A (very) belated introduction

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the delay. I thought I’d posted this, but apparently it was only a draft – it is somewhat ironic that I was having this much difficulty figuring out how to use the website when it is a class about technology… In any case, I am a senior Psychology major at Bryn Mawr. I have taken a number of Gen/Sex classes in my time here, but never one that covered such a specific topic. A lot of what I have studied in the past has been theoretical, and I am excited that this class, while obviously rooted in theory, may be more applicable/practical than the other classes I have taken.

Like Roisin, I find the blogs Feministing, Feministe, etc., fascinating because they are public forums in which women can discuss the issues of womanhood in our society. The anonymity that technology permits enables us to be more honest (and, at times, more dishonest), and blogs such as these may be an excellent example of a way that this honesty can be used productively. It can allow women (and men, depending on the blog) to have a safe space to discuss and analyze their place in society. It is also interesting, because the authors may well be men – one can never know for sure. I wonder if this changes the nature of the dialogue.

Technology does allow for more fluidity along the gender spectrum, in many ways, and I think that this may be an important step towards a discussion of gender as something that is not a dichotomy. This in particular is something I would like to address in the class. I’m really excited for this course!