This is the third installment in my “Big Idea Syllabus” series inspired by Dr. Michael Wesch’s “Big Idea” Syllabus for Anthropology. My “Big Idea” Syllabus for History can be found here, for Writing here. The “Big Idea” Syllabus for Gender Studies follows. Gender is an important, valid field of inquiry, and because women and gender-nonconformingContinue reading “The “Big Idea” Gender Studies Syllabus”
Tag Archives: history
Beto’s War Tax is Wrong (A Once Lost OpEd)
Back in June, I wrote the following article, intended to be an OpEd in a major publication but something happened, and I forgot about it until now. I’m sharing it here, as is, so the writing doesn’t go to “waste”! Beto O’Rourke’s proposed “War Tax” is noteworthy because it longs to go beyond Republican’s lipContinue reading “Beto’s War Tax is Wrong (A Once Lost OpEd)”
Microblogs: What it means when we say sex is a social construction
Since J.K. Rowling’s (yes, that J.K. Rowling) transphobic tweet last week, conversations on Twitter around topics of sex, gender, and trans individuals have been going on nonstop. Far too many of these conversations are transphobic and show stubborn disregard for any kind of accuracy or learning. This blog post is simply a compilation of the microblogsContinue reading “Microblogs: What it means when we say sex is a social construction”
Wheel of Fortune’s Ableism Affects Pat and Vanna, too.
Wheel of Fortune‘s ableist tendencies are endless. I’ve previously written about some of these here. But its ableism extends in other directions, too. Back in August of this year, I made a social media post focusing on Vanna and wrote: She is 62 and still “looks” (is “required” to look) much younger. If she gainedContinue reading “Wheel of Fortune’s Ableism Affects Pat and Vanna, too.”
Minorities, Responsibilities, and Educating Others
Conversations on social media about privilege and oppression often have comments along the lines of “it’s not the minority individual’s job to educate others as to how they are being oppressive or blind to their privilege.” And this always strikes me as problematic or as, generally, less than ideal. On the one hand, of course. Continue reading “Minorities, Responsibilities, and Educating Others “
Notes on Flawed Characters vs. Flawed Scripts
I often aspire to help my students realize the difference between flawed characters and flawed scripts, but recently realized I had sometimes neglected to apply this notion to my own cultural criticism. My thoughts about How To Get Away With Murder help illustrate. Basically every character in How To Get Away With Murder is deeplyContinue reading “Notes on Flawed Characters vs. Flawed Scripts”
Notes on Invisible and Unpaid Labor
I regularly think about invisible labor and unpaid labor–it’s everywhere. For invisible labor: We don’t see the people who empty our office trash cans. We don’t know the people who pick our fruits and vegetables and who deliver them to our local stores. What if grocery stores had a picture of who picked our fruitContinue reading “Notes on Invisible and Unpaid Labor “
Big Business and the Media that Facilitates Its Lies, Chick-fil-A Edition
In September 2019, Chick-fil-A opened its first location outside of the United States in Toronto, Canada. The problem — this is a lie. Chick-fil-A actually opened its first location in Canada in the mid-1990s but was unsuccessful. Chick-fil-A attempted another, also unsuccessful, entrance into Canada in 2014. In addition, Chick-fil-A opened at least two (possiblyContinue reading “Big Business and the Media that Facilitates Its Lies, Chick-fil-A Edition”
Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda 