Get ready for the winter meeting of SWS!THEME: LEFT COAST FEMINISMS: Reimagining Borders, Bodies and the Law
DATES: February 4 - 7, 2010
PLACE: Hotel Mar Monte, Santa Barbara, CA
12/11/2009
New team in Akron
The SWS chapter Akron is excited to announce the incoming, inspiring, new leadership team for the next year(s)! From left to right: Marci Cottingham (co vice-president), Michael Steiner (treasurer), Monica Oliva (co vice-president), and Jenneyerin Steele Stats (president)!
11/15/2009
The Price of Pleasure - report
About 100 people came to see the fantastic documentary The Price of Pleasure by Dr. Chyng Sun on November 12 2009 in the Student Union Theater which was organized by the Akron chapter of Sociologists for Women and Society and the new local chapter of Campus Coalition for Sexual Literacy founded by Darlene Forrest. It revealed some quite shocking facts about the 13 Billion dollar industry of pornography in the US (the revenues are bigger than those from NFL, NBA and major baseball league together). 13,000 porn videos are produced in one year; 900 million rentals were counted for the year 2003. Porn is cultural and economic mainstream promoted for example also by Time Warner who earns a million Dollar by cooperation with porn producers.
The nucleus of the film was a content analysis Dr. Chyng Sun carried out, in which she examines the top sellers of mainstream pornography in the US. The research team finds that in 98% of their sample verbal and physical abuse of women and 94% actual violence against women is the thrill for the spectators. Although the link between watching porn and acting out violence is scientifically not clearly examined, we know today that in 70% of child abuse porn was used in the setting. The documentary does a good job in not going into the “let’s abolish porn” corner, but in revealing that sexualized violence against women – through porn – is clearly rendering violence against women invisible. It also wisely deconstructs the argument that being critical of porn is being against sex, after all, “being critical about McDonalds does not mean you are against eating,” as one interviewee states.
About 50 people stayed for the Q and A session with Chyng which was moderated by Marie Bozin who also brought in own findings of qualitative projects on this topic. The discussion was characterized by the powerful impressions the documentary had left in the audience and brought – among other topics –to light the contradiction between illegal prostitution and the flourishing porn industry in this country and the overall missing critical discussion of porn. Clearly the argument that it is a good job opportunity for uneducated women is not as convincing, as only very few women gain wealth with pornography and can sustain a career in this business.
For those who could not make it, a DVD of the 60 minute documentary will be available in the Teaching Resources Lab in the sociology department of Akron. Also, you can check out a full length online preview online under this link in smaller resolution): .
Pictures and comments are shared on the facebook site of the event: A big thank you goes out to Dr. Chyng Sun who was more than a pleasant guest! More information on this outstanding scholar and person can be found on her website . I am really excited to thank the best SWS troupe I have ever worked with on this campus: Jennyerin Steele-Staats, Mike Steiner, Marci Cottingham, Monica Oliva, Darlene Forrest, Hannah Furnas (the undergrad gem in the round) and Jodi Ross, who made this event possible! The new cohort is totally rockin’ us! There is certainly more to come!
The nucleus of the film was a content analysis Dr. Chyng Sun carried out, in which she examines the top sellers of mainstream pornography in the US. The research team finds that in 98% of their sample verbal and physical abuse of women and 94% actual violence against women is the thrill for the spectators. Although the link between watching porn and acting out violence is scientifically not clearly examined, we know today that in 70% of child abuse porn was used in the setting. The documentary does a good job in not going into the “let’s abolish porn” corner, but in revealing that sexualized violence against women – through porn – is clearly rendering violence against women invisible. It also wisely deconstructs the argument that being critical of porn is being against sex, after all, “being critical about McDonalds does not mean you are against eating,” as one interviewee states.
About 50 people stayed for the Q and A session with Chyng which was moderated by Marie Bozin who also brought in own findings of qualitative projects on this topic. The discussion was characterized by the powerful impressions the documentary had left in the audience and brought – among other topics –to light the contradiction between illegal prostitution and the flourishing porn industry in this country and the overall missing critical discussion of porn. Clearly the argument that it is a good job opportunity for uneducated women is not as convincing, as only very few women gain wealth with pornography and can sustain a career in this business.
For those who could not make it, a DVD of the 60 minute documentary will be available in the Teaching Resources Lab in the sociology department of Akron. Also, you can check out a full length online preview online under this link in smaller resolution): .
Pictures and comments are shared on the facebook site of the event: A big thank you goes out to Dr. Chyng Sun who was more than a pleasant guest! More information on this outstanding scholar and person can be found on her website . I am really excited to thank the best SWS troupe I have ever worked with on this campus: Jennyerin Steele-Staats, Mike Steiner, Marci Cottingham, Monica Oliva, Darlene Forrest, Hannah Furnas (the undergrad gem in the round) and Jodi Ross, who made this event possible! The new cohort is totally rockin’ us! There is certainly more to come!
11/09/2009
10/14/2009
Upcoming: 11/12/2009 The Price of Pleasure
Mark your calendars!
SWS will be hosting the Ohio premiere of the documentary "The Price of Pleasure" on Thursday, November 12 2009 in the Student Union Theater - Univerity of Akron!
Synopsis of the film: Once relegated to the margins of society, pornography has become one of the most visible and profitable sectors of the cultural industries in the United States. It is estimated that the pornography industry's annual revenue has reached $13 billion. At the same time, the content of pornography has become more aggressive, more overtly sexist and racist.
The film features the voices of consumers, critics, and pornography producers and performers. It is particularly revealing when male pornographers openly discuss their views about women and how men should relate to them, and when male and female porn users candidly discuss the role pornography has played in shaping their sexual imaginations and relationships. The film paints both a nuanced and complex portrait of how pleasure and pain, commerce and power, and liberty and responsibility are intertwined in the most intimate aspects of human relations.At the same time, the film examines the unprecedented role that commercial pornography now occupies in U.S. popular culture. Going beyond the debate of liberal versus conservative so common in the culture, The Price of Pleasure provides a holistic understanding of pornography as it debunks common myths about the genre.
The film features interviews with scholars of mass media (Gail Dines and Robert Jensen), economics (Richard Wolff), and psychology (Dr. Ana Bridges); writers on pornography and popular culture (Ariel Levy and Pamela Paul); producers and performers from the pornography industry (John Stagliano, Joanna Angel and Ernest Greene); and a former stripper/porn performer-turned-author (Sarah Katherine Lewis).
The film features the voices of consumers, critics, and pornography producers and performers. It is particularly revealing when male pornographers openly discuss their views about women and how men should relate to them, and when male and female porn users candidly discuss the role pornography has played in shaping their sexual imaginations and relationships. The film paints both a nuanced and complex portrait of how pleasure and pain, commerce and power, and liberty and responsibility are intertwined in the most intimate aspects of human relations.At the same time, the film examines the unprecedented role that commercial pornography now occupies in U.S. popular culture. Going beyond the debate of liberal versus conservative so common in the culture, The Price of Pleasure provides a holistic understanding of pornography as it debunks common myths about the genre.
The film features interviews with scholars of mass media (Gail Dines and Robert Jensen), economics (Richard Wolff), and psychology (Dr. Ana Bridges); writers on pornography and popular culture (Ariel Levy and Pamela Paul); producers and performers from the pornography industry (John Stagliano, Joanna Angel and Ernest Greene); and a former stripper/porn performer-turned-author (Sarah Katherine Lewis).
We are excited to announce that the filmmaker Chyn Sung will be joining us for a Roundtable - discussion! Dr. Chyng Sun is a Clinical Associate Professor of Media Studies at New York University. In addition to her scholarly research on gender, sexuality and race in the media, Dr. Sun is the creator of the documentaries Mickey Mouse Monopoly and Beyond Good and Evil. Her latest film The Price of Pleasure investigated the disturbing trend in contemporary pornography: as the industry has become more mainstream in recent years, the movies it produces have become harsher and more extreme, more overtly sexist and racist. How would these pornographic images affect our sexual imaginations and relationships? Dr. Chyng Sun explores the production, content, and consumption of pornography with the aim to help her audiences gain a holistic understanding of this controversial medium10/07/2009
10/06/2009
We are...
...getting into gears with the preparation of the pornography documentary screening! So excited to have new activists Marci, Monica, Mike & Jennyerin join the action!
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