Females and Harry Potter is a deconstruction of the representations of women's agency in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Using critical discourse analysis and focusing on five themes (rule following and breaking, intelligence, validating and enabling, mothering, and resistance), Mayes-Elma explores the construction of traditional gender roles in the book. Additionally, the author locates the foundations of feminist epistemology—binary oppositions, gender boundaries, and woman as 'other'—that is deeply embedded within the book's themes. Traditional gender constructions of both men and women are found throughout the Sorcerer's Stone. Ultimately, the book explores the sexism inherent in the Harry Potter series: a hero and his male friends are the focus and center of activity and the female characters are enablers—at best. Passive and invisible female characters exist only as bodies, 'bound' by traditional gender conventions; they resist evil, but never gender stereotypes. Mayes-Elma concludes with a discussion of the implications for development of school curricula that enable students to critically deconstruct these texts.
Females and Harry Potter is a deconstruction of the representations of women's agency in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Using critical discourse analysis and focusing on five themes (rule following and breaking, intelligence, validating and enabling, mothering, and resistance), Mayes-Elma explores the construction of traditional gender roles in the book. Additionally, the author locates the foundations of feminist epistemology—binary oppositions, gender boundaries, and woman as "other"—that is deeply embedded within the book's themes. Traditional gender constructions of both men and women are found throughout the Sorcerer's Stone. Ultimately, the book explores the sexism inherent in the Harry Potter series: a hero and his male friends are the focus and center of activity and the female characters are enablers—at best. Passive and invisible female characters exist only as bodies, "bound" by traditional gender conventions; they resist evil, but never gender stereotypes. Mayes-Elma concludes with a discussion of the implications for development of school curricula that enable students to critically deconstruct these texts.
In Sappho Goes to Law School Ruthann Robson weaves together concepts taken from traditional legal theory, postmodernism, feminist theory, and queer theory, as well as her own personal experience in the courtroom and classroom, to take stock of the complexities of lesbian identity and the often detrimental ways in which legal scholarship approaches lesbianism.
In Sappho Goes to Law School Ruthann Robson weaves together concepts taken from traditional legal theory, postmodernism, feminist theory, and queer theory, as well as her own personal experience in the courtroom and classroom, to take stock of the complexities of lesbian identity and the often detrimental ways in which legal scholarship approaches lesbianism.
An intricate and daring novel centered on the identities that two women create for themselves. Margaret Smyth is an escort for women who assumes different names and identities for each of her clients while struggling to finish law school to ensure your future. BJ, a soap opera actress under the name Jill Willis, has a melodramatic personal life that rivals that of the charater she plays on television. Initially strangers, as their identities begin to unravel, these two women are drawn--to each other and to salvation.
Designed to aid the student, librarian, teacher, or professional singer, this annotated bibliography provides access to more than 500 books, journals, and electronic resources. Included as well are chapters listing dictionaries and encyclopedias for opera and musical theater, biographical sources, guides to vocal literature and repertoire, and resources for vocal pedagogy and for the stage. Equally helpful are sources that list plots and synopses, translations, diction, travel and education.Providing ready access to a variety of topics and resources necessary for vocal study, this important reference will introduce music students to reliable, essential sources for their study, assist teachers and coaches in finding reference tools, and assist reference librarians in locating sources for patrons. The alphabetical organization within subject makes this reference easy to understand and easy to access. Three indexes allow for convenient cross-referencing.
Traumatic brain injury can interrupt without warning the life story that any one of us is in the midst of creating. When the author's fifteen-year-old son survives a terrible car crash in spite of massive trauma to his brain, she and her family know only that his story has not ended. Their efforts, Erik's own efforts, and those of everyone who helps bring him from deep coma to new life make up a moving and inspiring story for us all, one that invites us to reconsider the very nature of 'self' and selfhood. Ruthann Knechel Johansen, who teaches literature and narrative theory, is a particularly eloquent witness to the silent space in which her son, confronted with life-shattering injury and surrounded by conflicting narratives about his viability, is somehow reborn. She describes the time of crisis and medical intervention as an hour-by-hour struggle to communicate with the medical world on the one hand and the everyday world of family and friends on the other. None of them knows how much, or even whether, they can communicate with the wounded child who is lost from himself and everything he knew. Through this experience of utter disintegration, Johansen comes to realize that self-identity is molded and sustained by stories. As Erik regains movement and consciousness, his parents, younger sister, doctors, therapists, educators, and friends all contribute to a web of language and narrative that gradually enables his body, mind, and feelings to make sense of their reacquired functions. Like those who know and love him, the young man feels intense grief and anger for the loss of the self he was before the accident, yet he is the first to see continuity where they see only change. The story is breathtaking, because we become involved in the pain and suspense and faith that accompany every birth. Medical and rehabilitation professionals, social workers, psychotherapists, students of narrative, and anyone who has faced life's trauma will find hope in this meditation on selfhood: out of the shambles of profound brain injury and coma can arise fruitful lives and deepened relationships. Keywords include: narrative; selfhood; therapy; traumatic brain injury; healing; spirituality; family crisis; and, children.
This book examines how the intertwining of clothes and the United States Constitution raises fundamental questions of hierarchy, sexuality and democracy. Constitutional considerations both constrain and confirm daily choices. In turn, appearances provide multilayered perspectives on the Constitution and its interpretations. Garments often raise First Amendment issues of expression or religion, but they also prompt questions of equality on the basis of gender, race and sexuality. At work, in court, in schools, in prisons and on the streets, clothes and grooming provoke constitutional controversies. Additionally, the production, trade and consumption of apparel implicates constitutional concerns including colonial sumptuary laws, slavery, wage and hour laws, and current notions of free trade. The regulation of what we wear - or do not - is ubiquitous. From a noted constitutional scholar and commentator, this book examines the rights to expression and equality, as well as the restraints on government power, as they both limit and allow control of our most personal choices of attire and grooming.
This book examines how the intertwining of clothes and the United States Constitution raises fundamental questions of hierarchy, sexuality and democracy. Constitutional considerations both constrain and confirm daily choices. In turn, appearances provide multilayered perspectives on the Constitution and its interpretations. Garments often raise First Amendment issues of expression or religion, but they also prompt questions of equality on the basis of gender, race and sexuality. At work, in court, in schools, in prisons and on the streets, clothes and grooming provoke constitutional controversies. Additionally, the production, trade and consumption of apparel implicates constitutional concerns including colonial sumptuary laws, slavery, wage and hour laws, and current notions of free trade. The regulation of what we wear - or do not - is ubiquitous. From a noted constitutional scholar and commentator, this book examines the rights to expression and equality, as well as the restraints on government power, as they both limit and allow control of our most personal choices of attire and grooming.
Are you seeking a deeper sense of clarity, purpose, and direction for your life? Do you feel stuck in one or more areas of your life? Do you feel less than confident about making changes to your life?Ruthann has been where you may be right now. She shares her story and what proved to be a life-changing process in Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path. Be True to You is designed to help you step into your power, clarify your vision, and consistently move forward on your path.Ruthann guides you through a clarifying process with powerful tools and practical advice, ending with a daily framework that cultivates balance and harmony in your life.Chapter 1, "Be Intentional," is designed to help you embrace your power, explore your purpose through your values, gifts/talents, passions, and abilities.Chapter 2, "Be Fruitful," is designed to help you assess where you are in your life and create a compelling future through value-based goals.Chapter 3, "Be Thankful," highlights the gift of grace and the transformative power of gratitude.Chapter 4, "Be Willing to Let Go," focuses on the power of releasing/letting go of what no longer serves you in order to make room for new beginnings, new opportunities, and new blessings.Chapter 5, "Be Still," highlights powerful tools of self-renewal.Chapter 6, "Bring It All Together on a Daily Basis," provides a framework to bring the principles and practices to life on a daily basis.
Through simple stories, recipes, and reflections, RuthAnn Zimmerman shares timeless wisdom, celebrates traditional values, and gives readers a peek behind the fence at what homestead life is really like. Drawing from their Mennonite upbringings, RuthAnn Zimmerman and her husband, Elvin, chose early on in their marriage to build a life focused on family, hard work, and serving others. RuthAnn invites you to slow down, focus quietly, and listen closely to the heartbeat of the homestead as she offers insights on. . . • working together as a family • enjoying good food and fellowship • growing and preserving food • appreciating what you have • finding contentment by doing more with less Along the way, you’ll enjoy some great recipes and heartwarming glimpses into RuthAnn’s everyday life as a homesteading mother of seven children. Spend some time on the farm with the Zimmermans.
Recipient of the 1992 Elizabeth Agee Prize in American Literature. Johansen expertly integrates theoretical discussions and textual analysis, but always keeps the focus on O'Connor and her world. -- South Atlantic Review
Retirement literally began with a splash for Bill and RuthAnn Harper. It all started when they spied the 64-year-old wooden Chris-Craft motor yacht lying idle at a California dock after a long career of its own. The Harpers, landlocked in Bakersfield, California were mulling over what lay beyond their working years. They knew they'd continue to spend as much time as they could in Italy, but suddenly a new thought hit them. Why not launch a new way of living in which home became a floating adventure along a constantly changing shoreline? Here was the perfect boat for such an odyssey. This book is the story of how this dream navigated the challenges of distance, inexperience and plain old red tape to become a reality. A vessel had to be overhauled and shipped to Europe, an Italian berth located, foreign regulations met, a new language learned. Today, in the new Porto di Roma, not far from where the Tiber River enters the Mediterranean, "i Gatti Felici" bounces at anchor, a symbol of retirement and regeneration, a tale of Americans discovering the Old World, and a reminder that life is a tide in constant motion.
Laurie Shanti Pippenger announced her name in utero and a fascinating life path followed. Here are true stories of compassion and wisdom as translated through the experiences of a Down syndrome girl who is purported to be a reincarnated master and teacher of healing. I believe that Laurie chose a life in a Down syndrome mosaic body to demonstrate that magic can happen in a body and mind of less than perfect material. As soon as I was over that shock that a strong willed embryo had announced her name to me and I accepted the "out-of-wedlock" pregnancy (unfortunately with a married spiritual teacher), I knew I was in for an intriguing journey with a masterful being. It has been both a heart opening and a heart breaking adventure to raise her in three countries. These are the best loved stories of Laurie healing/influencing/teaching her public, her struggle to know her father and my spiritual journal. Ruthann Pippenger, author.
The title "Instead" reveals the book's preoccupation with the subjunctive, with the choices that we make and that are made for us, and with the possibilities that remain to be imagined. The essays are situated within the fields of Feminist legal Theory and Sexuality and Law, exploring gender and sexuality through the frames of law, culture, and society. The themes confronted include mortality and morality, sexuality and democracy, colonialism and matrimony, and poverty and poetry. The individual chapters refract specific subjects through disparate lenses and the book as a whole likewise echoes particular topics in different contexts. The writing style is designed to maximize the reverberations. The form is not a traditional academic one, but it is widely accepted under various labels and the author's work in this form has garnered recognition and praise.
The title "Instead" reveals the book's preoccupation with the subjunctive, with the choices that we make and that are made for us, and with the possibilities that remain to be imagined. The essays are situated within the fields of Feminist legal Theory and Sexuality and Law, exploring gender and sexuality through the frames of law, culture, and society. The themes confronted include mortality and morality, sexuality and democracy, colonialism and matrimony, and poverty and poetry. The individual chapters refract specific subjects through disparate lenses and the book as a whole likewise echoes particular topics in different contexts. The writing style is designed to maximize the reverberations. The form is not a traditional academic one, but it is widely accepted under various labels and the author's work in this form has garnered recognition and praise.
