Women and the World @ Kansas State University

Women and the World 2008 class projects

The Women and the World project was designed and produced by participants of Socio545, Sociology of Women, at Kansas State University in the Spring of 2008. As the “Director,” I set up parameters and then mostly tried to stay out of their way. Their products and conclusions are entirely their own. These students’ work and dedication enriched the course in ways I could not have accomplished without them. Adam Bohannon, our wonderful Webmaster, made it possible for you to enjoy. Please feel free to enjoy the photos (run your mouse over each image to see the students who worked on the project) and to examine each group's Fact & Action Sheet by clicking on the project title.

	Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder: Standards of Beauty in East Asia, Western Europe, and the Americas "After researching different regions of the world, we see that the standard of beauty in America is very representative of the standard worldwide. It’s apparent that the ideal for a woman, as it has been for all of history, is to be petite and have good skin and hair..."
	Cast the First Stone: An Examination of Prostitution and Sex Tourism in Under-developed and Developing Countries "The lives of prostitutes in Thailand, the Netherlands, and the United States vary greatly and societal views and means of addressing the issue must vary as well. Legalization of prostitution is the most logical solution to this global problem..."
	Lesbians of Color: More than Sexuality "The dominant culture does not understand what it means to be a lesbian of color. There are many hardships that lesbians face. Lesbians of color face those as well as facing racism; in both their communities and the lesbian communities alike. Without taking a closer look at them and the problems that they are forced to face day in and day out; they would just seem to be invisible..."
	The Sex Industry: Not Just Strip Clubs and Playboy Bunnies "Our project topic stemmed from the discussion of the excessive amount of violence inflicted on the women within this society and all over the world. From this, our ideas developed into focusing primarily on sex trafficking in the United States. We have learned an incredibly large amount about the occurrence of sex trafficking in the past few weeks and the reality is shocking..."
	Surrogacy Farms in India "In most cities in India, women are being recruited to, in essence, be human incubators for the fetuses of wealthy couples (some American). These surrogacy farms are so controversial because while some argue the women have a choice, others argue that in such circumstances of poverty, there really is no choice—the only choice is survival..."
	¡Viva La Revolución! Women and the Political Revolution in Nicaragua "The fighting during the political revolution in Nicaragua started in 1977. President Somoza and his government were overthrown in 1979.Women had joined the fighting from the beginning. These women made up a third of the revolutionary forces. Luisa Amanda Espinosa, Conchita Alday, and..."
	Who's Really to Blame: Violence Against Women in Darfur "Darfur, Africa has been in a civil conflict since 2003, a civil genocide based on ethnicity. Though many suffer through this war, the women of Darfur seem to have it the worst. The women are attacked by Arab military, and Sudan’s government denies it. The women are considered property, and they do not have a voice. When these women..."
	Survival in a Sandstorm: Religion and Marriage in Saudi Arabia "This project explores the role of religion in women’s relationships with men. In particular we examined religion and gender dynamics in Saudi Arabia, with cultural context in the United States. The overall goal is to inform our audience of the facts and different perspectives, ultimately allowing the audience to gather their own conclusion..."
	The Waves of Mutilation: An In-depth Look at Female Genital Mutilation in Somalia "Of all the African countries, Somalia still has an overwhelming majority of girls and women that will or have undergone infibulation, an extreme case of FGM. There are many factors that are all intertwined into the Somali culture such as cultural ideologies that Somalis have been taught for hundreds of years, which consist of the thought that FGM is hygienic and..."
	Away from Hope: Women and AIDS in Tanzania "For our project, we decided to examine the brave women that inhabit the country of Tanzania, which is located on the Southeastern coast of Africa. These women are subject to HIV/AIDS on a daily basis, by men that are both complete strangers and also friends. These women are being forced to engage in sexual activity with partners they may not even know..."