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Hildegard and Sex Complementarity, 2008.
A discussion of equality of the sexes in Sister Prudence Allen's article "Hildegard of Bingen".
1,920 words (approx. 7.7 pages), 8 sources, APA, $ 61.95
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Abstract
This paper takes a close look at Sister Prudence Allen's article on Hildegard of Bingen, entitled "Hildegard of Bingen" (1985). The paper maintains that the article's main point is that Hildegard was the very first person to articulate the theory of the complementarity of the sexes. The article claims that this complementarity theory was original to Hildegard; thus Hildegard made a significant contribution to the history of the concept of woman in relation to man. The paper agrees with the article, concluding that Hildegard did indeed succeed in vindicating the equality of woman with man by presenting a cogent, comprehensive and multifaceted argument for the complementarity of man and woman.
From the Paper
"However, the important point is that Hildegard balanced this notion with a defence of the quality of woman and man, based on a metaphysical framework of sex complementarity in heaven and in the world. For example, in procreation, while man deposits the cold seed, it is woman's warmth that must grow the seed. Similarly, in heaven male saints are equal to but different from female saints; while on earth woman and man have equal access to both the private and public spheres of activity (Allen, 1985)."
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Television Series: "Ugly Betty", 2008.
This paper analyzes the gender roles presented in the television series "Ugly Betty" as seen in the 'Petra-gate' episode.
860 words (approx. 3.4 pages), 0 sources, MLA, $ 30.95
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Abstract
This paper argues that the originators of "Ugly Betty" try desperately to prove that a soap opera can actually offer profound criticism of society's ills; however, the show fails miserably. The paper then defends this criticism by embarking on an analysis of the April 27 "Petra-gate" episode. The main argument presented by the paper is that the producers' (or more accurately, the writers') attempt to challenge gender and sexual roles by relying on extreme stereotypes fails to send a sophisticated message, as the stereotypes (being, of course, stereotypes) are downright crude and offensive.
From the Paper
"The character of Daniel, Bradford's foolishly impetuous son, also succeeds in reinforcing tedious gender roles, Betty, fittingly, cares a great deal about her boyish-faced boss, and she (also fittingly) manages to provide him with release by filling the role of the caretaker or strict mother: "You're using [women] like a drug". Betty is ideal for this role (she lacks good looks or sexual appeal), and does a superb job of being the self-deprecating friend, the listener, and, when the behavior of her uncouth boss demands it, the scolding mother and savior (it is she, after all, that saves him from certain ruin)."
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Sex Trafficking, 2008.
This paper is written in the form of a debate that covers both sides of the human sex trafficking issue.
2,005 words (approx. 8.0 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 63.95
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Abstract
This paper presents the opening statement of the debate that human sex trafficking as an accepted part of society and human sex trafficking can be addressed with success in the social order. The author contends that, while the argument suggesting that sex trafficking cannot be addressed effectively in society does have merit, the strength of the argument supporting an end to sex trafficking is supported by greater evidence. The paper concludes that through government intervention, public participation and an aggressive approach to the issue, sex trafficking can be ended in society without question.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Statement Accepting the Issue
Statement in Opposition
Conclusion
From the Paper
"According to Matthews, the sex trafficking business is supported by conditions in society that are detrimental to human existence (sec. 1). Poverty, homelessness and hunger are only a few of these conditions. These factors serve to support sex trafficking because often times children leave their homes and become part of the sex trafficking trade because they are promised a better life than they presently know. Parents sell their children to sex traffickers in many countries because the prices that are offered will provide food for the remaining siblings. "
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HBO's"Oz" and the Immutability of Heterosexuality, 2008.
An analysis of Joe Wlodarz' article 'Maximum Insecurity: Genre Trouble and Closet Erotics In and Out of HBO's "Oz"' in "Camera Obscura 58".
2,010 words (approx. 8.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 63.95
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Abstract
This paper relates that Joe Wlodarz, in his article, 'Maximum Insecurity: Genre Trouble and Closet Erotics In and Out of HBO's "Oz"', analyzes the interplay between genre and sexuality in the HBO television program, "Oz". The author explains that, in an attempt at a Foucauldian reading of the series, Wlodarz succeeds and fails in making a point about the notion of seeing sexual acts as an epistemological guarantee of identity. The paper also points out that, ultimately, Wlodarz falls prey to some of the same assumptions he is arguing against. The author underscores that, by queering the genre of prison drama by describing it as soap opera, he also queers the very identities he is trying to examine based upon the 'queer' acts that they are performing. The paper argues that seeing these acts as 'queer' is an instance of submitting to the same epistemological fallacy that Wlodarz seems to be working so hard to undermine.
From the Paper
"Wlodarz writes that even in the 'love story' scenario between two of the main characters in "Oz", there are no loving sex scenes, no space between these men where sex is used as a resolution, or a place of comfort. Wlodarz argues that this is an indicator that "the series refuses to contain sexuality, to limit sexual identity, or to suggest that romantic and / or sexual relations are anything less than dangerous and destabilizing." I would argue, instead, that this portrayal of the sexual activity between men who call themselves straight and who only have sex with women when they have the option shows that they are indeed straight, despite the biological sex of the bodies of their partners."
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Gender in "Huckleberry Finn", 2008.
An analysis of the theme of gender in "Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.
1,465 words (approx. 5.9 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 48.95
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Abstract
The paper looks at how Mark Twain in "Huckleberry Finn" shows Huck to be one who tells the truth as he knows it, without much concern for consequences. The paper contrasts Huck to Tom Sawyer, the more devious character who tries to live up to an ideal found in books. The paper examines these characters' ideas about gender and explains the many different and sometimes controversial interpretations of this theme.
From the Paper
"Gerald Graff and James Phelan in introducing a piece by Nancy Walker note that few are surprised when racial controversy is found in the pages of this novel, for those issues are also more up front. They also find that much of what the critics find in the novel may be imposed by them and not inherent in the text, and this is one of the reasons why there are so many ongoing arguments about these matters. They cite an argument by Myra Jehlen about the Judith Loftus scene in which Huck dresses as a girl and is discovered by Judith, and Jehlen finds that this "works to dramatize the way in which conventional male and female identities are a product of nurture not nature" (Graff and Phelan 473). As the editors note, other critics see this as an imposition by Jehlen of her own political views and cannot find the same idea in the text."
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Social Colloquialisms, 2008.
A research proposal on social labeling and its significance, with a focus on the subject of gender.
1,186 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
The paper relates that social labeling is identified as qualifying terms attached to specific constructs found within general social interactions. The paper explains that the purpose of this study is to identify those social colloquialisms that are used to identify gender within common parlance. The paper states the scope of the study, the research questions, the methods of assessment as well as the format and timetable.
Outline:
Purpose of the Study
Scope of the Study
Methods
Outline and Timetable
From the Paper
"The pervasiveness of social labeling has resulted in the investigation of these words as representative of values shared throughout a specific society. Early research by Brooks-Gunn and Lewis (1979), for example, sought to identify why children between 9 to 24 months of age were more likely to associate the label "daddy" with an authority figure while the label "mommy" was more likely to be associated with a nurturing figure. The authors found that these two terms were heavily saturated within information communicated to infants and children, such as nursery rhymes, and that the children absorbed these social labels without attaching any qualifying information to these terms."
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Gender Discrimination and the Law, 2008.
This paper discusses the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
971 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 34.95
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Abstract
The paper explains that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment ensures that states cannot promulgate or enforce a law that violates constitutional freedoms. The paper discusses the three degrees of scrutiny that are applied by the courts in analyzing statutes challenged under the Equal Protection Clause. In particular, the paper looks at various gender-based court cases and focuses on a 1996 case, United States v. Virginia, and its outcome.
From the Paper
"Three degrees of scrutiny are applied by the courts in analyzing statutes challenged under the Equal Protection Clause. If a legislative classification disadvantages a "suspect class" or infringes upon the exercise of a "fundamental right," then the courts will employ strict scrutiny and the statute must fall unless the government can demonstrate that the classification has been narrowly tailored to serve a compelling governmental interest."
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Hermaphroditism, 2008.
This paper discusses the history of the approach to intersexuality cases, an unusual physiological condition in which the genitalia are ambiguous, also known as hermaphroditism.
2,125 words (approx. 8.5 pages), 14 sources, APA, $ 66.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, as hermaphroditism became an established issue in science, two major concerns were raised by sociologists and scientists: How is sex defined and who has the authority or legal right to decide the sex of intersexed infants? The author points out that, in most cases, the patient is assigned as male or female because society is so conditioned to accept only a binary gender system. The paper stresses that it is not always possible for gender assignment to be purely the patient's decision, especially in the case of a new-born infant. The author underscores that selecting the "true" sex or "brain sex" demonstrates the difficulty in distinguishing between the physical and the psychological factors of intersexuality. The paper concludes that gender cannot be changed by social conditioning.
From the Paper
"However, this has caused some critics to complain that people might want to go through sex reassignment surgery for inadequate or frivolous reasons, such as a male who wants to speak in a high voice and walk in heels undergoing sex reassignment surgery to become a "female". At a more fundamental level, critics charge that all the surgery does is merely alter the biological sex of that particular male. However, it cannot change the psychological sex, and in fact it is the psychological sex that drives this "male" to undergo surgery."
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Sex Has Been Gender All Along, 2007.
An examination of the re-framing of the concepts "sex" and "gender".
1,686 words (approx. 6.7 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 54.95
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Abstract
This paper re-frames the concepts of "sex" and "gender". In this paper the term "sex" refers primarily to biological traits, while the term "gender" refers to the behaviors associated with a particular biological sex, rather than merely the biological sex itself. The paper shows that the existentialist Simone de Beauvoir was one of the trailblazers who opened up this field, while Judith Butler completely re-framed the concepts of "sex" and "gender." The paper then points out that Butler's re-framing moved the spotlight from a subject self with a biological sex/gender, to a performance of gender. The paper also looks at how this re-framing of "sex" and "gender" has had the consequence of freeing gender expression from previous restrictions - at least theoretically. The writer concludes that no gender positions are natural, or entirely dictated by biology. Rather, they are all constructed.
From the Paper
"Up until around the middle of the 20th century, it was almost universally believed that gender is assigned by biology, so that maleness inevitably implies masculinity, and femaleness inevitably implies femininity. It was also widely assumed that all infants are born clearly and indisputably either one sex or the other, and that once they reach sexual maturity they will inevitably and universally wish to choose a sexual partner of the opposite sex. This group of assumptions is sometimes referred to as biological essentialism (Butler; Fausto-Sterling, Sexing the Body; Salih)."
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Gay Adoption, 2008.
This paper argues against the myth that gay adoptions are dangerous to children.
1,205 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 11 sources, MLA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the opponents of rights for gays and lesbians claim that gays and lesbians are not merely unsuitable as potential adoptive parents but also entirely immoral. The author underscores that, overwhelmingly, the opposition to adoption by gays and lesbians is based on religious arguments. The paper relates that, although opponents of homosexual adoption have long tried to make a case that a child raised by a homosexual couple is at greater risk than a child raised by "straight" parents, serious research to support this is virtually non-existent. The author stresses that there is overwhelming scientific support, from such authorities as the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, that gays are entirely suitable as adoptive parents.
From the Paper
"Despite these studies, there are bitter opponents of gay adoption, and it is notable that a tiny group of people remain dedicated to the idea that there is a "scientific" basis for opposition to gay adoption. One of the most credentialed opponents of gay adoption is Lynn Wardle, a professor of law at the Brigham Young University Law School. Wardle has been most vocal in custody disputes, in which he contends if a biological parent is found to be gay, this creates a rebuttable presumption that the parent is unfit and should therefore by denied custody."
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Minority Groups within Unions, 2008.
A discussion of how minority groups in Canada are treated within labor unions.
1,290 words (approx. 5.2 pages), 4 sources, APA, $ 43.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the different methods and strategies that minorities in Canada have utilized to advance their interests within the union movement, and what other actions they could take to further their cause.
From the Paper
"It has not always been easy for minorities to pursue their goals via the labour movement. Until the early decades of the 20th century, Aboriginal, Black and Asian workers were not even allowed to join unions. As a result, they formed their own unions to further their interests. An example was the Order of Sleeping Car Porters - comprising black people working on the railways. Later, when they were allowed to join the mainstream unions, these unions disbanded. However, since the 1980s, minorities have been organizing separate groups within the union movement to focus on their own specific needs. This movement reflects the concept of separation, as opposed to integration - it is argued that when a group suffers particular hardships or prejudices, it should have to right to separate and focus on combating these prejudices. This can be easier than attempting to persuade the mainstream unions to focus on these minority issues. This concept was established by the women's movement, so that it was less controversial when minorities embraced it within the labour movement (Labour Studies 332 Study Guide). However, it should also be borne in mind that there is streght in solidarity - as will be discussed further below."
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Cultural Constructions, 2008.
This paper discusses the challenge of the sitcom "Will and Grace" towards hetero-normativity.
1,363 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer looks at how the prosperous sitcom, 'Will & Grace' challenges traditional notions of hetero-normativity in that it seeks to "normalize" a gay character by placing that character within a situation comedy also featuring an attractive heterosexual woman he just so happens to be living with. The writer points out that the show emphasizes Will's professional success and is unafraid to make explicit "gay" references to human sexuality - scenes that, whatever their dramatic and aesthetic merits, certainly humanize Will and force the audience to view homosexual men and women as having the same human and instinctual impulses as heterosexual men and women. The writer maintains that at the same time, though, even as the series casts a bit of mockery on some old stereotypes about gays, it also perpetuates the notion that gay men are weaker than other men - less virile, in short. The writer concludes that the series is a commendable one, but hardly an infallible one.
From the Paper
"The series has done other rather remarkable things that have challenged the bigotry gay men and women habitually face in modern-day American society. Most notably, the show has not been averse to making explicit "gay" references on-air, an apparent first in US prime-time television. Suffice it to say, this strategy has forced gay themes about sexuality and about human relationships into the mainstream - a process that, over a period of time, might diminish the reflexive distaste some audience members have for such topics. At the very least, the show's willingness to discuss explicit "gay" themes has allowed for a presentation of Will as a genuinely three-dimensional human being; in a day and age when "gay-bashing" is still a fact of life in many parts of America, anything that serves to humanize a gay character on prime-time television is something that deserves to be applauded."
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"The Second Shift", 2008.
A review of the book "The Second Shift" by Arlie Russell Hochschild and by Anne Machung.
1,226 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
The paper examines "The Second Shift" by Arlie Russell Hochschild and by Anne Machung that addresses the struggles women face when they combine motherhood with a demanding career. The paper looks at the purpose of the book, the main ideas, the central thesis, the research methodology used and the possible biases of the writers. The paper also identifies the overall strengths and weaknesses of the book and the impression it made upon the writer. The paper shows how the text is a solid one, but also one that has significant shortcomings.
From the Paper
"At its core, Arlie Russell Hochschild and Anne Machung's book, The Second Shift, is about the struggles women face when they try to "marry" motherhood with a demanding career; the book, in essence, is a manifesto on the challenges confronted by having both parents pursue careers in a world wherein a "buck" does not have quite the same buying power as it once did - and where gender roles are being dramatically re-drawn (not always with happy results for both parties)."
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"A Streetcar Named Desire", 2008.
A comparison of patriarchal behaviors in the historical period after World War II with those in modern times, as portrayed within the play, "A Streetcar Named Desire," by Tennessee Williams.
806 words (approx. 3.2 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 28.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the sexism of patriarchal behaviors that were present in the historical period after World War II. It then compares this how they have changed in modern times, as portrayed within the play, "A Streetcar Named Desire," written by Tennessee Williams. The paper analyzes the roles of both men and women in the play in order to examine patriarchal dominance.
From the Paper
"A modern woman in the feminist perspective would certainly be offended at Stanley's 'lordly' patriarchal values, which would have the woman only be a servant to his domestic needs. The contrast in this scene with modernity in the roles between men and women would be defined through a feminist construct, enabling women to defy commands and overtly sexist demands that Stanley makes to Stella. In this manner, Stanley becomes the patriarchal figure that would not be tolerated in the 21st century, but within the context of the post World War II era, he is able to incite sexism and machismo in the cultural context of the returning soldiers and their behaviors toward women as objects for their servitude in the home. In this manner, the greatly contrasting choices that feminism brought in the 1970s until modern times has changed the way that women react toward sexist men, providing them with a choice to follow or reject these patriarchal behaviors that Stanley epitomizes in the play."
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Canadian Gender History, 2008.
This paper discusses Canadian gender history, focusing on masculinity before and after World War II.
2,050 words (approx. 8.2 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 64.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer examines how notions of masculinity in Canada have changed perceptibly over time. As a line of demarcation, the paper looks at how masculinity was perceived in the pre-World War II period, and the notions of masculinity that have emerged from 1946 onward - if only gradually. In so doing, the paper reviews traditional (pre-1939) notions about men being only worthy of the title of a man if they were willing combatants and providers, as well as how men today are now expected (and encouraged) to also be nurturers and care-givers. The writer presents a general idea that men are being pressured into becoming more feminine in their world-view even if Canadian society (at least in the matter of men as nurses) still harbors some sexual stereotypes that instinctively rebel at the thought of men fulfilling certain tasks.
From the Paper
"Reviewing the Canada that existed before the advent of World War II, the idea that men should stand and fight - whether for principle, for honor, or for love - was not one dismissed lightly. Without question, it was expected of a man that he would not lightly take an insult or slur cast his way. For instance, tavern fights were quite common in nineteenth century Canada and the masculine code of the era dictated that a man who backed down from a challenge was, for all intents and purposes, relieving himself of some of his manhood. What would be interesting to find out - although this writer had difficulty finding appropriate scholarly sources - is whether the average term of imprisonment for assault and battery offenses was higher in the pre-World War II era than it was, and is, in the post-World War II epoch. The reason why this is a significant matter deserving of further exploration is because new information might offer fascinating insight into how the judicial elites of the age (and all of those residing within the Canada of the time who wielded socio-political power) tacitly encouraged - or at least did not actively discourage - male violence. More than that, it would be especially interesting to find out how cases of violence that involved the "upper-crust" were treated relative to instances of violence that involved only the "plebeians" of early Canadian society."
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The Causes of Rape, 2008.
A review of the book "The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life." by Michael Gurian's and Kathy Stevens.
1,330 words (approx. 5.3 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 44.95
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Abstract
This paper examines Michael Gurian's and Kathy Stevens' book on the causes of rape, "The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life." by Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens." The paper discusses the excellent manner in which Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens touch upon the need for parents to make the early years of a boy's life ones in which emotional intelligence and bonding capabilities are established. The paper then outlines how teachers (and society as a whole) must do a better job of recognizing the vulnerabilities of men and the challenges they face. The paper also looks at the contradictory "messages" that society transmits to young men and how they contribute to incidences of sexual violence. In conclusion, the paper shows that until the psychological, emotional and scholastic needs of boys are fully met by society, sexual violence will continue to be a frightening menace.
From the Paper
"The tension between men and women has grown substantially in recent decades as the initial fight for equality waged by feminists on behalf of all women gradually gave way to a "gender feminism" all-too-often typified by anti-male rhetoric and by a legislative agenda that privileged the needs of girls over boys. Not surprisingly, this anger and resentment has dramatically increased the prospects of an all-out "gender war" that will leave both sides as victims."
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Gender and Foucault, 2008.
This paper discusses textual construction of gender differentiation in texts of Sigmund Freud, Nancy Chodorow and Michel Foucault.
1,000 words (approx. 4.0 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that the issue of gender differentiation is a highly contentious one. The writer points out that this involves not only questions of how the process occurs in humans, but also its political associations in terms of power relations between the sexes, and institutional power in western societies in general. In order to understand the significance of the textual construction of gender differentiation the writer maintains that it would be useful to consider Foucault's analysis of how the medical community has played a major role in exploring this issue. Foucault's analysis is important for he does not simply consider the debates over gender differentiation to involve simply questions of biology and psychology, or even gender relations between the sexes. Instead, the writer notes that Foucault asks that we consider the textual explorations themselves as instruments of power by which medical institutions and society define and control sexuality.
From the Paper
"This "debate" between Chodorow and Freud with regard to the differentiation of gender can thus be seen as a struggle for gender power in society as a whole. The capacity to define one or the other gender as a normative state of humanity is clearly an assertion of power. However, in a larger analysis, Foucault would suggest that we see both researchers as been fundamentally similar in that they both partake of an institutional approach to infantile sexuality in the medical and scientific community which has, as its ultimate purpose, the assertion of control and domination over children's sexuality through processes of surveillance and behaviour modification. These processes with regard to the development of gender differentiation, Foucault argues, can be seen in the rendering as "perverse" such gendered states as "homosexuality" in children. This is revealing of the instrumentality through which western societies have, for at least the past few centuries, applied significant efforts to the control of individuals through the control of sexuality and - in particular - the power to define sexuality according to the interests of institutional powers."
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Bad Women, Spies and Vamps, 2008.
A proposal for an early cinema series for Cinematheque Ontario whose theme would appeal both to those interested in early cinema as well as those interested in gender issues and feminism.
2,387 words (approx. 9.5 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 73.95
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Abstract
In this article, the author explains that, if asked to program an early cinema series for Cinematheque Ontario, the them she would choose for the program would be "Bad Women, Spies and Vamps: Female Gender Transgression in Early Cinema." The author then goes on to explain why she thinks this theme is appropriate for this cinema and then identifies a number of films to be screened in the program, as well as some issues and information that would be included in the pamphlets accompanying the films.
Outline:
Introduction
Bad Women and New Women: Traffic in Souls
She Spies, Shoots and Saves: Serial Queens of the Early Cinema
Pearl of the Army
The Perils of Pauline
The Early Cinema Femme Fatale: Les Vampires
Conclusion
From the Paper
"One of the interesting features of these films is that their narratives are often dominated by the dynamic tension between two figures: the Bad Woman and the New Woman. It should be recalled that this was a period when the traditional gender norms were under assault; most notably in the form of the Suffragette movement in the United States and Great Britain where women were protesting for the right to vote. As a result, there was a great deal of uncertainty as to what were the proper gender roles for women in this changing society. In this environment, reformers were at pains to distinguish between the New Woman - who was demanding unprecedented rights and privileges - and traditional Bad Woman who violated gender norms for different purposes. The issue of moral regulation was a central concern in this debate, as is illustrated in the words of one reformist text from 1913 .. "
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