Using the Emma Sulkowicz case based at Columbia University in the fall of 2014 and linked to several other readings, I intend to explore the blurred lines between consensual and non-consensual activity as well as the social, emotional, and legal repercussions of sexual violence on college campuses. This paper will especially touch on how gender plays a role in rape culture and the way college campuses might handle non-consensual sexual activity. Connecting this topic to privatization is delving deeper in the way universities handle such scandals, whether it is self-serving or in the interest of the victims.
Research Question
Where is the line drawn between consensual and non-consensual sexual activity in social situations, specifically on college campuses, and what are the repercussions of such when those lines are blurred or manipulated?
Theoretical Frame
Coined in the 1970's by second-wave feminists was the theoretical term Rape Culture, in which rape is normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality. Commonly associated with rape culture are victim blaming, sexual objectification, denial of rape, refusing to acknowledge the harm and consequences of sexual violence, and trivializing rape. In the article "Why Men Rape," published by The New York Academy of Sciences, evolutionary psychologists Thornhill and Palmer wrote that "rape is viewed as a natural, biological phenomenon that is a product of the human evolutionary heritage." They go on to make comparisons to natural disasters, like tornadoes, to claim that not all things found in nature are good. Another theory that feminists claim is the “control theory,” the idea that rape is something that happens not as a sexual matter but as an expression of control. I think these theories can be useful in examining and analyzing both the specific case I have chosen to look at as well as my research question, specifically pointing to the way sexual violence is viewed on college campuses by students and faculty members or authority figures.
Case
As I mentioned, I will be attempting to use the Emma Sulkowicz case and examining all components of it: the claims of what happened, the reactions from the alleged victim and perpetrator, the media response, the way it was handled, and the effect of the performance art on Columbia University as well as college campuses nationwide.
Working Bibliography
- Thornhill, Randy, and Craig T. Palmer. "Why Men Rape." The New York Academy of Sciences 40.1 (2000): 30-36. Why Men Rape. The New York Academy of Sciences, Jan. 2000. Web. 09 Mar. 2015. <http://iranscope.ghandchi.com/Anthology/Women/rape.htm>.
- Ottens, Allen J. and Kathy Hotelling. Sexual Violence on Campus: Policies, Programs, and Perspectives. New York: Springer, 2001. Print.
- 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>
- Smith, Merril D. Sex without Consent: Rape and Sexual Coercion in America. New York: New York UP, 2001. Print.
- Lowell, Gary (2010). A Review of Rape Statistics, Theories, and Policy. Undergraduate Review, 6, 158-163. <http://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol6/iss1/29>
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