Assignment #4: Learning Analysis

Women’s studies is a course that one can say has been constructed like a book. Each assignment is like a chapter, creating a story. I am the main character of the book. As seen in most books, I was a static character in the beginning, but eventually as the different elements and situations created by the author, or in this case Ms. King, unfolded in the story, I became a more dynamic character. But, what exactly is this book about? What is women’s studies? Although testudo may describe wmst250 as an introduction to women, art, and culture---such a title is insufficient to describe the full breadth of what women’s studies truly entails. After re-visiting the course syllabus, past assignments, blog entries, and personal free-writes, I have realized though that I am more than just a character in this book, I am another author.
The first assignment was almost like the back cover of a book. The back cover of a book gives you a preview of the entire story and how you interpret the cover will ultimately play a part in your initial perceptions of the book as a whole. The first assignment was no different. It gave me my first preview into the entire course. I was able to examine my own preconceived notions about feminism, art, and the class as a whole. I wasn’t expecting to have so many different stereotypes about women’s studies or learn anything important by visiting the different museums. Because I have always placed high priority on math courses, since I am an accounting major, I came into this class looking at it as only a means to fulfill a CORE requirement. I was a static character with such one-sided views about the course. The first assignment only reaffirmed my initial beliefs. At the time, I didn’t really see any point in the first assignment. As a result, I began the women’s studies course with this sort of mentality that all I had to do was read some books and write some papers, nothing more and nothing less.
But, I think that Ms. King wanted us to be aware of our initial views about feminism so that at the end of the course we could see how this class has affected our views. After getting the chance to read Bell Hooks’ Feminism is For Everybody: Passionate Politics, I was surprised to find that many of the stereotypes that Hooks had gotten for being a feminist was similar to the stereotypes that I had initially had about feminists. “They hate men….they want to go against nature and God…they are all lesbians…” Hooks goes on to say in her book that many of the people who have these assumptions about feminists have never actually met a feminist, read a feminist book, or attended a feminist event. Everything they know about feminists, “has come into their lives thirdhand, that they really have not come close enough to feminist movement to know what really happens, what it’s really about.” Reading that statement directly affected me. I had never read a feminist book or even actually met a feminist. All I had ever known about feminists was through what the media has portrayed in television and movies. Hooks is clear throughout her book that feminists are not about being anti-male. “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexual exploitation, and oppression.” Feminism is not just for women, instead, like the title states, “Feminism is for Everybody.” We all desire to live in a world where there is equal opportunity and where we cannot be oppressed because of our race, class, or religion. This is an idea that is not just a part of feminist ideals. This is an idea that is shared by men and women alike. “Without males as allies in struggle feminist movement will not progress.” Bell Hook’s book was the first feminist book I have ever read. Her book made me realize that it’s hard to learn something new when you don’t keep an open mind. Because I am able to now compare my initial assumptions about feminism in assignment one with the ideas presented in Bell Hook’s book, I am able to give meaning to the first assignment. The combination of these two pieces of writing has made me realize that there was significance to assignment one that I initially did not recognize. I just had to finally put the puzzle pieces together.
As I continue on in this story, new characters begin to play a part. Together with the members of my discussion section, we completed assignment two, which can be looked as another chapter in this book. In a book, the main character is always affected by the characters around him or herself. My story is no different. Because my discussion section had to come up with both a collective definition for feminism as well as a collective feminist event, my thoughts were affected by theirs. I had to combine my individual notions about feminism with people who may or may not share my same point of view. I think that Ms. King included this assignment because she wanted all of us to be able to examine the many differing views surrounding feminism. The author of a book always includes a chapter that is the exposition, or scenes leading to the climax of the story. This exposition was assignment two. Because I had the opportunity to hear other student’s ideas I was able to see the dynamic nature of women’s studies. To be able to describe this course in a single sentence is insufficient because the ideas surrounding women’s studies, like feminism, are always changing and different from person to person. My classmates helped me to understand women’s studies from various angles and through this assignment I began to get a broader and more well-rounded view of this course as a whole.
But to say that each chapter of this book is based merely on the assignments would be inaccurate. The middle part of this “book” had a lot influence from the readings, free-writes, and class discussions. The books in this course are books that I would probably never choose to read on my own. But, in a way, I think that’s why Ms. King included them in the course curriculum. She knew that many of us probably would never have the opportunity to read these books and so, she gave us the opportunity. She wanted us to be able to widen our often narrow views; to be able to see and read things that are often not publicized in the media. She wanted us to step away from the glitz and glamour of popular culture and hear the voices of those who are not heard enough.
I remember reading Octavia Butler’s Kindred and being so surprised by the entire book. When I initially found out that it was a science-fiction novel, I immediately began to feel disinterested towards the book. But because it was assigned to read, I read it obediently. Expecting to read a futuristic book taking place on Mars, I was pleasantly surprised to find that although there was time-traveling, the story was less science-fictional. The story of Dana, the protagonist, and her ability to travel back to an era where slavery was prevalent was something so different and refreshing. Usually in books you don’t have the opportunity to see a character living in two completely different time-periods. There was the obvious difference between the two places: one had slavery, one didn’t had slavery. But this single difference incited profound growth in the character Dana throughout the course of the novel. Her experiences revealed the central power struggles occurring within both time periods. With the plot in Kindred as an example, I was introduced to the ideas of marked and unmarked categories, oppression, privilege, and conceptual maps. In the story, the character, Rufus, exemplifies the corruptive and oppressive power that our privileges can give. His identity as a white slave-owner gives him power over the slaves and makes him feel as if he has the power to commit horrible acts of crime, like raping Alice. Although many of our privileges, including my own, do not oppress others to such an extreme degree, our privileges can be like Rufus‘, in that we do not fully realize the extent to which they affect others. I think many people don’t think of themselves as oppressors because the idea is something that makes them feel guilty or even ashamed, But, like Megan Seely states in her book Fight Like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist, “Feel guilty if you are not contributing to the solution, but not over something of which you have no control.”
Another idea that Kindred enabled me to understand was the idea of marked and unmarked experiences. A key motif within the book was the idea of race. In the story, the character Dana is a foil to the character Alice. Because Dana is actually not from a slave era, she is more intelligent, independent, and privileged than Alice. But when Dana travels to the past, there is no difference between her and Alice. They are both marked by the color of their skin. The one scene in the book where Carrie, the cook’s daughter, rubs Dana’s cheek in order to show that skin color cannot be rubbed off reveals the dominant role that race can play in power structures.
After learning the different terms and doing the free-writes, I was finally able to approach the climax of the story: assignment three. What was so unique about assignment three was that it provided both a means for me to reflect about the power structures that exist in not only my life, but also the life my classmate Tania. I really felt that this assignment took this class and my role within this class to a whole different level. For the first time, I was forced to not just identify my various roles, but to actually evaluate the impact of these roles. We completed a lot of different free-writes in preparation for writing the actual paper. I remember Ms. King asking, “what ability are we being given right now?” At the time, I remember having no idea how to answer the question. That question, like most questions that Ms. King asks, was so open-ended. Having always taken a lot of math and science courses, I’ve been accustomed to answering questions that either have a right or wrong answer. It was so strange for me to complete these free-writes and then have to write ten pages about how I’ve been privileged and how I might have oppressed others as a result. I’ve never looked at my identity in that kind of light and to be forced to do so really allowed me to challenge my existing beliefs and learn more about myself. I realized that the world is not as black and white as it may appear. I am a Korean-American student at the University of Maryland. Although these titles are just words, I have felt both privilege and oppression because of these mere words. What this assignment made me realize though was that although I may face challenges because of my race and gender, I have no reason to accept these oppressions. I have created privileges within my life because of the dedication and effort I have put into my work. Although I may not always be able to change how people view me, I have the power to change how I view myself and others.
Also, because of this assignment, I have so much more respect for my fellow classmates. I think the veil that Tania and I both constructed for the creative portion of assignment three epitomizes what I learned from that assignment. We all wear veils. We show others what we want them to see and others see in us what they want to see. This idea is best described by W.E.B. Dubois as, “a peculiar sensation this double consciousness…two ness…two souls two thoughts two unreconciled warring ideals in one…body (Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Dubois). Because there is often a disparity between our idealized self and perceived self, we experience internal strife. This same idea can be applied to my perception of my classmates. Hearing the oppressions and privileges within my classmates’ lives made me learn so much more about them. It is a rarity in life to ever be able to discuss with others the oppressive powers that are at work in our lives. Because the topic is so taboo in our society, we make the conscious choice not to talk about it. But because Ms. King forced us to write and discuss it, the topic seems a little less taboo, a little less secretive. Perhaps if more people were willing to talk about power structures, we would begin to take more notice of the categories that mark or unmark us and as a result, work towards trying to eliminate them. Feminist author, Megan Seely, mentions in her book that, “Education is more than what you read or what occurs in a classroom.” Its great if I leave this class learning something new, but if I don’t take the time to apply what I learn then I’m basically still at square one. Its important that I take the time to look at the perspectives of others. Seely focuses on the feminist movement in her book and how this movement is all about respect; respect for not just ourselves, but respect for others as well. We must respect that we have, “different experiences with similar issues.” Although we have our own individual “histories, cultures, and religions”, we all want to end “oppression, hate, ignorance, and discrimination.” Assignment three made me more aware of the ideals that Seely tries to advocate in her book. In the discussion section, we have talked about everything from gender-based wages to affirmative action and we didn’t necessarily always agree on these issues. Because of our individual experiences and identities, we hold different perspectives on controversial issues. But like Seely discusses in her book, the feminist movement is not about trying to get everyone to think the same way. Not all feminists are pro-choice and not all feminists agree on affirmative action. I used to always think that anyone I associated with should share my same beliefs. But Seely’s book and assignment three both made me realize that I will never be able to change what others think. I may be able to convince others to start using a certain shampoo, but I can’t convince someone to change their beliefs, thus changing the essence of who they are. What I’ve found most useful about assignment three was that it really brought so many different elements of the semester together. It made me more aware of who I am, but it also made me more aware of the world that I live in.
As this semester concludes, so does this book. The last chapter of this book can be seen in this assignment. Being able to sit down and reflect on everything that has happened in this past semester is such a humbling experience. Ms. King could have given some sort of multiple choice test about the different books for the final, but instead, she choose a reflective paper. Being given this opportunity to look back on all of the assignments and discussions throughout this course has allowed me to end this semester on a more meaningful note. Because I’ve actually taken the time to really think about everything that has happened, I have been able to connect all of the pieces of this book through this paper. I went into this course thinking that Ms. King was the author of the book and that I was just merely a character with no actual control over the ending. Yes, she did assign the readings and papers, but my final thoughts about this course are a direct reflection of my own mental and emotional growth. Ms. King taught me that we all have the power to take control over our lives. We don’t have to settle for less than what we truly deserve. As a student, who often feels like a minority because of my status as both a female and Asian-American, I have finally been given the pencil to write my own story. I probably still wouldn’t be able to give a definition for feminism because I’m not sure there really is one single definition. I also can’t say that I’m more likely to pick up a science-fiction book to read, but I can say like the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”