Gender Identities and Movements

Gender Identities and Movements (speakers in order of appearance) Brooke Biastock \u2721 “Beth: The Virtuous Artist of Little Women” (Faculty Sponsor: Julie Pfeiffer) This project discusses Beth\u27s role within Louisa May Alcott\u27s novel, Little Women, as an artist who is praised rather than punished for her artistic impulses, unlike her sisters. Beth is seldom discussed in scholarly work at large, but her story and character are critical in understanding Alcott\u27s larger themes of girlhood and womanhood ambition in Little Women. The presentation will discuss the effect of Beth\u27s girlhood ambition of the larger themes of female childhood and adult ambition in Little Women, building off a presentation at the English Senior Colloquium in Fall 2020 and incorporating new ideas and analysis. Maya Flores \u2721 “Women Symbolic and Real: Situating Gender and Ethnicity in the Colonial Mexican Landscape” (Faculty Sponsor: Rachel Nuñez) Social categorization influenced the outcome of each person\u27s life path during colonial times in Mexico. The combinations of birthplace, birth order, family history, gender, race and ethnicity all intersected to influence every individual\u27s identity. Options for women were limited to marriage or the convent. The different hierarchies in colonial Mexico collided together and created a complicated web for women to navigate. However, some women were able to use the hierarchy of the Catholic Church as a means to change their own position to a more favorable one. The presenter argues that the symbolic alterations that the Catholic Church had to make in order to incorporate the multiplicity of identities that were shaping the colonial landscape opened up means in which women were able to circumvent some of the limitations of their own identities. This assertion will be explored through the writings of early feminist nun, writer and scholar Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz. Looking at this example, the presenter will explore some of the ways in which powerful communities of women were able to shape their own circumstances despite oppressive patriarchal traditions. Autumn Green \u2724 “Popular Misconstructions of Roe v. Wade” (Faculty Sponsor: Jon Bohland) This project explores the societal impact of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which is no longer considered good law as compared to the case Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania v. Casey. Roe created a trimester-based system, where Casey implemented an undue burden standard, meaning that a government agency cannot place substantial obstacles to obstruct pre-viability abortion access. The Casey ruling built upon Roe, creating more substantial abortion protections. This project first seeks to prove that Roe v. Wade dominates conversations regarding abortion access. To achieve this, data from Twitter was collected by counting tweets with the phrase Roe v. Wade, excluding replies, links, and tweets from large news outlets, legal scholars, and political campaigns. These restrictions provide a clearer view of original, non-scholarly discourse. The process was repeated using the phrase Planned Parenthood v. Casey to compare frequencies. Secondly, this project seeks to demonstrate public misunderstanding of Roe\u27s legal standing. This is achieved by repeating the process with the phrase Overturn Roe v. Wade. Large scale misinterpretations of abortion rights law are important because accurate understanding of law better informs abortion rights advocates where they should focus their energy and attention