research_curation_ppt.pptx | |
File Size: | 78 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
TRIGGER WARNING: Please leave this page if you begin to feel uncomfortable with the content provided.
^^^^PowerPoint Presentation^^^^
Inquiry Question: How prevalent is rape culture (misogyny, victim blaming, normalcy of sexual assault, or attitudes of accepting and tolerating these issues) in our secondary schools, and what strategies are teachers using to address the issue in an appropriate manner?
Rationale: Early this fall, I was in 7th period of my Field Practicum study at a local high school. A young male student in 10th grade made what is often referred to as a “rape joke.” I told him I didn’t find it funny, and talked to him privately out in the hallway a few minutes later. He put up defenses as I explained that “even though I get you were trying to be funny, this sort of humor can be triggering to other students in the classroom.” The hope was that he would understand why that sort of humor is so unacceptable. We made a stronger connection that day because I was honest and forward with him about this issue. Yet, it disturbed me to the point where I needed to do more research.
This incident made me think: how often does this sort of thing, these misogynistic jokes, go unchecked? What is the prevalence of misogyny, victim blaming, and tolerance of the normalcy of our country’s rape culture in our schools? Finally, what strategies can be used to discuss and dismantle rape culture issues in the school? Even though this student is generally a kind, goofy, socially enjoyable young man, it still disturbed me that he would say something so inappropriate with no fear of repercussion. For my final Resource Curation project, the first portion will present to present to you definitions of rape culture and statistics as to the prevalence of these issues in our nation’s middle and high schools. The second portion will be some ways that educators can intervene when these issues arise.
Course Outcome Connection: This topic is meant to discuss an issue that is difficult for many people, especially understanding and facing a white, male privilege that rape culture seems to foster. The first two will be course outcomes one and two: SLO 1 is that the project will explore, analyze, and articulate multiple aspects of social identity, as it pertains to men and women of adolescent age. This project will touch on SLO 2, where I and others will recognize internal and external biases (conscious and unconscious) and how these come into effect in society, especially in our schools. SLOs 5 and 6 will be covered as well: My talk with the young man mentioned above did not feel productive from my standpoint. I want myself and the readers of this project to recognize and respond to these gender inequities, so that we may dismantle rape culture in our society. I would also like for students to recognize and respond to sexism and rape culture, because, ideally, change starts with them.
1) West, Amy (2013). This happens every day – “Pretty” short film. YouTube. Length: 2:11.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL2v8yerfRI&t=4s
This is a very short film that summarizes, by way of acting, what is meant by the term rape culture. It does not explicitly define rape culture, but rather denotes it through dramatic performance. It was made to open a dialogue about unwanted sexual harassment: something that happens “literally every day.” It explains in a dramatic way the sort of harassment and self-convinced justification that comes from the male gender.
2) Gruber, A. (2016). Anti-rape Culture. Kansas Law Review, 64(4), 1027-1053.
This is a dense document from a legal standpoint about what exactly rape culture is and how anti-rape culture is growing in Western society. This article does explicitly define “rape culture” as well as movements within anti-rape culture. It claims a need for “[higher education] campus disciplinary reform” in order to reduce the amount of sexual assault on U.S. campuses, including the U.S. Department of Education’s failure to issue mandates. It also gives the prevalence, causes, effects, and general “normative ideas about sex, gender, and institutional authority.”
3) Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services (2017). Rape culture, victim blaming, and the facts. Southern Connecticut State University. Retrieved from
http://www.southernct.edu/sexual-misconduct/facts.html
This is a brief but accurate summary of rape culture, victim blaming, as well as domestic and sexual violence statistics from a higher-education institute. Look specifically at the “How men and women can combat rape culture and victim blaming.” This begins to touch on the recognize and respond learning outcome of our course. It is imperative to understand the domestic violence issue that arises when talking about rape culture.
4) Gordon, Claire (2014). By the numbers: Sexual violence in high school. Aljazeera America. Retrieved from
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2014/11/14/by-the-numbers-sexualviolenceinhighschool.html
Understand the hard data. These are harrowing statistics that we should not avoid to look at in detail: “In a given school year, 58% of 7th – 12th graders (male and female) experience sexual harassment, including sexual assault and molestation.” Allowing male bullying is a root cause of this harassment, and 1 in 5 girls say they’ve had unwanted sexual contact at school. Students say that the most likely targets of unwanted sexual harassment were “girls who were really developed and pretty girls.” Teachers should understand who will be targeted in a school.
5) Angela L. (2017). School dress code: A foundation for rape culture. YouTube. Length: 9:14. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1ET-L_LF-s
Hear it from the source: This is a documentary made by a young woman in high school. It brings up an interesting point of how the gender-biased dress code that is pushed in our schools may be laying a foundation for rape culture. They claim that their teachers (male teachers included) tell them not to wear clothes that make them “feel uncomfortable.” This has made the young women in the video not only feel uncomfortable around their male teachers, but also makes them feel shame and embarrassment. Remember that young men are not held to the same scrutiny in our schools; after all “boys will be boys.”
6) Clemens, Colleen (2016). Disrupting rape culture through education. Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved from
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/disrupting-rape-culture-through-education
Following the previous, this is just a few ways that we can discuss and prevent rape culture in our educational setting. Arguably the most important is discussing consent in a non-biased way. While “no means no is no longer effective” it is still a technique that is being taught in our schools. “Teaching people to say ‘yes’ to what they do want instead of saying ‘no’ to what they don’t want gives teenagers power to control sexual situations.” What is interesting is that this article suggests teaching students that teasing is not a healthy way to “like” someone, or unwanted hugs are still unwanted contact.
7) Center for Teaching Excellence of the University of Virginia (2015). Teaching to promote gender equality. Center for Teaching Excellence of the University of Virginia. Retrieved from
http://cte.virginia.edu/resources/teaching-a-diverse-student-body-practical-strategies-for-enhancing-our-students-learning/gender-dynamics-in-the-classroom/teaching-to-promote-gender-equality/
This article lists strategies that teachers can use to dismantle institutional sexism in the classroom, and give all students more power. This includes “avoid making any student a spokesperson for [their] gender… look around the room to make eye contact with both male and female students… Return to the remarks of students who start to speak but are interrupted.” There is an abundance of lists to equalize gender dynamics. Notice on the right-hand side there are even more lists for teaching to a diverse population of students.
8) Teaching Tolerance (2017). Sexism: From identification to activism. Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved from
https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/sexism-from-identification-to-activism
This is an example of an appropriate lesson that can be done with students, grades 6-12, in which they identify sexism (through a diagram) and find plans of action (allies, tactics, words) to combat sexism. In the beginning, I said that we should combat sexist institutions as teachers, but this is where it starts: teaching these students so that they may come up with their own conclusions. We should absolutely respond when we see some injustice in our schools (using tactics we have learned), but we need to instill these humanistic ideals into our students as they progress through school.
^^^^PowerPoint Presentation^^^^
Inquiry Question: How prevalent is rape culture (misogyny, victim blaming, normalcy of sexual assault, or attitudes of accepting and tolerating these issues) in our secondary schools, and what strategies are teachers using to address the issue in an appropriate manner?
Rationale: Early this fall, I was in 7th period of my Field Practicum study at a local high school. A young male student in 10th grade made what is often referred to as a “rape joke.” I told him I didn’t find it funny, and talked to him privately out in the hallway a few minutes later. He put up defenses as I explained that “even though I get you were trying to be funny, this sort of humor can be triggering to other students in the classroom.” The hope was that he would understand why that sort of humor is so unacceptable. We made a stronger connection that day because I was honest and forward with him about this issue. Yet, it disturbed me to the point where I needed to do more research.
This incident made me think: how often does this sort of thing, these misogynistic jokes, go unchecked? What is the prevalence of misogyny, victim blaming, and tolerance of the normalcy of our country’s rape culture in our schools? Finally, what strategies can be used to discuss and dismantle rape culture issues in the school? Even though this student is generally a kind, goofy, socially enjoyable young man, it still disturbed me that he would say something so inappropriate with no fear of repercussion. For my final Resource Curation project, the first portion will present to present to you definitions of rape culture and statistics as to the prevalence of these issues in our nation’s middle and high schools. The second portion will be some ways that educators can intervene when these issues arise.
Course Outcome Connection: This topic is meant to discuss an issue that is difficult for many people, especially understanding and facing a white, male privilege that rape culture seems to foster. The first two will be course outcomes one and two: SLO 1 is that the project will explore, analyze, and articulate multiple aspects of social identity, as it pertains to men and women of adolescent age. This project will touch on SLO 2, where I and others will recognize internal and external biases (conscious and unconscious) and how these come into effect in society, especially in our schools. SLOs 5 and 6 will be covered as well: My talk with the young man mentioned above did not feel productive from my standpoint. I want myself and the readers of this project to recognize and respond to these gender inequities, so that we may dismantle rape culture in our society. I would also like for students to recognize and respond to sexism and rape culture, because, ideally, change starts with them.
1) West, Amy (2013). This happens every day – “Pretty” short film. YouTube. Length: 2:11.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL2v8yerfRI&t=4s
This is a very short film that summarizes, by way of acting, what is meant by the term rape culture. It does not explicitly define rape culture, but rather denotes it through dramatic performance. It was made to open a dialogue about unwanted sexual harassment: something that happens “literally every day.” It explains in a dramatic way the sort of harassment and self-convinced justification that comes from the male gender.
2) Gruber, A. (2016). Anti-rape Culture. Kansas Law Review, 64(4), 1027-1053.
This is a dense document from a legal standpoint about what exactly rape culture is and how anti-rape culture is growing in Western society. This article does explicitly define “rape culture” as well as movements within anti-rape culture. It claims a need for “[higher education] campus disciplinary reform” in order to reduce the amount of sexual assault on U.S. campuses, including the U.S. Department of Education’s failure to issue mandates. It also gives the prevalence, causes, effects, and general “normative ideas about sex, gender, and institutional authority.”
3) Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services (2017). Rape culture, victim blaming, and the facts. Southern Connecticut State University. Retrieved from
http://www.southernct.edu/sexual-misconduct/facts.html
This is a brief but accurate summary of rape culture, victim blaming, as well as domestic and sexual violence statistics from a higher-education institute. Look specifically at the “How men and women can combat rape culture and victim blaming.” This begins to touch on the recognize and respond learning outcome of our course. It is imperative to understand the domestic violence issue that arises when talking about rape culture.
4) Gordon, Claire (2014). By the numbers: Sexual violence in high school. Aljazeera America. Retrieved from
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2014/11/14/by-the-numbers-sexualviolenceinhighschool.html
Understand the hard data. These are harrowing statistics that we should not avoid to look at in detail: “In a given school year, 58% of 7th – 12th graders (male and female) experience sexual harassment, including sexual assault and molestation.” Allowing male bullying is a root cause of this harassment, and 1 in 5 girls say they’ve had unwanted sexual contact at school. Students say that the most likely targets of unwanted sexual harassment were “girls who were really developed and pretty girls.” Teachers should understand who will be targeted in a school.
5) Angela L. (2017). School dress code: A foundation for rape culture. YouTube. Length: 9:14. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1ET-L_LF-s
Hear it from the source: This is a documentary made by a young woman in high school. It brings up an interesting point of how the gender-biased dress code that is pushed in our schools may be laying a foundation for rape culture. They claim that their teachers (male teachers included) tell them not to wear clothes that make them “feel uncomfortable.” This has made the young women in the video not only feel uncomfortable around their male teachers, but also makes them feel shame and embarrassment. Remember that young men are not held to the same scrutiny in our schools; after all “boys will be boys.”
6) Clemens, Colleen (2016). Disrupting rape culture through education. Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved from
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/disrupting-rape-culture-through-education
Following the previous, this is just a few ways that we can discuss and prevent rape culture in our educational setting. Arguably the most important is discussing consent in a non-biased way. While “no means no is no longer effective” it is still a technique that is being taught in our schools. “Teaching people to say ‘yes’ to what they do want instead of saying ‘no’ to what they don’t want gives teenagers power to control sexual situations.” What is interesting is that this article suggests teaching students that teasing is not a healthy way to “like” someone, or unwanted hugs are still unwanted contact.
7) Center for Teaching Excellence of the University of Virginia (2015). Teaching to promote gender equality. Center for Teaching Excellence of the University of Virginia. Retrieved from
http://cte.virginia.edu/resources/teaching-a-diverse-student-body-practical-strategies-for-enhancing-our-students-learning/gender-dynamics-in-the-classroom/teaching-to-promote-gender-equality/
This article lists strategies that teachers can use to dismantle institutional sexism in the classroom, and give all students more power. This includes “avoid making any student a spokesperson for [their] gender… look around the room to make eye contact with both male and female students… Return to the remarks of students who start to speak but are interrupted.” There is an abundance of lists to equalize gender dynamics. Notice on the right-hand side there are even more lists for teaching to a diverse population of students.
8) Teaching Tolerance (2017). Sexism: From identification to activism. Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved from
https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/sexism-from-identification-to-activism
This is an example of an appropriate lesson that can be done with students, grades 6-12, in which they identify sexism (through a diagram) and find plans of action (allies, tactics, words) to combat sexism. In the beginning, I said that we should combat sexist institutions as teachers, but this is where it starts: teaching these students so that they may come up with their own conclusions. We should absolutely respond when we see some injustice in our schools (using tactics we have learned), but we need to instill these humanistic ideals into our students as they progress through school.