The Kirkland Project News
For the study of gender, society and culture Hamilton
College
Special Kirkland Project
2002 – 2003 Program
Masculinities
When the Kirkland Project took on the topic of masculinities, it was with
a sense that it would be a refreshing change of pace since gender is so often
associated simply with women. We also realized that leaving “masculinity”
in the singular and thus leaving it unproblematized was tantamount to accepting
it as natural.
“Masculinities” once again offered us the occasion to bring to
campus a dazzling array of programs and to work with other groups: several
academic departments and student organizations, as well as the Faculty for
Women’s Concerns and the Levitt Public Affairs Center. We began with
a panel of Hamilton faculty who addressed issues of masculinity in their work,
Marianne Janack (Philosophy), Dana Luciano (English and Gay/Lesbian Studies),
Kris Paap (Sociology), and Gil Whiting (Education and Africana Studies). This
stunning panel was invited to do a road trip to Colgate, where it was also
very warmly received.
We invited Anne Fausto-Sterling to campus as someone who put masculinity in
the context of general conceptualizations of gender, raising questions about
the limits of biology. Following this broad opening, our series focused on
racialized masculinities, bringing in speakers Bakari Kitwana, a public intellectual
who lectured on hip hop, and activist and poet Luis Rodriguez, who spoke movingly
and poetically about gang life and his own transformation. We worked with
many student groups and, in conjunction with the Asian Cultural Society, brought
“Peeling,” a pan-Asian theater group, to campus. Each of these
events drew a different group of students and faculty, as well as a core of
faithful supporters.
But of course masculinity is not the possession of men alone, so we have also
featured speakers who address the ambiguities of gender. Leslie Feinberg brought
a big crowd of on- and off-campus people to hear about “Transgender
Liberation and Women’s Liberation,” while poet and memoirist Mark
Doty presented his writings on “How (Not) to Be a Boy.”
This dual emphasis on race and sexuality was complemented by Michael Herzfeld’s
analysis of how class differences between artisans and masters play out in
Crete. Finally, two outside speakers focused on voice and language in the
construction of masculinity (Phil Memmer and Peter Murphy).
We were very excited to have Michael Kimmel join us to kick off our second
annual conference of student and faculty work (see next page). Kimmel is a
very distinguished sociologist of masculinity—probably the biggest name
in the field—and he both gave a talk (“Globalization and its Mal(e)contents:
The Political Economy of Terrorism”) and led a workshop on sexual assault.
The conference was bigger than last year’s and featured a wide variety
of individual presentations and panels (on fraternities, sexual assault, as
well as athletics); we used it to raise campus issues and global issues that
had not been covered by our outside speakers. Hamilton has much to be proud
of in the work being done by its own students and faculty!
Finally, this year there was another film series—featuring “Face/Off,”
“Baby Boy,” “Ma Vie en Rose,” “Western,”
and “Three Kings”! Each was introduced by a faculty member and
was followed by a conversation to ensure that questions were raised; we felt
it was important to put mainstream films in an analytic perspective.
All in all, it has been an exhilarating year.
Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz, Comparative Literature and the Kirkland Project
Conference:
Masculinities: Global and Local
T he Kirkland Project’s second annual conference, “Masculinities:
Global and Local,” was held the weekend of March 8th. The conference
provided a space for students and faculty to collaborate, discuss, and question
issues of masculinity both out in the world and here on campus. We were able
to reach out to colleagues at Colgate and SUNY Institute of Technology.
Saturday morning began with individual presentations of student and faculty
research ranging from “Pro-Feminist Men” to “Modeling Masculinity
in the French Libertine Novel.” Professor Kirsten Paap’s Sociology
of Gender class presented on “Masculinities in Relationships”
and “Masculinities as Properties and Products of Public Life,”
exploring the role gender plays in social life at Hamilton as well as in the
classroom. Judy Owens-Manley of the Levitt Center facilitated an informative
student panel on domestic violence. At times it was hard to find an empty
seat in the Red Pit, where the conference was centered in the afternoon. A
group of panelists with diverse viewpoints led a discussion on the topic of
Masculinity and War. Next, Lisa Trivedi, History, and Nicholas Mirick ‘03
facilitated a panel of fraternity members in what proved to be a very rousing
and animated conversation. This panel opened up a wonderful dialogue about
the relationship between masculinity and sexual assault continuing right into
the next panel on sexual assault with representatives from the Sexual Assault
Center, Men Advocating Change, the Women’s Center, and the Harassment
Grievance Board, and student researchers Katie Adelstein and Cory Lown. We
rounded off the day with an intriguing athletics panel entitled “Jocks,
Cheerleaders, Tomboys, and Sissies” facilitated by Mark Masterson, Classics.
The discussion continued at a reception in Café Opus with wonderful
food provided by Nancy Soule. On Sunday, Bruce Walczyk, Theatre and Dance,
closed out a fabulous weekend with his interactive workshop “Are Martial
Arts Macho?” complete with demonstrations from some of his students.
The conference was a wonderful success and we hope to continue the conversations
that stemmed from it through the rest of the semester.
Laura Crandall ’04
Spring 2003 Artist-in-Residence:
Mark A. Doty
Mark Doty, distinguished author of poetry and memoirs, came to the College
from January 30 – February 1, 2003, as the Kirkland Project artist-in-residence.
He was here several years ago, and we couldn't wait to have him return. In
his memoir about childhood, Firebird, Doty addressed how it felt to grow up
as a “chubby smart bookish sissy with glasses and a Southern accent”
and how art can save you. Playwright Tony Kushner had this to say about the
memoir: “The arrival of a great poet is magical . . . Mark Doty is a
great poet, and Firebird describes how a great poet was formed.” His
presence on campus enhanced our “Masculinities” series.
The visit began with an evening lecture, “How (Not) to Be a Boy: Mark
Doty on Masculinity.” Doty explored questions of how boys learn what
appropriate masculine behavior is, and what is inappropriate. The following
evening Mark read from his work. His visit concluded with a writing workshop,
“Writing, Origins and the Body.” He initiated a series of writing
exercises to explore memory, asking participants to looking for the beginning
points of their sense of their own bodies, and of the ways they learned gender.
The workshop provided a supportive environment designed to help participants
look at their experience in new ways. In between these three main events,
Mark met with students informally and held office hours. Mark Doty's visit
was co-sponsored by the department of English.
Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz, Comparative Literature and the Kirkland Project
“Making Change” Conference
For Fallcoming 2002 the Kirkland Project organized a conference, Making Change:
Working for Social Justice, that brought together Kirkland and Hamilton alums
working for social change. It was an occasion for committed alums to connect
with one another, for current Hamilton students to meet prospective role models,
and for all of us to celebrate the Hamilton and Kirkland tradition of engagement
and activism.
The conference's keynote speaker was Robert P. Moses '56, civil rights movement
leader and more recently founder of the Algebra Project. He spoke movingly
in the Chapel on the subject “The Presumption of Innocence, Sharecropper
Education and America's Ideals.”
The four panels held on Saturday, October 5, revealed and analyzed different
approaches to social change. In “Educating for Social Change: In the
Belly of the Beast,” participants Patty Coleman K '76, Gerard Griffith
'95, Barbara Madeloni K/H '81, Andresse St. Rose '97, and Megan Wolf '87 raised
the issue of inequities in education as well as how to use education. Drew
Days III '63, Hamilton College Trustee and Professor of Law at Yale, moderated
the panel “Using the Law for Social Change: Making Rights Real”;
panelists Robert Marinovic '93, Tracee Plowell '95, and Michael Rothenberg
'86 addressed unions, community law, and the district attorney’s office
as agents for social change. On the panel “Writing for Social Change:
From Proposals to Propaganda,” Lynn Kanter K '76, William Lynch '82,
Skip McKoy '66, Nancy Roob '87, and Brewster Thackeray ‘91 addressed
ways in which writers' skills can be put to the service of movements for social
justice. Finally, the panel “Organizing for Social Change: Policymakers
and Grass Roots Activists” brought together Richard Burns '77, Eliza
Greenberg '87, Nathaniel Hurd '99, Melanie Oliviero K '76, and Philip Toomajian
'01, who spoke of their work in areas ranging from administering emergency
shelters to working on the staff of a senator in Washington. A dinner and
dance performance by Vanessa Paige '88 on Friday night started things off
on the right foot!
For many, an important part of the conference was the conversation over meals
and between events. Alums shared memories of their days at Hamilton and at
Kirkland, some recalling the days when Kirkland seemed to be full of radical
Jewish women while Hamilton was populated by conservative male WASPs. Recalling
the isolation of being gay or otherwise “different” on the campus
in past decades, alums welcomed the greater diversity and social awareness
of Hamilton today, though Kirkland alumnae were distressed at the “light
side–dark side” labels.
All were energized and heartened by the conference and hoped to see similar
events in future. A recent graduate wrote to say how “thought-provoking
and empowering” she found the conference, remarking, “I never
knew that there are so many Hamilton alums working in the non-profit sector
for social change!”
The conference was sponsored by the Kirkland Project, with support from the
Career Center, the Office of Communications and Development, and the Office
of the President.
Gillian Gane, English
Kirkland Reunion Panel
Reunion 2002 brought together a particularly dynamic group
for the Kirkland Project's seventh annual reunion panel discussion: From Our
Bodies, Ourselves to The Body in Question: Kirkland College to the Kirkland
Project, 1968 – 2002. The panel, moderated smartly as always by Nancy
Sorkin Rabinowitz, was held in KJ Aud, with a nearly full house and the excitement
of the event was palpable. The panel opened with remarks by the peerless Sam
Babbitt, President of Kirkland College, followed by a talk by Katheryn Doran,
Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy, on the sorry status of the body
in much of modern Western philosophy. Next up was novelist Lynn Kanter K ‘76,
author of The Mayor of Heaven [1997] and On Lill Street [1992], who talked
about her longstanding work and writing on health and disability. The panel
formally closed with an inspiring talk by Shauna Sweet, Hamilton '03, a moving
force behind the highly successful, first student-run conference on the Kirkland
Project's programming theme of the year. The panel was followed by a lively
discussion.
Katheryn Doran, Philosophy
Brown Bag Talks: 2002 – 2003
9/24/02 Steven Yao, English, “Cancelled Flight: Li-young Lee's Cross-Cultural
Poetics and the Construction of Asian American Masculinity.”
10/3/02 Tyler Ashley Merriman '98, “What I Did With My Hamilton Education:
An Alum’s Stories from the Feminist Sex Industry.”
10/31/02 Hans Broedel, History, “Categorical Confusion: Sodomy and the
Gendering of Witchcraft in the Late Middle Ages.”
11/8/02 Bonnie Urciuoli, Anthropology, “Constructing Citizenship: Cultural,
Racial and Gendered Aspects of Middle-Class Personhood in the US.”
12/4/02 Judith Owens-Manley, Levitt Center,
“Masculinity and Domestic Violence.” Co-sponsored by the Levitt
Public Affairs Center.
1/24/03 Austin Briggs, English, “James Joyce and the New Womanly Man.”
2/14/03 Mark Masterson, Classics, “The Love Life of St. Anthony.”
Co-sponsored by the Levitt Public Affairs Center.
4/17/03 Alma Lowry, Former Environmental Justice Staff Attorney, Guild Law
Center, “The Case for Environmental Justice.”
Events: 2003 – 2004
It is a cliché of our time that technology has changed
the world and the way societies interact. We and our students seem to swim
“effortlessly” in this technological environment often assuming
that it means progress. But, as new technologies evolve and seep into every
crack of our lives, it seems just as obvious that their effect on society,
culture, and the individual as well as questions of access and equity should
also be examined. In our 2003 – 2004 series, we are hoping to raise
questions like the following: Who has access to technology? Who benefits from
it, and who does not? How is access open/restricted to different groups (nationally
and internationally)? What assumptions are made about the origins of science
and technology? What is done with the refuse of technology? What forms of
activism exist around technology? What is the impact of technology on ideology?
How does technology challenge traditional concepts of privacy, freedom, etc.?
Our series will feature Sandra Harding, Joy James, Susan Rosenberg, Vandana
Shiva, and Dick Teresi, among others.
Student Associates
The Kirkland Project is supporting the work of four research
associates in Spring 2003. Students enrolled in independent study classes
apply to the Kirkland Project to be associates. Research associates receive
up to $500 each for expenses associated with their project. Associates and
mentors meet regularly for a colloquium, to share and discuss their work.
The semester's work culminates in a public presentation of the submitted project.
Jessica Callahan '04, under the guidance of mentor Susan Mason, Education
Studies and Oral Communications, is working on an independent study project:
“Fostering Scientific Interest Through Hands-on Activities and Mentoring.”
Jessica writes: “This semester, my research has been focused on creating
and keeping 7th and 8th grade girls interested in the sciences by introducing
them to various experiments.”
Ashlyn Field '05, under the guidance of mentor Esther Kanipe, History, is
working on an independent study class in education: “Yoga for Kids.”
Ashlyn writes: “My project examines alternative treatments (other than
drugs) to mental disabilities and includes an intense focus on learning disabilities.
Over the course of the semester, I have helped teach Yoga to young 5th –
6th grade learning-disabled girls from the inner city of Utica and plan to
examine the effects that Yoga has had on both their self-esteem and concentration.”
Emily Kerr '05, under the guidance of mentor Susan Sanchez-Casal, Spanish
and Women’s Studies, is working on an independent project: “Intercultural
creativity: Hip-hop as a movement for social change.” Emily writes:
“The project looks at hip-hop in the broader context of intercultural
creativity, and how hip-hop is a continuation of the civil rights movement,
and is a response to the civil rights movement's successes and failures. I
organized a group and website called Rhymelab.”
Claire Ramsey '03, under the guidance of mentor Martine Guyot-Bender, French,
is working on a senior project: "Reflecting Nationalities in the Myth
of America: Haitian and Cuban Newspaper Coverage of the September 11 Attacks."
Claire writes: “My thesis examines Haitian and Cuban newspaper coverage
of the September 11 attacks, with an emphasis on how these communities relate
to the United States and to the event itself as a nation.”
The Kirkland Project, with support from the Kirkland Endowment, is sponsoring
three service associates in summer 2003. Each service associate receives $3000
to participate in an unpaid, socially useful internship. Ellen Jamison ’04
will work at the Neighborhood Center Child Guidance Clinic in Rome, New York,
helping emotionally disturbed children of lower socio-economic status. Brendan
O’Donoghue ’04 will participate in the Global Volunteer Network,
teaching students in an impoverished area of Ghana. Linwood Rumney ’04
will intern with the Central New York Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties
Union.
Intercultural Women’s Empowerment
The Intercultural Women’s Empowerment Series was a year-long
series of events coordinated by a Hamilton College faculty/student coalition
headed by Susan Sánchez-Casal, Associate Professor of U.S. Latino and
Women’s Studies. The ICWES is both a research and community building
enterprise; it seeks to investigate “difference” by establishing
a history of both common and conflicting experiences of women students from
diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. The broad goals of the project are
to inquire into the differences that make difficult a cross-cultural coalition
among women students at Hamilton College, and to understand and work through
these differences in order to build community.
Kirkland Project through the Hewlett grant was able to co-sponsor the very
successful series—students committed to three probing workshops and
an overnight retreat. Their commitment and perseverance was truly remarkable
and rewarding.
Susan Sanchez-Casal, Spanish
and Women’s Studies
College 130: Coming of Age in America
As I near the end of my four years at college, a select few
courses stand out in my memory. Many courses are interesting, but only a couple
have consistently and effectively challenged my beliefs, my analytic skills
and, above all, my awareness of the complicated nature of our society. One
of these courses is, without a doubt, College 130: Coming of Age in America.
More than any other course I have taken, this course challenged and deepened
my perception of and concerns for the society I live in. It changed not only
my academic decisions, but also my life goals.
Coming from a relatively sheltered high school to an elite college campus,
I now see that my perception of my country left much to be desired. When confronted
with the literature of College 130, it was not easy to accept or understand
the extent of ableism, classism, racism, and sexism that infiltrates our culture.
Over the course of a single semester, this class broadened my horizons and
forced me to question many of my previous assumptions. It taught me to be
more sensitive to the opinions and needs of others, changing the way I relate
to those who are similar to or different from me.
As I consider career options and my life's goals, the knowledge I gained from
College 130 actively has a real impact on my desires. As an entering first
year student at Hamilton, I already wanted to join the Peace Corps upon graduation.
Though I fully intend to do so in the near future, I now consider volunteer
work within my country to be of great importance as well. Perhaps it is in
direct response to this course that I have applied to work in the AmeriCorps.
College 130 is a course that challenges entering students to make the best
of their education, and it can be an invaluable lesson.
Claire Ramsay ’03
The course exemplified for this freshman exactly why a Hamilton education
is so valuable. Sitting in a room with a small group of my peers three times
a week, sharing ideas, thinking critically and analytically about important
social issues was a true exercise in the kind of active intellectual exchange
that is so necessary to a quality liberal arts education. We presented our
differing viewpoints and discussed them—sometimes even heatedly—but
always knew that a level of mutual respect would be maintained among us. This,
too, is fundamental to a liberal arts education. College 130 is a shining
example of the top-shelf opportunities available at Hamilton.
Ann Horwitz ’06
The experience I had in College 130 changed my entire outlook on life. I cannot
imagine myself or my freshman year without having taken this valuable course,
and it pains me that not everyone can have such an incredible learning experience.
Johanna Korson ’06
College 130 made me aware of issues that I had never thought about. This course,
with its interdisciplinary focus, made me care about life outside my self-centered
world and for that I am grateful.
Koert Wehberg ‘04
Skin Deep Retreat
The Skin Deep Retreat was held on February 8 – 9, at
nearby White Eagle Resort. Representatives from 20 student groups and several
administrative offices participated.
The retreat was designed to generate dialog and help students think more deeply
about race, religion, gender, sexual identity, sexual assault, class, alcohol
abuse, communication between groups, a perceived lack of funding for student
sponsored programs and activities, and a perceived lack of support by other
members of the Hamilton community.
Warren Blumenfeld and Vickie Chun, both of Colgate University, facilitated
the program and Multicultural Affairs, the Office of the President, Kirkland
Project, and Student Activities sponsored it. The retreat was informative,
enlightening, intense at times, and lots of fun. Students left the retreat
with a renewed sense of purpose.
Excerpted from a report by Marc David, Multicultural Affairs
Urban Service Experience
As most Hamilton students were wrapping up their last couple of days at home,
sleeping, eating, and visiting with friends and family and most Hamilton faculty
were making last minute adjustments to their lesson plans, a group of students,
faculty, and staff took time out of their winter break to give to the Utica
community. The Urban Service Experience (USE) program is in its third year
of existence and is now not only a winter project, but also a pre-orientation
program for entering first-year students. From the vision of the Kirkland
Project, and with its support, over the years more than 25 different students
have participated, as well as over 10 different faculty and staff members.
We have served and learned about over 15 different social service organizations.
We have helped countless people and learned countless lessons. I think that
I speak for all the USE participants when I say that I now feel connected
to Utica: I feel that it is part of my Hamilton experience and that it is
all of our moral obligation to get off this hill and broaden our vision to
include social justice work, both during our college years and after graduation.
I want to thank The Kirkland Project for supporting USE over the last three
years, especially those professors and staff members who took time away from
their work and family to cook with us, to clean with us, to tutor with us,
and to teach us about Utica. Also, thank you to Jeff McArn for your tireless
work and inspirational dedication to USE, and to Service and Justice work
on this campus. You all deserve a huge amount of recognition for being more
than teachers. You have shown, by working side-by-side with us students, what
it means to build coalition and have a passion for the greater good.
Adapted with permission from an article by Jennifer Taransky ’03, originally
published in The Green Apple, Volume 2 Issue 2: Feb. – Mar. 2003.
Journal Writing Program
The Girl Culture Journal Writing Project was created by sociology
major Jessica Ambrose ‘02. The project focuses on developing the well
being of adolescent girls by encouraging them to explore issues of identity.
Hamilton College women facilitate groups of middle school girls and aid them
in keeping a journal. Journal writing groups meet weekly to discuss various
topics such as family, race and ethnicity, peer pressure, and body image.
“Journals are also a way for girls to explore their various identities
and the ways race, gender, socioeconomic class, and sexuality intertwine”
(Ambrose, 2001).
For the 2002 – 2003 academic year, Hamilton College women were trained
in a daylong session led by Jess Ambrose and three project directors: Ali
Conway ’03, Robin Stern ’03, and Kaylene Stevens ’03. Twelve
junior and senior women entered five local middle schools in Clinton, New
Hartford, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, Waterville, and Westmoreland. Currently,
a conference is being planned where journal club members from all five schools
will be invited to visit the Hamilton College campus. Activities at the conference
will center on the theme “Coming of Age” and will include discussion,
an art project and games.
Initial funding for the Girl Culture Journal Writing Project came from the
Women’s Fund of The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties,
Inc. Continued funding is provided by the Kirkland Project.
Alison Conway ‘03
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Kirkland Project