Learning Analysis: My Story

Alexis Aduba
05/10/08
Carissa: 03

Your description of the “story” (or argument) of the course.

As in most stories this course began with a clear setting in which most of the events would take place. For a while I tried to figure out what the setting would be, the clear, constant throughout the class, and in the end I decided that the story took place in our assumptions. Yes, our assumptions may constantly change throughout the story, but our assumptions are carried with us throughout the journey of the course no matter how they may evolve.
As I have completed this class my assumptions about Feminism have been challenged, strengthened, and changed. Today my assumptions about Feminism are very different from what they were in September. Throughout this course we were constantly encouraged to question and analyze our assumptions.
From assignment one we were required to visit Art Museums in D.C. and consider what our assumptions were about Feminism. For me, the biggest assumption that was both challenged and then changed was that feminist art would appeal to the aesthetics and superficial beauty. In fact after visiting the National Museum of Women and the Arts I realized that feminist art did the complete opposite, especially, the Paula Rego Collection. All of the harsh scenes depicting the female abortion completely challenged my assumptions.
We were also asked to compose a free-write that examined these assumptions. My response went as follows: “My assumptions about Women’s art were surprisingly a mirror of what popular culture shows us about women. I thought the women would be these tall, lengthy, model-like figures. I assumed the art would be ‘pretty’ rather than more heavily concerned with the substantive aspects of art.” Not too far after that the Professor posed he question: “What Counts as Art?” and we were asked the same question in discussion. This opened up the discussion of high and low art. It made me wonder. Who determines whether a piece of art work is valuable enough to be hung in a museum or auctioned off for thousands of dollars? In the end I decided that Art is what we make it, if someone decides that it is something to be appreciated as a piece of art then it can be. The professor also introduced us to a novel titled But is it Art? by: Cynthia Freeland a text that doesn’t so much try to classify what art is but expose the reader to various types of art and art theory. This was a book that aided in the progression of the story of the class.
In short, the story of the class went as follows: we were asked to think about what we already knew/ our assumptions, we were introduced to new windows of information that could help mold new assumptions, we were introduced to characters in feminism and different types of art, we introduced to different forms of feminism, art and feminism, feminist issues and culture. The end product of the course was a better understanding of Feminism. I think that Megan Seely, author of: Fight Like a Girl: Ho to be a Fearless Feminist describes feminism, and my understanding of feminism through this class best, she states:
“Feminism is about advocacy, activism, standing up, and speaking out. It is about fighting for social justice. And it is about working toward a solution to the continued discrimination and violence we as women face in the world—rape, sexual harassment, trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Feminism is about eradicating not just sexism but also racism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, and homophobia. Most of all feminism does not have a static definition but encompasses and encourages many types of feminisms.”(Seely 2)
This course was put together this way to, in the end; open our minds to a broader perspective of feminism that exceeds our assumptions. It was formulated to introduce us to Women Studies and imagine ourselves being apart of it and getting involved, just as Seely’s text encourages us to do. But how does this fit in to my personal story?

Put yourself into this story.

Before and throughout this class I looked at feminism as an outside force, almost like a spectator looking into and unknown world. As I learned more about feminism and related it to my life I realized that much of what I do and believe in could be considered feminist. No longer do I have to feel the taboo surrounding the term “Feminism”. Earlier in the course we were asked to describe ourselves as a subject in history and I said that it was through my activism in: the Student Global Aids Campaign, The Student’s for Barack Obama Club and my involvement in Environmental Organizations throughout my life time. My involvement in these activist organizations are also issues that feminist advocate in behalf. They advocate in behalf of politics, world issues, and environmental issues.
In class one day we were asked to discuss any feminist activities we may have experienced/witnessed outside of class. I remember going to see a production of the Vagina Monologues by: Eve Ensler performed by student actors at the University. The small group discussion allowed me to voice my opinions of the play and talk about feminism in my everyday life. Discussion was a very helpful outlet as were the larger lectures, where I could hear the opinions of my other classmates.

Discuss 3 readings from the course connecting you to the story of the class.

A quote in Chicana Art: the Politics of Spiritual and Aesthetic Altarities by: Laura E. Perez that really resonated with me was in chapter two which discussed body and dress the quote read as follows:
“Through body decoration, concepts of social order and disorder are depicted and legitimized, or specific power and class structures confirmed or concealed. In all cultures body art also expresses the normal and the abnormal, stability and crisis, the sacred and the profane.” (Perez 51)
The quote clarified so much for me especially, in regards to my visit to the art Museums. The quote (as well as the entirety of the chapter) acknowledged societal labels placed on the individual based on “body ornamentation.” The art in the museum was a kind of rejection of these socialized, and as Perez describes in her text, “Racialized Domestic Uniform.” I realize now, how much of victim I was to societal stereotypes of feminism that do not necessarily represent any truth. The art in the Museum did not fit my assumptions because my assumptions were based on the socialized concept of the term.
Another reading that connected to the story of the class was in Arlene Goldbard’s, New Creative Community. This book connected to our discussion of intersectionality, matrices of domination, and marked and unmarked categories, basically many of the social and cultural issues concerning feminism.
“As wielded by mass media in the United States, cultural identity has long functioned as a blunt instrument, with two main categories—“white middle-class” and “other.” With growing diversity, there has been greater differentiation, but the categories are still broad: Asian, Latino and so on, each subsuming a multitude of specificities.” (Goldbard 71)
This quote targets many of the issues that we discussed in class. The white middle-class Goldbard refers to in the text is representative of the unmarked categories that we discussed and the “multitude of specificities”/ “greater differentiation” is representative of the inersectionality we also discussed in class.
Lastly, another text that connected me to the story of the class was in Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by: Bell Hooks. In it there was a chapter about “consciousness raising” which I felt was a very important part of feminism, this course and my own personal story. Hooks stated, “Once the Women’s Studies classrooms replaced the consciousness raising group as the primary site for the transmission of feminist thinking and strategies for social change the movement lost its mass based potential.” (Hooks 10) Hooks speaks about how this premise of the consciousness-raising group opened up feminism to more women while also marginalizing some as well. I thought about how this is true in my life. Being a college student I am required to take this course, which could be described as a consciousness-raising group, but how many others that do not go to college have this same opportunity?
The purpose of this class was to gain a better understanding of Women, Art and Culture and introduce students to the Women’s Studies field. I feel that as a student in this class I have become more knowledgeable of Women Studies and Feminism. The story of the class and my own story intertwined to fulfill this larger purpose.