New Classes

This week our new semester started. I will be teaching the same class I had last semester, plus a "development of women" class. I am so excited about it. Today, we had a discussion on feminism, feminists, and how students felt about these words. It was great! The students are very open and did a good job of discussing the topics, staying respectful, and expressing themselves. Some were still a little tentative, and one asked whether I was a feminist. I also had them look at the Kia commercial in which the cars salesfolks sing the Sound of Music "So Long" song, and describe the attributes of the performers. If you remember, the four guys are all a little "pudgy," and the girls are rail thin under their "uniform" outfits. To me this emphasize that it's ok for guys to be of all shapes, but the "average Joe" woman is still thin. Or expected to be. Speaking of car dealerships, I loved the link on Spin page and I probably will use it in class too. That should generate a heated discussion. I do have a man in class that is taking the class to better understand his daughter and the challenges she will face as she grows up. What a guy!