaning of hijab than when I left the US to work there. I also think hijab is one of the most misunderstood and hotly debated items of clothing in history! By the way, Islam is not the only faith to veil. Check out this picture that depicts headcoverings worn around the world by people of various faiths. I look forward to hearing your thoughts through your papers and forum posts.
Objectives:
By the end of the module, students will be able to…
•   Explain the complexities of gender as they relate to a spectrum of other identity determinants, such as race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality.
•   Analyze gender-related mechanisms of interpersonal and institutional power and privilege.
•   Place contemporary issues about women and gender within a larger historical framework and use that perspective to anticipate the future.
Instructional Materials:
Video clip:
What are human rights? Watch this 9min 30 second video on the Youth for Human Rights homepage
Readings via External Weblinks:
Hijab, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Headscarf Heresy, by Merve Kavakci (PDF)
Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Deborah Caldwell
Muslim Women and Other Misunderstandings-an interview with Egyptian-American and Harvard Divinity School Professor Leila Ahmed on the veil and its interpretation in the west. This is approximately 50 minutes long, click for the audio and the transcript.
“Bikini or Headscarf? Which Offers More Freedom”? by Krista Bremer a politically-liberal North Carolinan whose daughter decided to wear the hijab.
“Towards Gender Equality in the Middle East” by Valentine Moghadam (It’s long. You can skim this one but be sure to pick up the main points.)
Optional Helpful Links: