Week #3 Post

Hi Everyone,

Please continue to post your own ideas and applications of gender studies to your blog. There were some very creative application made last week. You incorporated such areas of your work and family life in addition to recoginizing it in television and the news. It is nice to see many of you connecting gender communication to your personal lives. I would be curious to read your thoughts when it comes to the music that you listen to, or even to a movie. Anybody going to see Sex in the City the movie? What gender expecatations does it create or violate when it comes to the norm? Or, could the music that you listen to be applied to an concept in our text? Or, how about in your own decisionmaking and/or discussions? Are you recognizing your learned gender patterns as the basis of your own communication? Keep up the discourse with one another and try to stretch yourself to find new areas of your life to apply gender as a means of self-discovery to your gender communication patterns.

Week #2 Posting

Hi, Everyone,

You must now come up with your own post this week. You must post to your own blog. Be creative with your ideas as gender issues are in our daily life. Start applying our course to your daily existence.

Create your own post. Then, during the week comment to at least one other post from a student in our section. Click on the box below the reply box to send a copy to yourself. If you are still having trouble with finding this box, then, copy your reply and go back to your blog and post it there yourself.

All postings and replies are due this Friday. I will go to each student's blog and should find all your posts and replies on your blog.

It was a frustrating week for some of you, but good job in hanging in there! I think the business class blogs where we share our daily gender issues will add a nice slant to our studies in gender.

Prof.M's Week #1 Business Class Post

Mother's Day is it only for women?

Yesterday I celebrated my second Mother's Day. And, I reflected on the language of the word Mother. Are mothers only woman? And, are they only woman related to the child or children? I went to a buy a card for the wonderful woman who watches my daughter while I am at R.U. teaching and it wasn't easy to find a card. I finally found a card that said something about being a caregiver. This woman loves my child and "mothers" my daughter while I am not there. It made me think of all those men that stay home and "mother" the child and same sex couples and grandparents that have taken over the role of raising or loving a child or children during the day. Where are their cards? We have seen terms to describe partners in relationships over the years grow and change, such as "significant other" or "relational partner" or instead of marriage, terms such as "committted relationship" or "monogamous relationship". Is there another word that we can use to describe all the wonderful people whether men or women, whether biologically related or not, that love and help raise children? I reflected on how my gender identity ties in to my role of a mother. Our family does adhere to the culturally based definitions of a mother being a woman and a father being a male. Our roles are tied to the masculine and feminine sterotypcial qualities of a mother and father which maybe perpetuates the cultural definition of each of these roles? I know that when I go outside the stereotypcial definition of what it means to be a "good mom", I feel as though I have failed as a mom or feel guilty that I have let my daughter down. If I had another term like parental caretaker would I have different expecations and a different self view of how well I was raising my daughter? Would she grow up and develop a self view that says she is more than just her feminine characteristics? I will ponder on this idea for awhile. What are your thoughts? What life experience have you seen or experienced this week that illustrates a gender issue in your life?

Creating Practice Posts

Hi, GND311-

Be sure to go to blogger.com and follow the easy instructions to gain a sign on and password that you will use to post. Email me if you have problelms. Please do not use your last name when signing posts. Stick to your first name only and a last letter intial.

Prof.M