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Hi all! My name is Yichen Song(she/her) and I currently live in Vancouver. This is my third semester studying at UOttawa with a concentration in teaching and learning. I finished my bachelor's degree in UBC in the field of economics in 2020. I know it is an entirely different field of study as education, but I hope to be a full-time teacher after I graduate. Although I have very little experience as a teacher, I have already learned a lot in many different aspects of education over the past two semesters. Unfortunately, I don't have much knowledge or experience with feminism, so I hope this class can help me know more about feminist perspective and its application in education.
Although I do not consider myself as a feminist, I think I am justice and yearn for fairness. Therefore, if I experience similar events in life, I will definitely stand up and express my views without hesitation. I am pretty sure we still need feminism. Although many countries have enacted feminist constitutions or adopted moral views of equality between men and women, inequality issues remain widespread. However, inequality is particularly pronounced among men and women. For society to be equal, feminism needs to be sustained.
Bell Hook noted that while the feminist movement fought for rights that only men could attain, these same feminists ignored the plight of other women themselves. Bell Hook also mentioned that every form of oppression is interconnected and inextricably linked to each other through the interlocking web of oppression, so it is everyone's responsibility to fight for gender equality, and feminism is everyone's responsibility. Jessica Dunne mentioned a sentence in her TED talk, which I think is quite right. She says feminism has only done its job when all women in the world are no longer discriminated against. She understood feminism as intersectionality, which is the connected nature between all social characterizations, such as race, gender, sexuality, nationality, etc. I want to learn more about feminism, such as Liberal Feminism, Radical Feminism, Cultural Feminism and social Feminism and so on.

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Hello all! I'm Tasneem(she/her) and I currently live in Dhaka, Bangladesh. I have taken up this course as I pursue an M.Ed program with the University of Ottawa. I live in Dhaka with my husband and two children. I have spent the formative years of my life in Kolkata, India.

I have been teaching for the past 19 years at various levels of study. I have spent most of these years teaching English Language to middle grade students. I am also the founder and creator of a one-of-a-kind library in Bangladesh, called Bookcentric. Thankfully I have access to a lot of feminist literature, and I am more inclined towards fiction rather than non-fiction.

I have never really studied feminism academically nor do I have much knowledge about feminist theory. However, I have ample experience as a victim of the patriarchy, sexism and misogyny. Although I didn't know it or understand it when I was a child, I have been a 'loud' feminist ever since I understood that if I didn't speak up, many other girls and women around me would suffer. I think I really acknowledged the importance of my being a feminist while my children were growing up. I decided that, I would try my best to make my son and daughter feminists so that they would be the change. This led me to understand that I had the power to influence young minds and people around me, friends and family, and plant the feminist seed in as many minds and places as I can.

We absolutely need feminism today, especially while looking at it through the lens of intersectionality. Although I belong to a privileged strata of society in south Asia, I have personally wished I had a feminist in my life who would have helped me to be stronger, earlier. I try to be that feminist in as many lives as I can. Feminism, intersectional feminism, is for everybody. I had never read bell hooks before, but I wholeheartedly agree with her about making feminism studies or feminist practice a part of the curriculum for children from kindergarten. How else will we teach the new generation about the patriarchy? How will we save them from microaggressions and sexism? Feminism needs to be taught like we teach "excuse me", "sorry" and "thank you"! We don't have to call it feminism, but we can definitely teach it and make it a norm.

I come from a developing country, and despite our Prime Minister being a woman, oppression towards women, in the name of socioeconomic status and religion, is rampant and needs to be addressed Feminism is needed, every day, everywhere. How can we ever think it isn't relevant today, when even the so called developed countries are still discussing whether or not a woman has the freedom to do what she wants with her own body?

A few days back my son and I were having a discussion. He claimed he was a feminist and I told him that he still had a long way to go. When he asked me why I said so, I told him he would be a true feminist, in my opinion, when he called out patriarchy, sexism and misogyny among his friends and family or in public. By calling out, I did not imply saying something, but even an act of help, a small gesture, would be sufficient to do the trick.

Through this course, I aim to understand how I can make feminist practices a part of education inside and outside the classroom. I'm really looking forward to this class!

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Meagan Gilson Lockhart- Introduction and Week 1 Response

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Meagan Gilson Lockhart- Introduction and Week 1 Response

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Hello everyone,
My name is Meagan gilson lockhart and I decided to take this course because I am surrounded by people who consider themselves feminists. My best friends, my niece, my sister and I am stuck in the middles still trying to understand what is Feminist in today's society? How does it fit into my daily life and what I want to accomplish with my career and my personal life? What I enjoyed about the video with the high school class is that it demonstrated how teachers can connect their students more frequently by making it personal and caring about what where they are coming from. As the men in the class says, it is not an attack on men, but standing up for what is right just as if you would stand up to any other injustice. It is giving women the right to have a voice. I think this is very important in all aspects of education especially teaching girls at a young age that you can have a voice without being rude or judgmental but still stand your ground. As someone who is hoping to work with the school board bringing the arts back into the classroom, I think demonstrating feminism would be a very cool concept perhaps through creative writing, dance, drama.
I think we  do need feminism in many ways, not only comparing to the old views of what is being a feminism but for the next generation.  Girls and women have enough to worry about in today society, they should see where they fit it on a spectrum of feminism. As Shonda Rimes says, " “The beauty of being a feminist is that you get to be whatever you want. And that’s the point”  This is the main point I pulled from the material this week, feminism is not about standing in a huge protest, it is allowing women to be whatever they want to be and encouraging and teaching everyone that doors should be closed based off gender just like they should not be closed based of race, religion, sexuality or class.

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Hi all I’m Olivia and I’m located in Ottawa. I have limited academic knowledge in Feminist/Women’s and Gender Studies, however I completed my undergrad in Political Science I took a few Women and Politics courses throughout my degree.

I do consider myself a feminist. Much like Jessica Dunne, I grew up around very strong women who considered themselves feminists. I think it was an unconscious choice for me to become a feminist as I have considered myself one from a young age. I believe in the representation of women and that there still various advancements that need to be made in this field. In order for those advancements to occur, as Hook states, feminism needs to be accessible to all and I believe that a way to create and improve upon the accessibility of feminism is through education as is exemplified with the video on high school students in NYC taking feminist classes.

I particularly found the aspects of intersectionality and feminism a very interesting point. As someone who grew up in a biracial, multi-denominational and multicultural household, my whole life has been about intersectionality of all these different aspects that make up my identity. I mentioned before that I have grown up around strong women all of whom were and are working in education. In fact, it is interesting to me to reflect upon the fact that although the women in my family have drastically different upbringings, one side of Egyptian immigrants and the other Eurocentric Canadians, they align on feminist causes and perspectives. I further think that the importance of this intersectionality of feminism and education can pertain to my work in immigration. The intersectionality between, gender studies, feminism, cultures and societies are all important aspects to consider when discussing immigration, refugee and citizenship issues. Looking forward to learning more on these topics from all of you throughout the semester!

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Hello everyone!

I am really excited to take this course. My name is Nikita and I reside just outside Toronto. I am in my last semester of my MA in Education, Second Language Education. I have always been deeply interested in women's thought, perspective and experience. I took a women's history seminar in my last year of undergraduate studies and it really opened my eyes to how little value we placed on women's experience and women's place in society and history. In education, we learn what is deemed to be significant and valuable, and learning women's place and their impact on history and society typically does not fall into what is deemed to be worthy of knowing. I am particularly interested in the intersectionality of gender, race and culture, and how these play into our knowledge and understanding of society, past and present (as well what we deem to be valuable). As well, I am interested in unraveling the gender biases in society, language and theory. Personally, I resonated with Bell Hooks when she said that there needs to be a sense of inclusive language and literature ‘that helps individuals understand feminist thinking and feminist politics, needs to be written in a range of styles and formats’ (pg. 22).

Outside of study, I am a grade 1 teacher. I already see how gender plays such an important role in how young minds are shaping their reality. I am continually trying to make my students, even from this age, think about what they know of ‘boys and girls’ and challenge them to understand that there is not one way of ‘being’.

In my spare time, I try to engage in literature that challenges my own perspectives and understandings of the world around me. From reading classics like Virigina Woolf, ‘A Room of One’s Own’ to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, ‘We Should all be Feminists’ (as well as her tedtalks- so inspirational!) to some of Rebecca Solnit essays.

I am interested to understand more about types of feminism and feminist movements throughout history, and ultimately to how we got here, today.

I am super interested to learn from my peers and professors, and from the great works on theory and thought in this course.

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Duan Duan - Introduction & Week 1 Response

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Duan Duan - Introduction & Week 1 Response

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Hello everyone,

My name is Duan Duan and I currently live in Ottawa. I got my BCom degree at uOttawa last year, and now I am in my third semester of the MEd program with a concentration in teaching and learning. Although education is a completely different field from my undergraduate studies, since my first semester as a graduate student, I have gradually begun to understand the new field of education from different topics and aspects.

It was as if I had moved from undergraduate studies in business to graduate studies in education, and I often wished I had explored different areas and topics that interested me. This is the reason why I chose this course. Before starting this class, I honestly knew very little about feminism. So, I hope that I can gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of feminism and its impact and importance in education from an academic perspective by taking this course.

I think feminism is still needed in our lives. From my perspective, I believe that although there are commitments to gender equality in many countries, there are still regions, societies and workplaces where women's equality needs to be emphasized and promoted. Equality is not something that comes out of nowhere, and it requires feminists to continue to speak out rationally and objectively. Therefore, I think that rational and objective feminism should continue to exist and that it can change with the development of society as feminists promote it.

Looking forward to learning with you all! :)
Duan

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Myself and our class pet "Louis le lapin"

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Hi there, my name is Emily Parker and I’m located in Cantley, Qc.

What do you think about bell hooks' assertion that feminism is for everyone?

Much like bell hooks’ brief mention of other women who simply went to a class to know more about feminist thinking, I came to this class to do the same with little to no prior knowledge or education of feminist theory. After this week’s videos and readings, I feel as though I already have a wildly better understanding. I also agree with hooks that if feminism was introduced and taught to our youth while beliefs and identities are still being formed, we could live in a drastically different world. hooks also points out that most individuals aren’t actually aware of the many ways they have benefitted from feminism in their everyday lives. Whether people know it or not, I agree that feminism is for everyone.

Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why/why not? If so, when/why did you decide to be a feminist?

I wouldn't have considered myself a feminist before this class mostly because I would have been worried not to know how to explain what it means to be a feminist if someone were to ask or challenge my ideas. After this week's readings and videos, I feel relieved to know that feminism is for all and that it's okay to have your own definition and in reality everyone does. I am looking forward to the entirety of this course to work on defining my personal definition of feminism and what it will mean for me to be a confident feminist moving forward.

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Hi everyone! My name is Béatrice, I am a kindergarten teacher in a public French school board in Ontario, and I live in Gatineau. I’m also a first year PhD student. I don’t have any background in Feminist or Women’s studies, however with my research project (teaching consent in elementary school), I’ve been reading more about Gender studies and how it is connected to the education world. I do consider myself a feminist, and I would say the more I learn, the more I am passionate about it. I decided to take this class as I feel like I’m missing knowledge about what feminism(s) is in theory and in practice. I think that theorical knowledge will help me in my thesis as I will be able to situate myself more clearly; in my life, it might help me put words on feelings. I have a lot of internal questioning, and I’m eager to share with others in this class in order to make sense of it all. I would say my biggest question is related to intersectionality, which was brought up by Jessica Dunne. I sometimes feel that in order to be more inclusive and welcoming, we lose part of the essence. Let me clarify as best I can.  There is a tendency, when we speak about women’s rights and women’s issues, like period products and reproductive rights, to say “people with uterus” or “people that menstruate”, and while I understand this is done to include more people, it also erases the word “women”. We are just starting to see more women in history and science books, there’s an effort to have better representation, and we are erasing the word “woman”? We don’t see the same for men, we don’t say “people with penises”…it’s mostly (only) for women’s issues. So I guess this is one area where I’m conflicted. I believe feminism should include more than white privilege women, it should be diversified, but the root is still about gender inequalities and fighting the patriarchy..how do we reconcile the two?

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Hi everyone!
My name is Jenanee Jeyanandan and I am located in Ottawa!

1. To date, I have some background in religion and gender studies in my undergraduate humanities career. I have learned how different religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam view gender and females in general.

2. I do consider myself to be a feminist due to the discrimination I have felt being a woman of colour. It was during my undergraduate career when I was taking the gender and religion course that I saw myself as a feminist. Learning about the oppression of women and also the privilege of some, has shown me how all women can benefit from feminism.

3. I decided to take this course to expand my knowledge on feminism. As mentioned in one of the videos, 1000 people will give 1000 different definitions of feminism. I have heard multiple definitions, both good and bad. One of the things I am interested in learning more about would be the different types of feminism such as  revolutionary feminism which bell hooks talks about in her book Killing rage- Ending racism. Since she is a black feminist author, I am eager to read her stories and read the world from her perspective. I hope to learn the intricacies of feminism, racism, and sexism and how they relate to one another.

8. In the video on the feminist teacher and her high school students, I was intrigued on how one of her male students simply said "not a lot of men are violent, but most men are silent." I remember watching YouTube videos on how women get catcalled in New York and their fathers react to them. One of them had wished that  a man would stand up for his daughter. This was what made me realize on how feminism is not only for women but for men as well. We need more men to speak out loud about feminism. Men, especially white men have the up most privilege which can be used to spread awareness that feminism is not an attack on men, but rather for men and women.

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Name: Rawan Abou Zid
Located: Mississauga, ON

1. What is your background in, or knowledge of, experience with, Feminist/Women's/Gender Studies and/or practice?

Never taken a women studies or gender course ever! Simply because I never thought I would ever need it, as well as it was never an academic requirement to graduate so I didn’t really pay attention to such a field of study. However, with recent events on everything mostly related to women these days (females prevented from attending schools, abortion restrictions, hijab bans, women losing jobs because of their religious identity) I am now quite interested in feminism.

2. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why/why not? If so, when/why did you decide to be a feminist?

Before reading this week’s content, I would have not considered myself a feminist. This is because I didn’t really understand what it meant to be one. I thought that being one, meant just trying to compete with men all the time to try to obtain superiority over men or be in level with men. I consider myself a feminist now because I now understand its many definitions. As some of the students in the classroom video put it, “its not an attack on men, but a fight for fairness and equality, which is something everyone should have” or “if you have ever been oppressed or been discriminated against because of something you identify with or something you identify as, then you should definitely look into feminism” simply, “if you ask a feminist what their definitions of feminism is you will get a 1000 different answers.” To me, I now understand that feminism can be personalized, touching those who are struggling from injustice. It used to be just women and now it’s anyone who is discriminated against and well, there is plenty in today’s world. Thus, we need more feminists for positive world change!

3. Why did you decide to take this course? What do you hope to learn?

I wanted to understand the connection between feminism and education, I never thought that there was a link, and this was probably because I never truly understood feminist theory and perspectives. I hope to learn how to incorporate feminist perspectives in my teaching and explore the implications behind doing so.

4. Do you think we still need feminism? Why/why not?

Prior to this week’s content, and like Jessica Dunne previously thought too, I wouldn’t have thought that there was a need, because we can vote now and work in good positions (most of the time), we can buy estates, we have tv shows, we can drive awesome cars, and so, what else was there left for women to achieve? However, as much as it seems like it’s all good and great for women today, it is still not good and great for all women. We must ask ourselves which women are we talking about when we are describing those living the great life, and most of all, where are they living? We still need feminism for the forgotten women outside of North America as well as, women living locally in Canada too! We need feminism (I am switching my definition to justice and equity for women) because that matter is still not over! As Jessica put it “I now know that feminism can only have done its job when no woman is discriminated against for any reason.”  Thus, remains the need for ongoing feminism.

5. How does Jessica Dunne expand understandings of feminisms today?

She shed light on race and privilege, which is often overlooked when talking about feminism as some woman may never face discrimination and so, have never heard of or will not be bothered about feminism. This helped the listener realize that there are still some women who are discriminated against and thus, there remains the need for feminism even if it is 2022! She also shed some light on intersectionality “the connected nature between all social categorizations such as race, gender, sexuality, nationality, and so on.” These categorizations are also part of feminism implying that the feminism identity is complex. So, because of this complexity, and intertwining of causes, Jessica fears it may lead “to this idea that all movements are fighting against each other for attention, rather than fighting together towards a common goal.” Thus, to me, this may be why there is a distort image about feminism as people no longer understand what this word stands for, because they are unaware of the complexity of feminism.

6. What do you think about bell hooks' assertion that feminism is for everyone?

I think there is a need for everyone to be informed about feminism so that students, workers, fellow citizens know the historical roots behind feminism and what feministic movements achieved for all of us today (not just women). First, to revive the forgotten historical events that has shaped our world today. Second, to educate others about past sexist discriminations that have prevented women research and contributions to be put through. This will shed light on whether we continue to practice this today at work, schools, and school curriculums, etc. Third, to foster citizen advocates who will stand up for themselves against discriminatory injustices.

7. In light of student comments in the classroom video, reflect on how feminist theory and/or practice might be relevant in some aspect of your particular context (e.g., work, school, private life, entertainment, media, etc.).

I think feminist theory and practice is relevant in schools. I think societal change begins from school as it is a mini space that reflects the outside school life. So, as a teacher, if I teach through a feminist lens, that is, I give my students equal and open opportunities to speak their minds, and demonstrate their learning, as well as make them informed about feminism, they will learn to be better people and be more conscious about what they say or do, like one student mentioned. I was so pleased to see how the teacher in the video handled feminism to the point she made feminism simple and personal, so that each student forms a “good citizen” identity and thus, now knows not to participate in, and stand against improper actions.

8. What did you find interesting, surprising, relevant, new, provocative, absent... in relation to content this week?

I found it surprising that feminism can be for everyone. I have always thought that since the word roots from feminine it must be only about women. Then when I read about postfeminism and how people argue it should be humanism, I initially thought that would have been a great idea. However, changing the word to humanism, may get rid of feminism and that would not be ideal since there is still injustice towards women. Yes, we still need a word for just women to emphasize the issue on women because there remains a huge need for that! So, I simply now also understand the complexity behind the importance of word choice, and definitions.

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My name is Emmanuel Ukwizagira. I live in Gatineau, Quebec. I haven't taken any course directly related to gender studies but I grew up in a country where women seem more represented than men, in many government positions. Thus, I look forward to connecting feminism perspectives in education to my lived experiences. I feel Jessica's speech is an inspirational, and encouraging one. I like how she challenges her audience to think about women who inspired them in their life, her call for feminism to keep the fight fight until no woman is discriminated against. Like Jessica,  I think we still need feminism to advance diversity a step further, by including everyone in such efforts to balance oppressive forces in the society. However, although I support feminism I am afraid exclusive feminist tendencies are provocative in the face of ''inclusive'' feminism, and therefore would introduce and sustain another end of the spectrum opposed to humanism. I would like to learn more about critical (post-structural) feminism, ...

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My name is Emmanuel Ukwizagira. I live in Gatineau, Quebec. I haven't taken any course directly related to gender studies but I grew up in a country where women seem more represented than men, in many government positions. Thus, I look forward to connecting feminism perspectives in education to my lived experiences. I feel Jessica's speech is an inspirational, and encouraging one. I like how she challenges her audience to think about women who inspired them in their life, her call for feminism to keep the fight fight until no woman is discriminated against. Like Jessica,  I think we still need feminism to advance diversity a step further, by including everyone in such efforts to balance oppressive forces in the society. However, although I support feminism I am afraid exclusive feminist tendencies are provocative in the face of ''inclusive'' feminism, and therefore would introduce and sustain another end of the spectrum opposed to humanism. I would like to learn more about critical (post-structural) feminism, ...

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My name is Brenna Tomas and I live in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. I have previously taken a gender studies course in Art History, but I look forward to learning about the ways that we learn about female identities in the educational system and through the development of curricula.

I found the speech by Jessica Dunne to be provocative in its commentary on items that have been highlighted in popular culture. I would say I am a feminist who does not like to wear the uniform. I don’t necessarily agree with some of the polarizing nature of some feminist beliefs, however, I have experienced inequities growing up with three brothers and becoming a single mother at the age of 25. Given my history living in a rural environment, where support for travel to manage health care needs are minimal, I am curious about how people have advocated for better funding and support towards the management of the health requirements for people who have a uterus without isolating any particular representation of ‘correct’ depictions of women in society. Post feminism is particularly interesting for me based on these ideas. Speeches by Audre Lorde have been really influential for me. I would be interested in learning more about intersectionality and the idea of the masters tools. I truly believe that we still need feminism, as the patriarchical and typically Western ideals are still embedded in our canons of representation, ideals of 'success' and societal gender expectations.

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Hi Everyone,

My name is Bing Lu. I come from China and now am located in Ottawa. My concentration is on societies, cultures and languages. This is my last term, so I feel a bit excited and also sad when thinking of the culmination of MEd studies with you in the next 2-3 months.

The main reasons why I chose this course are the curiosity to inquire into and the significance of the feminism thinking and perspectives in our daily life and teaching practices.  In my previous education, I did not have the opportunity to gain knowledge on feminist thought and theory. However, the feminist/women's/gender studies have always attracted me to learn about this particular area in universities and colleges globally.

I consider myself as a feminist, as I am always in favour of feminist movement and am convinced that male-dominated institutional stereotypes and the gender inequality still exist in the world. One salient example is that when Kamala Harris was elected the 49th Vice President of the US in 2021, media reports covered her history-breaking success that she was the first female Vice President and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well as the first African American and first Asian American vice president. This relates to the intersectionality of race, gender, sexuality, nationality, sexism, and oppression.

I also believe that we still need feminism. I support Hooks’ (2014) argument that we should work to create a mass-based and community-based movement which offers feminist education to everyone, females and males, because feminist theory and practice will always be undermined by the negative information produced in most mainstream media.

Feminist principles should be advocated for girls and boys, for women and men. We should create an unbiased curriculum for children in schools. Therefore, I am committed to including the feminist pedagogy in my class soon when I become a teacher.

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Hello everyone! My name is Anna, and I am located in Ottawa, Ont. I am officially in the last term of my M.Ed. Concentration in Health Professions Education. This is my first official course on feminism. I have always been interested in feminist perspectives, particularly being a health professional and a part-time professor in a field comprised predominately of females (massage therapy). I also have three daughters! I would consider myself a feminist as I stand for female equality and empowerment. In Edu 6109 Youth Culture, Pop Culture and Pedagogy, I wrote a paper: "Examining Wonder Women's Origins as a Feminist Icon and Symbol of Female Empowerment and her influence on society." That was the first time I had explored feminism and learned about its roots and history and the various waves it has gone through the ages. Although much progress has been made, feminism is a global issue. Jessica Dunne, the wise 16-year-old, said it perfectly in the TEDx Youth talk that "feminism will have done its job when no women are discriminated against." In this course, I hope to learn more about feminist theories and perspectives that I can integrate into my teaching. I look forward to learning from and with all of you.

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I am Adolf Diange Eboa, Licence teacher with OCT, Alberta Education, and Nunavut Department of Education. I did my B. Ed, M.Ed. and presently Ph. D at the University of Ottawa.  I am delighted to learn under Prof. Diane Watt and Hada Ahmed. I am glad to join the entire class team. I have completed some Additional/Basic Teaching Qualifications including Intermediate/Senior in Biology and Chemistry, Primary and Junior Divisions, First Nations, Metis, Inuit Studies (FNMI), French as Second Language (FSL), Special Education Part 1 & Part 2 and Mathematics. I am also a licenced Principal for Nunavut Education. My teaching experiences have been with Earl of March, Brookfield HS, Bell HS, and Blyth Academy in Ottawa and with the Department of Education, Nunavut.  I have an interest in Special education, sciences, and multiculturalism. I am hoping to gain much from this class and to interact with everyone.    Readings/Response - Reading through this week's task, I found it very interesting, though it is the first time engaging academically in Feminist studies and theories. The need for these studies is recommended for all to enhance awareness and help promote peace in these challenging times. The studies for Feminism are for everyone because we need to overcome all forms of discrimination, racism, domination, prejudice, and marginalization. As earlier mentioned, I have had no experience in Feminist/Women's/Gender studies, but I have taught many female students in my past classes. As a teacher and researcher, I hope to maximize my impact, practices, and professionalism using knowledge from this course. I hope to understand Feminism and how to approach these theories in academia. I will believe that everyone needs to learn about this topic to overcome ignorance, thus the need for re-emergent Feminism as discussed by Hall and Rodriguez on the fifth pillar. Jessica Dunne's ted talk was outstanding because it reminds me of the women around me - my mother, wife and six sisters. In connection to Bell Hooks (2014) writing, there is a need for equality, equity, and justice for women. Knowledge about these will help overcome unintended bias and promote academic legitimation, curriculum, and politics. I like the quote from Hooks (2014, p. 5), "Future feminist movements must necessarily think of feminist education as significant in the lives of everyone." It is also necessary to understand how female have brought about changes in lives. As a student and relating to the student video, I think different students have diverse opinions on Feminism, which may influence levels of discrimination, prejudice, and injustices, leading to the human rights violation. I am impressed to engage in this academic journey of Feminism and use this knowledge in my practice. Notwithstanding, I was surprised to have read about critics who oppose the postfeminist theories. I do not think that all the goals of Feminism have already been achieved; more work still need to be done in different parts of the world. I look forward to relating these studies to some areas of my research - sciences, special education, and multiculturalism. How can feminist theories influence science education? I will focus the final paper on this course around these questions.  

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I am Adolf Diange Eboa, Licence teacher with OCT, Alberta Education, and Nunavut Department of Education. I did my B. Ed, M.Ed. and presently Ph. D at the University of Ottawa.  I am delighted to learn under Prof. Diane Watt and Hada Ahmed. I am glad to join the entire class team. I have completed some Additional/Basic Teaching Qualifications including Intermediate/Senior in Biology and Chemistry, Primary and Junior Divisions, First Nations, Metis, Inuit Studies (FNMI), French as Second Language (FSL), Special Education Part 1 & Part 2 and Mathematics. I am also a licenced Principal for Nunavut Education. My teaching experiences have been with Earl of March, Brookfield HS, Bell HS, and Blyth Academy in Ottawa and with the Department of Education, Nunavut.  I have an interest in Special education, sciences, and multiculturalism. I am hoping to gain much from this class and to interact with everyone.    Readings/Response - Reading through this week's task, I found it very interesting, though it is the first time engaging academically in Feminist studies and theories. The need for these studies is recommended for all to enhance awareness and help promote peace in these challenging times. The studies for Feminism are for everyone because we need to overcome all forms of discrimination, racism, domination, prejudice, and marginalization. As earlier mentioned, I have had no experience in Feminist/Women's/Gender studies, but I have taught many female students in my past classes. As a teacher and researcher, I hope to maximize my impact, practices, and professionalism using knowledge from this course. I hope to understand Feminism and how to approach these theories in academia. I will believe that everyone needs to learn about this topic to overcome ignorance, thus the need for re-emergent Feminism as discussed by Hall and Rodriguez on the fifth pillar. Jessica Dunne's ted talk was outstanding because it reminds me of the women around me - my mother, wife and six sisters. In connection to Bell Hooks (2014) writing, there is a need for equality, equity, and justice for women. Knowledge about these will help overcome unintended bias and promote academic legitimation, curriculum, and politics. I like the quote from Hooks (2014, p. 5), "Future feminist movements must necessarily think of feminist education as significant in the lives of everyone." It is also necessary to understand how female have brought about changes in lives. As a student and relating to the student video, I think different students have diverse opinions on Feminism, which may influence levels of discrimination, prejudice, and injustices, leading to the human rights violation. I am impressed to engage in this academic journey of Feminism and use this knowledge in my practice. Notwithstanding, I was surprised to have read about critics who oppose the postfeminist theories. I do not think that all the goals of Feminism have already been achieved; more work still need to be done in different parts of the world. I look forward to relating these studies to some areas of my research - sciences, special education, and multiculturalism. How can feminist theories influence science education? I will focus the final paper on this course around these questions.  

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Hello, everyone! I'm very excited to be taking this course over the spring term, and I'm looking forward to expanding and challenging my thinking and teaching through the learning of feminist perspectives. This is my third course in the Masters of Education program. I live in Toronto with my three year old daughter, and I am an advocate for the arts, especially dance. I also do martial arts and self-defense, which helps me stay grounded and focused.

I am in my ninth year of teaching middle and high school. I currently teach at Canada's National Ballet School in the academic program, and my courses include grade 7, grade 10, and grade 12 English and history. I teach works such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Handmaid's Tale, and Scarborough using critical theory, but I feel like I can do more. My students are aching for deeper readings of texts, and understanding literature through feminism addresses issues that they are then able to connect to their lives, other works, and society at large. I am inspired by my students, and I hope that what I learn here I can bring to them.

bell hooks (2014) states that there is an underlying system that shapes our thoughts and practices, and I am seeking to understanding these systems so that I can address my own actions, thoughts, and behaviours and help bring about change. I do consider myself a feminist, but I feel like I have so much to learn. This course is my first formal experience learning feminist theory, although I covered some theory during my undergrad and through personal reading. I am interested in intersectionality and understanding the racial and social factors that play into oppression. On a side note, my students are training to become professional ballet dancers, and applying feminism to issues in the dance world is one way of understanding the oppression dancers, especially women of colour, face in ballet.

Two books I read to my high schoolers are We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall. I want to bring more to the table in terms of my teaching, and I want to build my toolkit of knowledge when it comes to feminist theory.

Looking forward to working with and learning from everyone this term!

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Hi fellow feminists!!! Excited for this course and from e-meeting & learning from all of you & Prof. Watts. I have never taken a Women & Gender studies course. So that is why I decided to take this course & learn about the history of feminism, the different type of feminisms, feminism today & the future.

I live in the Greater Toronto Area with my husband, 3 sons and a fat kitty, who's napping on the couch as I type this, rather than playing outside in the glorious spring sunshine. I have worked in Student Services at post-secondary institutions & began my career in community & social services. I have volunteered for many feminist organizations including in political advocacy (the now defunct Toronto Women City Alliance) & as a rape crisis line counsellor with the Toronto Rape Crisis Center. Currently, I provide career advising on a volunteer basis with the feminist professional network, Fairy GodBoss.

I completely agree with the late Bell Hook's assertion that feminism is for everyone, irrespective of their gender and sexual identity. Feminism at its heart is about equality and judging a person's worth based on their abilities, not their gender identity or what genitals they were born with. Despite the many advances that women have made, women still do a larger part of the physical and emotional labour within their homes and families. And this is what I have experienced too, even though my husband also does house work and child-rearing (which is unusual for a male to do in our culture. But this is changing, especially amongst people my age and living in Canada).

In my teens and 20's, I identified myself as a liberal, multi-racial feminist, based on my lived experience as a Bangladeshi-Canadian woman & all the cultural expectations of what a "young girl" & "woman" should be in my culture. However, as I have gotten older, become a working professional, a mother, a wife & have delved deeper into all my other roles in my life, my perspective of feminism has shifted to a more radical & visionary feminism. I feel that feminism need to involve men, to challenge patriarchy.

I am interested to learn about eco-feminism, as this is an area that I have heard about but am not too familiar with.

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Hi All,  My name is Jan and I am currently an RN working and living in Brockville ON.  I work in a busy ER department, but in the past have worked in mental health and teaching in the nursing programme at the local college.  I have many interests including kayaking, reading, building and restoring furniture.  I love being a nurse and am interested in developing a nurse mentorship programme in our hospital in the wake of COVID.  It has been a difficult time for nurses and I hope to become part of a system which supports nurses as people first and professionals second.

I suppose I would never have formally considered myself to be a feminist, however, I believe it is at the core of who I am.  Although feminism was awakened in me as a young person in a patriarchal family, I have become more passionate about feminism during my career in a female dominant and undervalued profession.  I feel many teachers may share similar feelings in this regard.  The most obvious expression of this undervaluing is reflected in the pay structure of professions in the public sector.  For example, in a male dominated profession such as policing, can hire a person, right out of high school, with no formal education, and start making more than a nurse with 10 years experience.  There are much more examples of inequality in our societal systems, they are easily seen in today's political landscape.

While I have not previously engaged in feminist education formally, I am excited to learn and expand my understanding during this course. I agree with Hooks (2014) who states that "Sharing feminist thought and practice sustains feminist movement". I must confess to working towards gender equality as a "given" and not as an outlier.

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Hello, I am Derya and I am attending from İzmir/Turkey. I am writing this on the third and (finally) the last day of the Eid following Ramadan. This morning I read an Instagram post about how a woman wrote to a known academic about her feelings about Eids and how she hates them. “I hate Eids (Bayrams) since women never get to enjoy them as they are constantly serving, cleaning, and running around making people comfortable” were her words in my translation. Yet, this feeling resonates with so many women in Turkey that even reading through the replies show that we need feminism to be for everyone especially in Turkey, in the Islamist patriarchal discourses perpetuated by the government for the last twenty years. I remember writing about it on my Instagram account five years ago and my ex-husband and his family used that post and many others, where I question my feelings about certain traditions and gender roles within the culture, against me in court during our divorce case. I was judged for my opinions, my writing, and my feelings.

The sexist thinking that bell hooks (2014) mentions has been purposefully restructuring the social sphere in Turkey. I do not like Eids and I don’t think my mum and grandmother like them, as well. They are holidays only for men. I remember my mother who is a pharmacist and who works during the week from 8am to 6pm, prepping weeks before the Eid started to get the apartment cleaned, get the food ready, the shopping done, and everything arranged while my father enjoyed long sleeps and his crossword puzzles with coffee or tea.
It is also true for me, as well, that “simply being the victim of an exploitative or oppressive system and even resisting it does not mean we understand why it’s in place or how to change it” (hooks, 2014, p. 21). I realized that I was not alone in feeling anger and frustration, just because I was a woman in Turkey, at the university as an English major during my first feminist theory class more than ten years ago. Later as a master’s student, I took classes on new branches of feminism. However, it was not until the last year that I realized I could start a change and that change can start with me by simply sharing my story and breaking silence. (My PhD project is also around this theme of breaking silence through writing.)

Therefore, I cannot agree more that “feminism can only have done its job when no woman is discriminated against” as Dunne, the sixteen-year-old woman shares with all of us (2020, 01:39). It is what the utmost aim of feminism should be. It should be equity for all across the globe, not just within the privileged small portions of it. And, it should also focus on women not discriminating against each other. It is a very pressing issue that women can be violent against women, as well. As a woman of color from Turkey, I have not always been a feminist. I was terrified of the word. I was told that “bad women” are feminists. To my grandmother, that was as horrifying as communism or any other “ism” that she was taught to be beware. In her opinion, women who have such opinions should be “saved” and taught the “normal” ways. Raising her sons with patriarchal mentalities, looking down on women who have feminist ideals, shaming them, trying to change them are what women do to other women, as well. That is why the linguistic structures of feminist work is quite important. The language of feminism, like bell hooks suggests, should be accessible to all. Feminism should not only be for the few people who can be privileged enough to be in certain academic spaces if the aim is to make it for everyone. I do not think that feminism is for everyone. Not yet in everywhere, anyway. To me, if we would like to see feminism to become for everyone, we should make everyone contribute to it with their own genuine stories. That is why I really enjoyed the activist movement “Who Needs Feminism” the students at UCalgary created in 2013. We need similar movements. We need arts-based approaches. We need performative, visible, and radical ways of reaching to people everywhere. Hopefully, there will be a day where we could think that feminism IS finally for everyone.

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Cuts Against Education Rally,  April 2019

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My background is rooted in feminism and championing equity. From the grassroots and up, I take pride in raising awareness of the need for equity, but it all started for me with feminism in a second-year university course in the 1990’s. I was awestruck at the power in the room when 20 or so feminists gather to discuss theory and history. For me, it felt like home.

Since then, I have been a part of provincial union task forces on human rights, our local Chair of Status of Women Committee for secondary teachers in the Upper Canada District School Board, and part of our Board’s Equity team.

What I liked most this week in our studies was listening to Dunne talk from her perspective as a 16-year-old youth. She gets it. She admits from the start that she is privileged – and THAT is so important in understanding and analysing any kind of equity-driven theory. I agree with her when she stated that “Feminism can only have done its job when no woman is discriminated against.” As a privileged white woman, I see things from a different perspective, as does every woman – and as Jiménez states, this informs who we are. Although I cannot see oppression of women at times, it is always there as an undercurrent – everywhere in the world. I am only a small piece of this puzzle.

It was interesting to read about the fifth pillar of postfeminism in the Canlit Guide. I too worry that feminism is getting lost in the new translation of equity and human rights. With the anti-black racism movement, LGBTQ2SI awareness, and indigenous reconciliation, it is even more important to examine the lives of women within these three lenses. This is what I am here to do.

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Hi everyone! I’m very excited for this course. My name is Maddy and I live in Vancouver, B.C. I’m in my third year of supply teaching and I’m working on a Master’s with a specialization in teaching English as a second language. Outside of teaching I enjoy performing sketch and improv comedy, which have often been male-dominated spaces (the attached image is a promo photo for my upcoming comedy show!) It’s been interesting to watch the comedy scene in my area start to trend towards being more diverse and inclusive, and I’m interested in helping this trend continue. I do consider myself a feminist, but I haven’t taken a women’s studies course or learned too much about feminist theory/ feminist scholars thus far in my academic career. I’m very excited to ground my desire for proactive change in our public school systems and my comedy community with some feminist theory.

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My background is primarily in Arts and Literature and so Gender studies/Feminism definetely has some overlap. I am very excited to take this course to learn more about feminist theories throughout the years and their developments. I am also very interested to see how I can practically apply this knowledge in my classroom. As an International school teacher, my students come from very different backgrounds and each culture has different constructions of gender, feminism, and gender roles, so I'm looking forward to learning how I can use this as a jumping off point in discussions. I consider myself a feminist and definitely agree that feminism is still needed, especially in the intersections between feminism and race, class, sexual orientation, culture, just as mentioned in this week's material. I actually watched an interesting TedTalk recently on femininity/ masculinity that the readings this week reminded me of, I;ll share it below if anyone is interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PFYthpdEIU

Look forward to e-meeting everyone! :)

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Hello, My name is Tristan and I am located in Barrie Ontario. I am currently working on my Master’s of Education. I have a background in design with several diplomas in art, graphic and web design and a Bachelors Degree in Communications. I grew up with a passionate mother who today still considers herself a feminist. I always shy’d away from this term as I associated negative connotations with the word and assumed it meant that men were excluded from the term.  Now, as an adult and mother of 2 young daughters I understand my mother’s constant discussion of feminism and the need for feminism as well as my misunderstanding of the term.

I took this course to further my knowledge on the topic of feminism. I believe we still need feminism in order to pave the way for a younger generation of children, and in order to ensure gender equality and inclusivity. I personally like the idea of feminism used as a way to support and empower one another. I am interested in the discussion of patriarchy vs feminism including the power relationship between the terms.

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Hello everyone,

My name is HaLim and I am based in Toronto. I am currently teaching FSL in Ontario. I miss traveling so much! I would like to visit the Atlantic provinces this summer.

I have grown up always thinking that women can do anything that men can. My parents encouraged me to dream big; however my day to day actions and choices were largely constrained by the traditional gender roles. I did not dare to question their values despite the discomfort they caused me during my adolescence. Adulthood and independence exposed me to ideas and people that opened my eyes. I am now more comfortable questioning the dominant ideologies and choosing who I want to be.

I would call myself a feminist as I strongly believe in women empowerent. Even though significant progress has been made in establishing women’s rights and gender equality, I do not think that feminism’s work is already done. Gender inequality and discrimination still exist in various spheres of our society. Women still get paid less than men for the same work. Men still grossly outnumber women in higher management positions. Also, binary mindset is overwhelmingly prevalent, which more than often excludes LGBTQ community.

I completely agree with the statement that feminism is for everyone. It is an essential line of thought that brings people together to discuss social injustice. With the added attention to intersectionality, it is important that we seek to understand all women’s complex experiences and perspectives no matter their race, class, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Other members of our community that do not identify as being women should also be welcomed into these meaningful conversations. Furthermore, it is necessary to equip teachers with appropriate and effective strategies to incorporate feminism in their practice. Developing young minds who possess an acute sense of social justice, critical thinking skills, and deep understanding of self and others is important.

Looking forward to learning with you all!

Best,

HaLim

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Hi! My name is Serena, and I'm originally from London, ON, and I currently reside in Ottawa. I've attached a photo of my mom and I from last summer! I'm just starting my teaching career and decided to pursue a masters before jumping into work full-time.

I have always been interested in feminism and women's rights. It began in high school and I have been seeking out new information ever since. I have only taken one university-level women's studies course and I thorough enjoy it. My goal is the ensure that my feminism is intersectional, and my New Years Resolution for this year was to diversify my reading list. Some powerful books that I've read thus far that I believe to be relevant are: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Invisible Women, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Bad Feminist, We Should All Be Feminists, They Said This Would Be Fun, and Unbound (by Tarana Burke). I have many more on my reading list, but I always welcome suggestions!! If you have a good book recommendation please let me know :)

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When I was entering university at Simon Fraser in 1981, Women's Studies courses were still quite new. I was interested in taking some, but assumed they would not be "academic or serious enough." How sad is that!? I have considered myself a feminist for many years, but especially since returning to graduate studies. My current preoccupations are intersectional ecofeminisms and fourth wave activism, which combine a commitment to education, feminist theory, and using digital technologies to promote activism that urgently responds to the climate crisis. I look forward to learning much more about feminist perspectives in education from everyone in this class!