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.
The literature on the Sulkowicz case make that a good choice -- and a good place to start. There are lots of online resources, as you have discovered. Examine that case closely and think about the aspect of it you want to make your focus -- perhaps the question of consent. And then research that issue so you can have an appropriate frame for analysis.
ReplyDeleteConsent is currently the hot question on campus, and some schools (including the entire University of California system) are promoting a "yes means yes" rule, which has been widely discussed and documented, e.g.:
http://time.com/3222176/campus-rape-the-problem-with-yes-means-yes/
FYI: an interesting essay out today, which talks about the call to arm women on campus:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newrepublic.com/article/121094/worst-way-address-campus-rape