Hi everyone! I'm Amanda Moss, I'm a Junior and this my first semester at UCF. I am a History major, and I plan on double minoring in American Studies and Women Studies. I'm hoping to move on to Graduate school (William and Mary in Virginia is my dream school) to pursue an American Studies career in some capacity.
I've always been really interested in learning the history of women, reading about their lives and careers, and seeing how we've progressed over time, so declaring Women Studies as one of my minors seems inevitable for me. One of my closest friends and I always exchange new articles and blog posts dealing with women, and we discuss, rant, and rave about them, so I am very excited about this course!
As far as activism goes, the most I often do is post statuses and web links to informative articles via Facebook, so others can (hopefully) read them, gain knowledge, and make an informed opinion. Last year, at Valencia Community College I was very active in Amnesty International, we hosted several events during the year, and we had two or three pertaining to women, such as Maternal Health, Spousal/Children Abuse and Women's Roles in Culture. I think activism is VERY important. Not only does it promote your cause in a way that can change the world, such as when women marched to vote, or picketed in front of the White House, but it also creates awareness and disperses knowledge to people who may know nothing or very little (or hold a false assumption) about your cause.
My American History teacher -Professor Duce- at Polk State College (yes, I have been to three colleges in three years) showed my class Iron Jawed Angels, which certainly impacted me and further changed my opinion about the United States government. It truly is a brilliant movie, and shows the struggle of Alice Paul and the women who set out to change history. It shows how women and men (specifically within the government) interact, and how the government can hide anything they want, or twist it to make others (in this case the protestors) villains. In her class we also discussed gender roles, specifically during the Industrial Revolution and during the Wars, on the home front or in the hospitals.
I love researching about John and Abigail Adams because they seem like such vivid exceptions of the traditional gender roles, especially for their time. In their letters Abigail often gives John advice even when he doesn't ask for it, and she tends to be right on the nose with what is needed or fair. After all, she told him while the Congress was writing the Declaration, "Remember the women," he ignored that piece of advice, and you see what happened in history. It is speculated that the only reason John Adams became President was because of her advice to him that he heeded and the excellent parties she hosted. I really respect both of them and during this semester I hope to learn more about couples like this.
I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus and the blogging protocols. I'm excited for this course!
