Literature Review Blog #1

1. Visual:

Pictured above is Elizabeth A. Armstrong, one author of this essay source as well as a Sociology and Organizational studies professor at the University of Michigan. She is coincidentally also the author of Paying for the Party which we've read some of.

2. Citation: 
Armstrong, Elizabeth and Laura Hamilton and Brian Sweeney. "Sexual Assault On Campus: A Multilevel, Integrative Approach to Party Rape." Social Problems, Vol. 53, Issue 4, pp. 483–499. Web. 23 February 2015. <http://www-personal.umich.edu/~elarmstr/publications/Armstrong%20Hamilton%20and%20Sweeney%202006.pdf>

3. Summary:
This paper explores the ways in which sexual assault remains a common issue occurring at high rates on college campuses. Much of the data that Armstrong, Hamilton, and Sweeney are analyzing (drawn from studies conducted at a large, Midwestern university) is gendered while other portions of it are seemingly gender-neutral. The authors explain how factors-- including dorm living and college nightlife-- intersect with gendered expectations, differences, and so on. 

4. Authors: 
As I mentioned above, Elizabeth Armstrong is a professor in the Sociology and Organizational Studies department at University of Michigan. She received a B.A. in Sociology and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, and her M.A. and Ph.D in Sociology from the University of California-Berkeley. Her research interests include sexuality and gender, culture, and higher education, which are actually the three main things I am choosing to explore in this research paper. Laura Hamilton, a co-author, is a Sociology professor at the University of California-Merced. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Indiana University and her B.A. in sociology from DePauw University. Her research explores gender, sexuality, education, social class, and so on. Lastly, Brian Sweeney is also a professor of Sociology but at Long Island University. He received a B.A. at Ohio Wesleyan University, and both an M.A. and Ph.D at Indiana University. His focus in his research is also gender, sexuality, youth, and education. All three of these professors are educated, well-acclaimed, published, and dedicate their research to the topics I am choosing to examine in my paper.

5. Key terms:

• Sexual assault- any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape. (http://www.justice.gov/ovw/sexual-assault)
• Gender inequality- the differences in the status, power and prestige women and men have in groups, collectivities and societies.(http://www.encyclo.co.uk/local/20212)

6. Quotes:

• "The women found that men were more interested than they were in having sex. These clashes in sexual expectations are not surprising: men derived status from securing sex (from high-status women), while women derived status from getting attention (from high-status men). These agendas are both complementary and adversarial: men give attention to women en route to getting sex, and women are unlikely to become interested in sex without getting attention first" (488).
• "...gender is not only embedded in individual selves, but also in cultural rules, social interaction, and organizational arrangements. This integrative perspective identifies mechanisms at each level that contribute to the reproduction of gender inequality (Risman 2004). Socialization processes influence gendered selves, while cultural expectations reproduce gender inequality in interaction. At the institutional level, organizational practices, rules, resource distributions, and ideologies reproduce gender inequality. Applying this integrative perspective enabled us to identify gendered processes at individual, interactional, and organizational levels that contribute to college sexual assault" (485).
• "The second perspective, the 'rape culture' approach, grew out of second wave feminism (Brownmiller 1975; Buchward, Fletcher, and Roth 1993; Lottes 1997; Russell 1975; Schwartz and DeKeseredy 1997). In this perspective, sexual assault is seen as a consequence of widespread belief in 'rape myths,' or ideas about the nature of men, women, sexuality, and consent that create an environment conducive to rape. For example, men’s disrespectful treatment of women is normalized by the idea that men are naturally sexually aggressive. Similarly, the belief that women 'ask for it' shifts responsibility from predators to victims (Herman 1989; O’Sullivan 1993). This perspective initiated an important shift away from individual beliefs toward the broader context. However, rape supportive beliefs alone cannot explain the prevalence of sexual assault, which requires not only an inclination on the part of assailants but also physical proximity to victims (Adams-Curtis and Forbes 2004:103)" (485).

7. Value:

I think that Armstrong, Hamilton, and Sweeney do a great job of connecting rape issues to gender issues, as I might be looking to ask the question of what gender's role in sexual assault on campus is. 

Research Blog #3: Privatization

One way that privatization connects to my topic is through the ways that universities handle reports of sexual assault. It can be speculated that the motives behind the handling of sexual assault cases are self-serving. Because public universities are being privatized and because they need to appeal to students and the guardians of those students, the image or brand of the school is becoming increasingly important to protect. The way universities take on this subject differs quite a bit from the way the law handles it. A lot of the time, the sexual assault cases in university setting are handled by authority figures who have biases, are prone to corruption related to money, or are even downplayed and/or kept quiet.

Research Blog #2: Scouting the Territory

I've taken your comments into consideration in refining my topic which has not changed. I'm interested in the case of Emma Sulkowicz from Columbia, so I believe I'm going to focus on that. The story appeals to me from a performance art perspective, so I intend to explore the effects of that in the media as well as discussing consensual and non-consensual activity. If there is a way to dig deeper and beyond this particular case, the privatization perspective that you have brought up might be interesting to explore. Specifically how schools handle these sexual assault scandals, and whether or not it's something that is self-serving considering the fact that universities have their "image" or "brand" to care after and consider. To tie both points together I'm thinking about discussing how the Emma Sulkowicz case has been dealt with in a media perspective, from the school's perspective, and from the individuals involved in the case (Sulkowicz herself, perhaps her friends and family, and her rapist).

I chose to begin Googling using a more general term, "sexual violence on campus," which is broadly what I want to look at and research. There's a great deal of coverage from all stances. One link caught my eye that might be worth looking deeper into; the headline for The Tennessean was, "UT's handling of sexual assault report devastates woman." I think the way universities deal with sexual reports are not always beneficial for the victim because they are worried about heightened scrutiny of their institution. I'm also interested in what gender and social status has to do with the way universities go about dealing with such issues. I then Googled "Emma Sulkowicz" and found a plethora of articles from a variety of sources focusing on the impact that Emma's performance art has had on campuses across the nation.

The line between what is consensual and non-consensual is very blurred. I really want to research and analyze this issue, as it is something that is often misunderstood by women and men involved as well as authority figures called upon to resolve such instances.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/03/columbia-student-i-didn-t-rape-her.html
This article is weighing in on the rapist's understanding of the situation. I think this link is important to prove the differences between consensual and non-consensual sexual activity...the rapist's argument and his proof in messages only proves to us that a victim's struggling in dealing with rape can look like a lot of things and isn't black and white.

The Daily Beast has an article in which the rapist is claiming he did not rape Emma Sulkowicz. It might be interesting to analyze his viewpoint and the ethics behind it and so on. There are also arguments of whether or not environment and personal circumstances "negate" the rape situation.

Research Blog #1: Topic Idea

For my culminating research paper I've been thinking about exploring the issue of sexual violence on campus. I think it's a pressing issue that a lot of students experience, encourage, or take part in somehow, but perhaps they aren't very informed about it. It's important to me that I raise awareness on the relevance and significance of it, and it might be interesting to raise questions regarding why and how it happens and/or how it affects students socially, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Perhaps it might be interesting to touch on the role of gender within the issue of sexual violence or sexual violence associated with Greek life.