#1 How would two of the feminist theorists assigned from the Lemert text this week respond to contemporary feminism, as described in the article on the five main issues of modern feminism OR one of the Week 7 videos? Why?

#2 Are you a feminist? Why or why not? In your response, refer to at least one Week 7 reading or video that you didn’t use for your Prompt 1 response.

Required Text:
Lemert, C. (Ed.). (2013). Social Theory: The Multicultural, Global, and Classic Readings (5th ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview.
Sources:
• “Charlotte Perkins Gilman,” Lemert, p. 130
• “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Women and Economics,” Gilman, in Lemert, pp. 130-134
• “Virginia Woolf,” Lemert, p. 200
• “A Room of One’s Own,” Woolf, in Lemert, pp. 200-201
• “Simone de Beauvoir,” Lemert, p. 259
• “Woman as Other,” de Beauvoir, in Lemert, p. 259-261
• “Betty Friedan,” Lemert, p. 271
• “The Problem That Has No Name,” Friedan, in Lemert, pp. 271-273
• “The Five Main Issues Facing Modern Feminism,” Cosslett and Baxter: http://www.newstatesman.com/v-spot/2013/05/five-main-issues-facing-modern-feminism

VIDEO
1. http://on.ted.com/CMartin
2. http://on.ted.com/JacksonKatz
• LECTURE:
Gender and Feminism

There are many varieties of feminism and many different feminists who changed the
course of the world – radical feminists; liberal feminists; socialist feminists, etc. In this
course, we will begin by reading the work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who was part of
the first wave of feminism, from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. First wave
feminists focused on women’s legal rights, although the excerpt from Gilman assigned in
this class focuses on equality in marriage –more a concern of second-wave feminism. The
second wave started in the early 1960s and lasted until the early 1980s. Simone de
Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) ushered in this second wave, and we read a famous
excerpt from that book, ?Woman as Other,? in this course.
We end this unit, and the course, by reading the writing of three contemporary third-wave
feminists –Patricia Hill Collins, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Paula Gunn Allen—who
demonstrate that race and class intersect with gender, resulting in women of color having
a qualitatively different life experience than that of the white, middle-class women who
defined the first and second waves.
But what is feminism? Feminism is ultimately an ethical position that argues for the
intrinsic dignity of the individual over and beyond gender categorization. Feminism is
also a political position that seeks to ensure gender equality, the equal treatment of
individuals in all spheres of life. What is patriarchy? Patriarchy is a system of gender
domination where men design a society to suit their own interests and systematically
exploit, degrade, and oppress females. What is gender? Gender is essentially a theatrical
performance and a socially constructed category. Men play the role of being a man (?I
like trucks and beer and sports!?) and women play the socially assigned role of female (?I
am emotional and like to shop?). If you want to find out how embedded gender roles are
in ?common sense,? show up to a holiday dinner wearing lipstick and/or a dress (if you
are a male) or shave your head and/or cut your hair short for this dinner (if you are a
women). Observe the reactions on everyone’s face upon your arrival.
What is sexual objectification? This refers to a way of treating women and/or men as
strictly a means for sexual pleasure as opposed to a whole person with intrinsic dignity.
Let’s also cover a common misconception about feminism. Are feminists ?man haters??
The answer is no. Feminists criticize and oppose the ideas and practices that lead to the
oppression of women, in all realms –the personal as well as the political. Showing that
the personal is political is one of the most significant contributions of feminism. Are you
a feminist?

Click here to have a similar A+ quality paper done for you by one of our writers within the set deadline at a discounted…..