Things don’t always work in order

The process of getting a PhD is pretty straight forward. You get a bachelor’s degree. Then a Master’s degree. Then you take however much coursework your program requires. Next come exams. Then a prospectus. Then a dissertation. Then a defense. Then, hopefully, a job. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. But that’s not how [...]

Gender, Queerness, and Nonverbal Communication

I’ve discovered recently that the used book store is one of my primary places to find sources for my dissertation. I keep finding incredibly good books there. I’m guessing students who take classes on feminist theory or queer theory sell their books there, and then I can scoop them up. Works well for me. I’d [...]

A History of Sexuality

Today’s post is about the first two parts of Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality: An Introduction Volume one. I found this work to be very interesting, saying things about sexuality that at first seemed completely backwards, but were eventually explained in such a way that they made perfect sense. It seems like if you [...]

Judith Butler, Phenomenologically

As promised, I have more research to share. Today I will be discussing Judith Butler’s article “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” For those who don’t know, Butler is one of the most important voices in feminist theory, and one of the most cited authors in the humanities (almost [...]

New directions and the logic of sex

I’m trying to make myself more focused again. I’ve been slacking off too much for too long, and it has to stop. Thankfully, I’m incredibly interested in my project, so it’s not hard to think about. The more I make myself work, the easier it is to do. I find I’m constantly noticing little things [...]

Gender Identity Disorder: Concerns and Controversies

The article I’d like to discuss today is Chapter 6 of the Handbook of Gender Research in Psychology, “Gender Identity Disorder: Concerns and Controversies” by Kate Richmond, Kate Carrol, and Kristoffer Denboske.

Exams, Language, and Gender

I have gotten the results of my exams. I passed the exam on the history of rhetorical theory. I passed the exam on Scientific and Technical Communication. I have been asked to take a different specialty exam, as the list I had wasn’t finalized in time, which meant I was not as prepared as I [...]

Online discussions, online courses, and heteronormative binaries

Both of the articles I’m looking at today were published in Computers and Composition. The first is “‘Always a Shadow of Hope’: Heteronormative binaries in an online discussion of sexuality and sexual orientation” by Heidi McKee. The othere is “Power, language, and identity: Voices from an online course” by L.E. Sujo de Montes, Sally M. [...]

Identity Play, Cybersex, and a pep talk

Today, I’m going to write about “When Identity Play Became Hooking Up: Cybersex, Online Dating and the Political Logic of Infection” by Jeremy Kaye. I don’t have a second article to go with it, so instead I’m going to talk about these exams that I’ll be starting in 13 days. But, seeing as that is [...]

Race, Gender, and Online Spaces

Today we’ll be looking at Andre Brock’s article “‘Who do you think you are?’: Race, Representation, and Cultural Rhetorics in Online Spaces” and “Rethinking Cyberfeminism(s): Race, Gender, and Embodiment” by Jessie Daniels. Two weeks from tomorrow, my exams begin, so you could say this is the home stretch. But that’s not important right now. What [...]