November 8

Today was another round of presentations for resources. We listened to plans for seminars, school curriculum, and my own group's idea of an infographic type resource.

Holly, Hannah, and Haley presented their research on a high school curriculum that includes more information on rape and sexual assault. They called their curriculum "Flash Plus+" which is supposed to be an extension of the existing sex education in Pullman high schools. They wanted to create an education system that would not take too much more time for the high school instructors to implement, since they are often strapped for time and only have a few days to present the important stuff.

They described how the current system is very scripted and the teachers are not really allowed to say what their own opinions on the subject are. Additionally, there is sex ed at all three levels in some form or another.

Their curriculum would focus on teaching sexual education in relation to rape, especially at the high school level because they will be encountering alcohol, drugs, and will begin being sexually active. The curriculum would also put a focus on going beyond "no means no" and transitioning to "yes means yes" education. They would focus on how and when to say "yes." They also wanted to teach the students how to accept a "no." They wanted to highlight that their sexual choices are their own, and for the others to understand that the best way for someone to find out if another wants to sleep with them is to ask. Also importantly, the group wanted to include resources for the students if the "no" was ignored.

I thought their project was well put-together and they had a good foundation for what they would teach the students.

The next project was a seminar, also targeted at students to have a day or two of discussing rape. They would talk about what constitutes rape, what happens to the victims, etc. They were also planning on showing videos to the students with rape survivors in them, to give them a perspective of what it could be like for victims/survivors. More importantly, I though it was good that the group wanted to bring a heavy dose of pathos. They seemed to think they would aim this pathos at the males in the group. The idea was to relate the topic of rape to people in their lives  and ask them how they would feel. One of the questions or topics might ask them how they would feel if their mother/sister/cousin was raped. I thought that part of their presentation was important.

We also presented that day. Our project was an infographic that would go into a magazine or some other forum for parents that was focused heavily on visuals. We wanted to show that certain phrases we say to kids can reinforce rape culture later in life. Such phrases cemented compliance in girls, violence in boys, and other worrisome themes. We had hoped that would get across.

November 6

This class we listened to presentations of people's projects. Lateah had an idea to do more of an interactive idea where she would organize a flash "mob"/dance presentation about rape/rape culture. Jackson had an idea that the group he's a part of, Men for Social Change, would hopefully use in real life. Micah and Jace's project had a pamphlet and a website.

Lateah's project would be impactful because she had planned to do it in a public space like the mall. This means that people would be forced to walk by it, and therefore, in some way would have to confront the ideas that she is presenting. In addition to being near the idea, some people might end up being curious about it and stop to listen to the ideas; maybe some would do their own research later.

Jackson's idea was interesting because of the intended audience. I think it would be safe to say that those of us in this class understand how crucial of allies that college men would be to ending rape and rape culture. His idea looked to recruit men as those allies, specifically in the Greek community, where we have seen many issues. The idea was to incorporate a handout/infographic into an interactive discussion about masculinity. He would present a box and would ask the men in the audience to pinpoint what makes men, men. This would hopefully lead to the revelation by the leaders that there are already actions they do that do not fit within the dominant narrative of what is manhood. Therefore, being an ally for ending rape would be beneficial (even if it does not seem very manly).

Micah and Jace's project was good because of the amount of information that it could distribute to people. Their pamphlet had sources, websites, and definitions that would benefit those who are not familiar with what rape entails and what is involved in rape culture. Their pamphlet could be passed out en masse, or could be placed in a resource center for visitors to pick up. The intended audience seemed a little fuzzy to me, but my understanding was that it would do very well for victims who wanted contact information for help. They were also trying to reach male college students so it was suggested they also pass the pamphlets out to the general population to reach that population.

It was interesting to see how people formulated their projects based on the information we have learned in class.