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This journal highlights colleges and universities roles in sexual assault cases on campus--it illustrates what they are doing to stay active and reduce sexual assault, but more importantly it tells us what they're not doing and why things haven't changed as much as they should have by now. As college students, I think it is important to be educated about the laws and policies of sexual assault on campus and why things happen the way they do.

I think sexual violence on college campuses is import for everyone to be aware and knowledgeable about. No matter if you go to a huge state university or a small liberal arts college like Wheaton, these acts of sexual assault do and can happen anywhere. One of the most important parts of this article is when it talks about what is not being done and what has not changed. Sometimes this is a good starting off point for people to see the reality of the situation and what is not being done in order to do something.

Active for Ending Rape is an organization that works with students to get organized and make a change within their own college community. Focusing on ending sexual violence, SAFER encourages kids to know their school's policy when it comes to such violence on their campus. Through policy changes, the organization hopes that university campuses will be a safer place for all. The website offers on-campus training as well as other free resources students can use to get going. With a list of other schools who have started using the program as well as specific student video stories, SAFER gives students the tools they need to get started.

This is a great webpage. One of my articles was on how one rape case in Holly Cross was poorly addressed. The importance of clear and fair procedures in college campuses mark a difference in prevention and in especially addressing the cases. I think that an organization such as SAFER ism important because it gives tools to empower students to end the inustice. It is a very positive article ! Thank you Kat.

Being a student on a College campus, I could not think of a better website to correlate everyday reality to this course. Also, this site seems appropriate to coincide with the Symposium, "Breaking the Silence", as it asks college students nation-wide to take a proactive role in sculpting the future of their College's sexual assault policies. It is important to note that on the Wheaton campus, we maintain and encourage a "don't ask, don't tell" type of policy where the discussion or realization of sexual assault on the campus is seemingly unheard of. This site encourages its viewers to be open-minded and encourage others to discuss the current campus policies and acknowledge that assault and rape do in fact, occur on college campuses nation-wide despite their lack of publicity.

Although this is not an "official" site per se, it still offers an interesting take on Art Therapy for Sexually abused adults. This is a program offered at a California YWCA for adults who have been sexually abused to express their experiences and trauma through the medium of art. In this particular piece the various pro's regarding art therapy are listed. The page also includes a list of references for those interested.

I think that this is a really great idea. I remember reading (maybe I misunderstood) in the Myer reading that catharsis does not actually help many, or have the effect many believe it to have. I find this to be completely false and somehow offending. Personally, a way I deal with the difficult topics that come up in our class is through making a connection between this class and my 3D Design course. I found/find it to be very cathartic in dealing with issues that arise in this course, as it seems many survivors do in creating their own art. I find it especially valuable in that it often seems to allow others to relate and connect their own emotions with their fellow survivor peers. Hopefully more shelters, etc. begin to institute this idea.

I love this idea and think that people need to engage in creative activities more frequently not just as a way to heal, but as a way to stay happy, which in turn makes one healthy as well. Emilie- I think that Myer focused on catharsis in a different way. He made the case that watching/reading/looking/playing instead of doing cannot satisfy one's desire for violence among sexual activities. But I could be wrong; I do not know what he would say in response to art therapy. I feel that all art production is a catharsis of some kind and must be helpful for many otherwise the practice might not have perpetuated itself. I am also not an artist in the conventional sense of a person who produces pieces of art on a regular schedule, so my opinion might be far from reality.

Encuesta Nacional de Salud Familiar FESAL 2008 http://www.fesal.org.sv/, accessed April 2010 "Encuesta Nacional de Salud Familiar," is a site which has a document of statistics from 2008. The information shows rates and incidents of domestic violence in El Salvador. There are percentages that show what kind of violence is experienced and how women react to the violence, in terms of if they tell a friend, family member, or report it. The data also explains the different types of violence that women experience, meaning physical, sexual, and verbal. In detail it also discusses the kind of forms these three types of violence take, such as pushing and kicking for physical violence, humiliation and threatening for verbal abuse, and forced sex for sexual abuse. This information also discusses the differences of domestic abuse between rural and urban areas of El Salvador. This source helps to understand domestic violence in Latin America because it gives actual data and information on the rates of domestic violence in a particular Latin American country. Unlike other sources which do not mention domestic violence at all but only focus on femicide. This site is very helpful because it gives me the type of information that is very hard to find because domestic violence in Latin America is not a widely addressed issue.

This article is a great example of the articles we read in Transforming a Rape Culture. It evidences author Nan Stein's argument that "schools may in fact be the training grounds for domestic violence: Girls learn that they are on their own, that the adults and others around them will not believe or help them when they report sexual harassment or assault. The harassers find that their conduct is treated with impunity, sometimes even glorified." (Transforming a Rape Culture) I think this article is important because it shows a real life example that can not be swept under the rug. Because bullying and sexual harassment were taken to such an extreme level and resulted in suicide, the issue has to be dealt with outside of the school's gates. In fact, this may act as a jump start for reform in Massachusetts school systems.

This story is terribly sickening. I remember the first time I heard it on the news, I was appalled. While I am sad to say I wasn't completely shocked that kids can be so mean, I am surprised that no one intervened before it got so out of control. Also, it is interesting that the incident of statutory rape is just briefly mentioned. To agree with Morgan, this goes to show how their conduct was indeed treated with impunity, while her death has been overly sensationalized.

Malamuth, Neil., Briere, John. 1986. "Sexual Violence in the Media: Indirect Effects on Aggression Against Women." Journal of Social Issues 42(3):75-92 * Research done by Malamuth and Briere has shown links between violent and sexual images of women in mass media and the development of thought patterns of aggression and antisocial behavior. Within their research they tested men exposed to violent or sexual images of women in the media, as well as pornography. On such experiment was to test images in pornography men were shown three situations a rape with positive effects for the woman, a rape with negative effects for the woman, and consensual sex. The responses of the men were recorded. I find this study particularly interesting because it doesn't just show that erotic-aggressive images in pornography can cause aggression, but that it can actually alter thought patterns. This research provides a lot of information on how a culture can be formed thinking a certain way because of what they are exposed to.

This article informs us on the level of involvement that women are taking part in the demonstrations and activism in Honduras. The biggest issue that is spoken about in this article is the militarization of the National Institute of Women (INAM). This is a threat to all women in Honduras because their resources are being blocked and controlled by the government. Another issue that is discussed is the sexualized aggression against women when they are protesting for their rights.

The page preceding this states that one in three women in the military will be sexually assaulted during their tour of duty. This number is amazing to me and it makes me wonder what life is really like for women in the military. In such a male dominated institution, the women of the military have been silenced. NOW president Kim Gandy is calling for president Barack Obama to address this issue and see that it stops.

This is a great example of our society being male dominated. How are we supposed to make change when the majority of government, law, and policy makers are men? Those involved with public service are typically those in control of delegating positions and reforming laws. It is important for the few women who are involved to raise their voices and for us, the citizens, to elect more women into office.

Before joining this class, I had knowledge of such happenings within our military, but I never had any idea the numbers were so high. I am able to acknowledge that yes these things happen, but it is hard to accept how often they occur. Posttraumatic stress disorder is an issue that is raised all the time, of men coming back from war and being so traumatized that they cannot continue on with their daily lives. In a number of movies and TV shows I have watched, soldiers coming back from war have been depicted as abusing their wives, but what about their fellow female soldiers? This is an issue that surely needs to be address now not only by the media to the public but within the government. Morgan brings up a good, but scary point of how are we suppose to change anything when those in power are men and men supporting the actions in the military by not speaking out. I do not know what the answer to this problem is, but I know that acknowledging and addressing the issue is the first step.

Knowing how to respond to violence is as important as preventing it. This is webpage is an important resource to respond to violence against women by empowering individuals through education and training. RAINN ( Rape Abuse and Incest National Network) has an option on its website where trainings online for individuals are offered on a broad range of topics. For instance education on how to respond to cases of rape, date rape and drug-facilitated sexual assault is available. I believe that this is an outstanding source because as it is important to know about statistics and facts, it is also equally important to know how to respond to cases of violence against women or men.

This article investigates the intersection of gender, sexuality and violence in regards to 2nd generation mainland Puerto Rican Youth. The authors argue that as a result of negative behaviors and language, the youth perpetuate cycles of violence through the use of gendered based language.

Kim, Julia C., Lorna J. Martin and Lynette Denny. 2003. "Rape and HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis: Addressing the Dual Epidemics in South Africa." Reproductive Health Matters 11(22, HIV/AIDS, Sexual and Reproductive Health: Intimately Related):101-112. This article is very important for my paper because it looks at the way that the South African government deals with post-exposure prophylaxis. This is important for this paper because it looks at one way that rape and HIV are linked. The link between rape and HIV, especially in South Africa is key to the paper because it constitutes a major risk of rape, especially in South Africa. Additionally, it argues that there is a very strong link between sexual violence against women and the spread of HIV.

Women's vulnerability to sexual violence after Haiti's quake.

This is the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. It's really interesting because it has a lot of events, and opportunities to get involved in the area. They also report on important laws passing and other legal issues in MA.

Men Can Stop Rape is an organization dedicated toward mobilizing the male youth to speak out against violence against women. The website advocates males to come together and work alongside women in order to promote healthy relationships and gender equality. Men Can Stop Rape provides a variety of solutions for men and ways to become involved such as through attending events, trainings, and presentations.

This is a great website because its main focus is to educate men and prevent violence against women. I found the "Strength campaign" to be very interesting because it is a campaign that can be implemented within many organizations. As I was reading through their campaign adds I noticed how they used the phrase, "Our Strength is Not for Hurting" which is used to show men that strength those not mean violence.

I'm an absolute advocate for men to speak out against violence towards women. I believe it is critical that men become allies for this cause because essentially men can influence male culture more than women can. If men begin to condemn violence towards women than the passive notion amongst men can change to one of proactive means. Men are also influential for younger males and may often be mimicked by these younger males, so if you practice what you preach it can really make a difference.

(couldn't bookmark the PDF version so I had to find a summary) This article is based on interviews with women that have sexually exploited within the US. They looked at the networks that were instrumental in gathering the women, the methods used to control the women, and the social consequences for sex trafficking.

This is a lit review of articles on the sexual exploitation of women and children within the US. They look at the economics side of human trafficking and the legal issues surrounding human trafficking.

These authors look at first hand accounts from survivors and look at the added public costs to society from human trafficking. They talk about problem areas when it comes to stopping trafficking and how the US cities are becoming the largest destinations for trafficked women.

Showgirls, 1995, Paul Verhoeven, dir. Crenshaw, K 1991. "Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics and Violence Against Women of Color." Stanford Law Review v43:1241-1299 Williams, Linda. Spring, 2003. "Showgirls & Sex Acts." Film Quarterly, 56: 40-41. Retrieved April 11, 2010 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/1213965). This was a debatable film for me to use, however I ultimately decided to use it for three specific reasons. The first, I believe it shows important ideals of female support, as similar to the Bonobo primates that Sylverstein discusses. Yet I was more drawn to this female compassion - of Nomi seeking revenge for her raped friend Molly - due to its fantasy and lack of realism. Nomi seeks Molly's assaulter and fiercely kicks his face in multiple times. While this is an oddly heroic scene of just revenge, it is not realistic in its culminating consequences. For this point, Linda Williams's article is helpful in further realizing this idea. Williams discusses the vengeful Nomi as a new heroine for post-feminist film, as different from the original innocent female heroine - Nomi is not innocent and sexually naïve, quiet the opposite! Nomi is sexually literate and knows how to use her body to her best advantage, whether for violent vengeance or her own survival. However, the second issue raised is the relation of hidden powers, here as presented through fame and fortune. It is due to the rapist's elite social standing that no investigation or authorities are begun or brought in (hence the vengeance of Nomi). I will explore how this instills ideas of impunity, as discussed in many of the readings this semester (therefore I will most likely additionally use such readings as the Carey and Torres reading, etc.). One final (third) topic I will explore within the film is the fact that Molly is a woman of color. I will explore this topic in relation to topics raised by Crenshaw in her "Mapping the Margins…" Some of these to

Three sources here, but I assumed as Crenshaw was a class reading and the third source has a highlighted link I would simply put the film link as the URL.

Gostin, Lawrence O., Zita Lazzarini, Diane Alexander, Allan M. Brandt, Kenneth H. Mayer and Daniel C. Silverman. 1995. "HIV Testing, Counselling and Prophylaxis Following Sexual Assault." Reproductive Health Matters 3(5, Pregnancy, Birth Control, STDs and AIDS: Promoting Safer Sex):104-116. This article is important because it looks at how HIV and rape are related in the US. It also looks at prophylaxis like another source on prophylaxis in South Africa. This is very important because it will help to give the paper a more cross-cultural approach. It argues that not enough attention has been paid to the transmission of HIV during rape because in the US the transmission rate is lower, and is thought of as lower. However, looking at the effects of the transmission in the US is just as important as looking at it in South Africa to give it a more global perspective.