Monday, March 14, 2005
3/14
Syllabus:
3/14 Read & Blog: Written Lives
In Class:
Total change of plans. We will have two guest speakers in class today: D and Joel.
Per pre-class email:
Sorry about the short notice, but today was the only day I could confirm for, and I didn't find out until Saturday night (and I didn't have computer access until this morning). Tonight during class we will have two guest speakers. Please prepare some questions for them (see SMH on conducting an interview). Perhaps think about their lives in terms of the dry data we've read-- these are two of the names and faces that are behind the facts and figures.
Short bios follow.
=========================
Dolores (aka ‘D’)
=========================
Ask D to define herself, and the term “lesbian” will be pretty far down on the list. D is a woman who is passionate about her ideals and whose interests range from gardening and cooking to mechanics and music. It may have been her passion for conscientious action and a strong sense of right and wrong that drew her to her career in law enforcement.
Part of a large Italian-Catholic family, D grew up in Connecticut during the 1950s and 60s. Although she dated men—and had even been engaged to be married—she knew that she wanted more than the traditional life as wife and mother that was the aspiration of most women of her time. She chose to join the military in order to ‘see the world’ and served during the Vietnam War. It was at this time that she came to know servicewomen who were gay and reconsidered her own sexuality.
She has survived what she refers to as the military’s “witch hunts,” lived and loved in times and places where being gay and acting upon it was illegal, and has fought sexism, heterosexism, and cancer.
She currently lives in the Hartford area with her partner, Rosann, and their dog, Dexter.
=========================
Joel Zea
=========================
While most people become infuriated by stereotypes, Joel seems to enjoy crossing the lines between assumptions and actions. He is simultaneously ghetto and uptown, Anglo and Hispanic, book smart and street savvy. He’s also a gay man.
Raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, Joel has needed to redefine his relationships with his family since coming out. However, he has not held back in acting in accordance with his heart and beliefs. Joel and his former partner, Manny, were one of the first gay couples in Hartford to register as domestic partners. Joel has worked to promote safer sex awareness and was also active in campus organizations such as Queer Alliance. He is well-known and quite active in Hartford’s gay community.
A graduate of Wesleyan, Joel is interested in pursuing his doctorate and specializing in queer studies.
=========================
Looking Ahead:
3/16
SMH Online: “The St. Martin’s Tutorial on Avoiding Plagiarism: Avoiding Plagiarism.” Read tutorial and complete exercise, “Avoiding Plagiarism.” How did you do? Do you feel that you now have a better understanding of the concepts of academic honesty and proper citation practices?
In Class: Written Lives Presentations.
Overview of Final Project. Uncovering your topics. Freewrite to consider your topic for your final project; see SMH 3a, “Exploring a topic,” and SMH 13a-h to review and reflect upon purpose, whether your statement can be argued, formulating your thesis, and developing support. Bring in chaos/ ideas/ clusters.
3/14 Read & Blog: Written Lives
In Class:
Total change of plans. We will have two guest speakers in class today: D and Joel.
Per pre-class email:
Sorry about the short notice, but today was the only day I could confirm for, and I didn't find out until Saturday night (and I didn't have computer access until this morning). Tonight during class we will have two guest speakers. Please prepare some questions for them (see SMH on conducting an interview). Perhaps think about their lives in terms of the dry data we've read-- these are two of the names and faces that are behind the facts and figures.
Short bios follow.
=========================
Dolores (aka ‘D’)
=========================
Ask D to define herself, and the term “lesbian” will be pretty far down on the list. D is a woman who is passionate about her ideals and whose interests range from gardening and cooking to mechanics and music. It may have been her passion for conscientious action and a strong sense of right and wrong that drew her to her career in law enforcement.
Part of a large Italian-Catholic family, D grew up in Connecticut during the 1950s and 60s. Although she dated men—and had even been engaged to be married—she knew that she wanted more than the traditional life as wife and mother that was the aspiration of most women of her time. She chose to join the military in order to ‘see the world’ and served during the Vietnam War. It was at this time that she came to know servicewomen who were gay and reconsidered her own sexuality.
She has survived what she refers to as the military’s “witch hunts,” lived and loved in times and places where being gay and acting upon it was illegal, and has fought sexism, heterosexism, and cancer.
She currently lives in the Hartford area with her partner, Rosann, and their dog, Dexter.
=========================
Joel Zea
=========================
While most people become infuriated by stereotypes, Joel seems to enjoy crossing the lines between assumptions and actions. He is simultaneously ghetto and uptown, Anglo and Hispanic, book smart and street savvy. He’s also a gay man.
Raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, Joel has needed to redefine his relationships with his family since coming out. However, he has not held back in acting in accordance with his heart and beliefs. Joel and his former partner, Manny, were one of the first gay couples in Hartford to register as domestic partners. Joel has worked to promote safer sex awareness and was also active in campus organizations such as Queer Alliance. He is well-known and quite active in Hartford’s gay community.
A graduate of Wesleyan, Joel is interested in pursuing his doctorate and specializing in queer studies.
=========================
Looking Ahead:
3/16
SMH Online: “The St. Martin’s Tutorial on Avoiding Plagiarism: Avoiding Plagiarism.” Read tutorial and complete exercise, “Avoiding Plagiarism.” How did you do? Do you feel that you now have a better understanding of the concepts of academic honesty and proper citation practices?
In Class: Written Lives Presentations.
Overview of Final Project. Uncovering your topics. Freewrite to consider your topic for your final project; see SMH 3a, “Exploring a topic,” and SMH 13a-h to review and reflect upon purpose, whether your statement can be argued, formulating your thesis, and developing support. Bring in chaos/ ideas/ clusters.
// posted by Andrea Beaudin @ 3/14/2005 12:02:00 PM 
