Need a 2,000-2,500 word argumentative research paper on the SlutWalk
student22_4
propsalbibliographyforpaper.docx29 October 2019
SlutWalk’s Demand to End Rape Culture:
Proposal
After Mike Sanguinetti, a police officer, made a comment to York University law students in Toronto about a supposed relation between the way women dress and the likelihood of sexual assault, the SlutWalk protest emerged. The event was co-founded by Heather Jarvis and Sonya Barnett. Later, they joined with Alyssa Teekah, Jeanette Janzen, and Erica Jane Scholz to help coordinate the event. At the protest, thousands of people showed up to march in revealing clothing in order to draw attention to the word “slut” and to assert that regardless of clothing, sexual assault is never the victim’s fault. Following the first march, SlutWalk became a transnational event, with protests occurring across the world, such as the United States, India, and Latin America. Comment by Erin Sandhir: Good statement on the event’s rhetorical intention.
This essay aims to answer how the 2011 Toronto SlutWalk’s rhetoric, which called for the end of rape culture, advanced gender equity. The project is valuable, as it will analyze how rape culture, although a societal phenomenon, directly affects the wellbeing of women. The essay will first discuss what exactly the Toronto SlutWalk was and then will lead into the concept of rape culture. Rape culture is the normalization of sexual assault in a society, which leads to elements or attitudes that may promote rape. The essay will use Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape to discuss rape and its notion of being a political act. Impacts of rape culture, such as injustices, in both Canada and the United States will be examined. Later, the paper will review Black Women’s Blueprint’s response in order to show some critiques of SlutWalk. After, the event will be defended using Andrea O’Reilly’s work as a source, and ultimately this paper will demonstrate that SlutWalk advanced gender equity by making rape culture visible. Overall, the paper will make evident that SlutWalk had a positive impact on the advancement of feminist goals. Comment by Erin Sandhir: Yes, good, direct statement of your project’s research question, Isabelle. Comment by Erin Sandhir: Yes, and I also think that your project will be valuable in offering readers analysis of the efficacy of this particular form of activism. One of the most vital needs of any social movement is to understand which rhetorical tactics will usher in the desired change. And feminists have been trying to figure out how to effectively combat and eventually eradicate rape culture. Many feminists look at SlutWalk and ask themselves, will this approach will work? Is this the way forward? We need to know, so that we can decide where resources (including people power) should be expended. Comment by Erin Sandhir: Good. Transfer this definition into your final paper.
Annotated Bibliography
“An Open Letter from Black Women to the Slutwalk.” Gender & Society, vol. 30, no. 1, Feb. 2016, pp. 9–13. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0891243215611868.
This will be used to show a key reaction generated from Toronto’s SlutWalk in 2011. It will bring up the concerns of black women, such as the movement’s lack of inclusivity, yet will also acknowledge the positive goals of the movement. Comment by Erin Sandhir: Good details on which ideas you will incorporate but think about how you will use these ideas in your argument. Be careful not to just acknowledge them and move on. Allow these views to transform your thinking and lead us toward new ways of knowing. For example, this source might help you perturb the notion that reclaiming the term slut diminishes rather than fertilizes rape culture. I think we should have a real debate about that.
Brownmiller, Susan. “Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape.” The Essential Feminist Reader, edited by Estelle B. Freedman, Modern Library, 2007, pp. 311–317.
The source, used in class, provides information on rape and how elements of culture have promoted this male dominance. It will establish that rape is not just an individual crime, but a political act. Comment by Erin Sandhir: It will be interesting to see how Brownmiller’s framework for thinking about rape informs your analysis of SlutWalk.
Du Mont, Janice, and Deborah Parnis. "Judging Women: The Pernicious Effects of Rape Mythology." Canadian Woman Studies, vol. 19, no. 1, 1999, pp. 102-109. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.depaul.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/217443521?accountid=10477.
The source will provide information on rape stereotypes and injustices in Canada. It will be used to discuss rape issues on both societal and criminal grounds. Comment by Erin Sandhir: This annotation could use more detail.
Herriot, Lindsay. “SlutWalk: Contextualizing the Movement.” Women’s Studies International
Forum, vol. 53, Nov. 2015, pp. 22–30. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2015.08.001.
The source’s purpose will be to provide background on the origination of the SlutWalk movement, which is the primary source of the paper. It will give information on sexual assault issues in Toronto. Also, it will be used to analyze how the movement contributed to feminist theory-building.
Malti-Douglas, Fedwa, editor. Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender. Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 4 vols. Gale eBooks, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.depaul.edu/apps/pub/1OYK/GVRL?u=depaul&sid=GVRL. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019. Comment by Erin Sandhir: Good.
This source will be used to establish key terms such as feminism and rape culture. It will provide basic information about the women’s movement.
O'Reilly, Andrea. "Slut Pride: A Tribute to SlutWalk Toronto." Feminist Studies, vol. 38, no. 1, 2012, pp. 245-250,269. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.depaul.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1022174889?accountid=10477.
The source defends the SlutWalk and the ridicule that resulted. It will give information on the event’s intentions and also analyze the critiques of the movement.
Rentschler, Carrie A. "Rape Culture and the Feminist Politics of Social Media." Girlhood Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, 2014, pp. 65-82. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.depaul.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1699538707?accountid=10477.
