Hi, my name is Graham Hirsh. I am from Needham, MA and I am a criminology major. I was actually thinking of adding a fifth class but I wasn't sure about the workload and what class to pick. When I received this email, it was an ideal situation because it fit my schedule, it was only two credits, and it was an interesting and relevant subject matter.
My interest in politics has rapidly risen the last two years and will only continue to rise. I say that because I have found the more educated I become, the more interested in politics I become also. Knowing the significance of this election and being a senior with a strong interest in politics, I am excited about being in a discussion-based that focuses on politics but that also goes much deeper.
In high school, I attended an all-boys for two years and, needless to say, it was a different experience than what I was used to in public school. The rampant homophobia (yet strong homoeroticism) and the misogynistic belief system didn't really mesh with me. I always thought college was the time to take classes you never could take in high school and Gender, Politics, and Power was definitely not on my school's curriculum Last year, I took a class called Gender & Communication that really opened my eyes on power and privilege and how it affects and runs society. It was humbling to take a class on a subject matter I thought I knew a lot about and then learn not only did I not know much, I was completely oblivious to so much more. Since I went to an all-boys school, I also find it very interesting to have discussions on gender with people actually of the opposite sex. I feel as though this class combines subject matter that I am both interested in but also still naïve on and that is exactly what I want in a class.
2 comments:
I always find that interesting, about homoeroticism and homophobia occurring simultaneously. I read a great essay once regarding these undertones in fraternities (called tarfs in Nacireman culture--America and frats spelled backward to disguise them so that we could read it without prior conceptions). Anyhow, it seems like the homophobia and hyper-masculinity come out in order to deny those homoerotic feelings, both to themselves and anyone who might perceive them that way.
I agree, Raishel, it is a common issue: the simultaneous presence of intense male connections and the need to distance this from anything explicitly homosexual. For me, too, it is endlessly fascinating (and forms part of my own disseration work).
I also appreciate, Graham, your willingness to admit to what you don't know. It can be startling and exciting (and maybe even difficult) to confront some of the social forces that condition how we communicate as gendered subjects. I'd also be curious to hear more from you about your observations on the differences between having these discussions in a same-sex setting vs. a mixed-sex setting.
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