Fall 2010 - Spring 2011 Academic Year Journal The WSRC Internship:

The WSRC Internship:

Student-Scholar Partners (SSP) run out of The Women’s Studies Research Center of Brandeis University

Fall 2010 - Spring 2011

Academic Year Journal

Volume four

Spring 2011

Student-Scholar Partnership Program Journal

volume four spring 2011

table of contents

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19 page

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SSP Project

About the Student - Scholar Partnership Program

Notable Quotes from Successful SSP Relationships

Scholar: Rosalind Barnett

Student: Anushka Aqil

Project: Gender Matters

9 Scholar: Mary Berg

Student: Gilda Di Carli

Project: Translations of Olga Orozco’s Anthologies

La oscuridad es otro sol y También la luz es un abismo.

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Scholar: Helen Berger

Student: Rebekah (Becky) McDowell

Project: Does Worshipping the Goddess Make You a Feminist?

Scholar: Susan Eisenberg

Still

Student: Julie Shih

Project: On Equal Terms: Women in Construction 30 Years and

Organizing

Gender

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Scholar: E. J .Graff

Student: Rachel Gillette

Project: Schuster Institute of Investigative Journalism

Scholar: Florence Graves

Student: Rachel Klein

Project: Schuster Institute of Investigative Journalism

Scholar: Brenda McSweeney

Student: Kate Curley

Project: Irish Women Today: Perspectives from Galway to Dublin on

Equality

Scholar: Ruth Nemzoff

Student: Nathan Koskella

Project: Married Into - Making New Family Bonds Work

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Spring 2011 SSP Journal

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SSP Project

Scholar: Ellen Rosen

Student: Elizabeth Posner

Project: Be Ye Steadfast- A Biography of Frances Perkins: Research

Important Historical Feminist

Scholar: Georgia Sassen

Student: Amanda Dryer

Project: Drums and Poetry Project

Scholar: Georgia Sassen

Student: Ilana Pomerantz

Project: Drums and Poetry Project

Scholar: Pheobe Schnitzer

Student: Justine Zayhowski

Project: Gender Issues in Achievement Concerns: Is “Fear of Success” Still

With Us?

Scholar: Stephanie Wasserman

Student: Sarah Kass Levy Steinhouse

Project: Successful Foster Mothers and the Children They Raise: What Are

They Doing Right?

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About the Student-Scholar Partnership Program

“T

he SSP Program is an excellent opportunity for our talented undergraduates to develop serious, productive, and engaging relationships with scholars and university faculty.

These partnerships span so many diverse areas of intellectual inquiry and professional development - it’s stunning to me to see how many different projects are available to our students. This program is truly a credit to the students, scholars, and faculty who participate.” -

Provost Marty Krauss, June 2006

Overview

The Student-Scholar Partnership (SSP) was launched in the spring of 1997 as a project of the

Women’s Studies Program at Brandeis University. Today, the program continues as a component of the Women’s Studies Research Center (WSRC). The goal of the Student-Scholar

Partnership is to match undergraduate students with WSRC Scholars and Women’s and Gender

Studies faculty to work collaboratively on research or artistic projects. The emphasis of the program is to enable students and scholars/faculty to work collectively on projects that focus on women’s issues in many different fields. Each partnership meets on an ongoing basis throughout the semester and students have the option of continuing to work on their project more then one year. Students provide research assistance including library and online research, archival work, data analysis, interviewing, preparation for art exhibitions, assistance with book publishing and production, and webpage development. Two unique aspects of the program include an emphasis on mentoring and students contributions to the projects. The program supports the important work that the scholars/faculty are conducting on women’s lives and provides Brandeis undergraduates with an exceptional opportunity to work closely with established professionals in their fields of interest.

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Notable Quotes from Successful SSP Relationships:

Spring 2011

“R

esearching issues regarding gender portrayal in the different spheres of life has greatly affected my outlook in both my academic and social circles and has impacted the lens through which I perceive, analyze, and appreciate how gender is experienced in daily life.” -

Student Anushka Aqil working with Scholar Rosalind Barnett on “Gender Matters”

QuickTi me™ and a

T IFF (Uncom pressed) decom pressor are needed to see t his pict ure.

“W

orking on this SSP project has allowed me to utilize the skills I have developed through my study of Sociology here at Brandeis, and has reaffirmed my interest in exploring and understanding the world around us. The time that I spent working on the project over the course of the semester provided me with new perspectives and insights.” - Student

Rebekah McDowell working with Scholar Helen Berger on “Does Worshipping the Goddess Make

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You a Feminist?”

“P

ersonally, this project has opened my eyes to the realities that women face around the world…This project has sparked my interest as to what really matters to women in various countries and how their governments measure wellbeing…Not only that, but I have had the opportunity to consider what my dreams are for the future, and how those compare to ones my grandmother and my mother had at my age. And in the future, what might my daughter’s dreams be?” - Student Kate Curley working with Scholar Brenda McSweeney on “Irish

Women Today: Perspectives from Galway to Dublin on Gender Equality”

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Notable Quotes from Successful SSP Relationships (cont’d.):

Spring 2011

“M

y time at the Schuster Institute - through the Student-Scholar Partnership - has certainly been a rewarding and pertinent experience to my personal interests and career aspirations.” - Student Rachel Gillette with Scholar E.J. Graff on “Schuster Institute of

Investigative Journalism”

QuickTi me™ and a


“T

he project has allowed me to work closely with a scholar and gain some insight to the field of psychology. The time I have spent helping with this project has showed me how psychological ideas have far-reaching effects and has sparked an interest in me to declare an additional major in the field of Psychology. “ - Student Justine Zayhowski with Scholar Phoebe

Schnitzer on “Gender Issues in Achievement Concerns: Is “Fear of Success” Still With Us?”

QuickTi me™ and a


“T

he scholar with whom I have been partnered, Dr. Stephanie Wasserman, is a kind and intelligent woman who has guided me through this research process while genuinely valuing my contributions to her project. I honestly could not have asked for a better experience.” - Student Kass Levy with Scholar Stephanie Wasserman on “Successful Foster Mothers

and the Children They Raise: What Are They Doing Right?”

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For more information on the Student-Scholar Partnership Program, please contact the Program

Coordinator, Kristen Mullin, via e-mail: mullin@brandeis.edu.

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Scholar: Rosalind Barnett

Student Scholar: Anushka Aqil

Gender Matters

Gender and sex are so interchangeable in our society that many are surprised, and often disturbed, to see that gender is a social construction while sex is biological. Although the two are heavily intertwined, they are not the same thing.

Working with Dr. Rosalind Barnett, my insight into gender and gender-related issues in realms of education, politics, media and the workplace has increased tremendously. As I started working with Dr. Barnett, my primary role was to implement Gender Matters, a website that will serve as a resource to educators, students, and others who wish to learn the facts regarding many gender myths and misconceptions. Since then, however, my role has expanded to being a constant contributor to the Media section of the website as well as the maintainer of the overall website content.

Researching issues regarding gender portrayal in the different spheres of life has greatly affected my outlook in both my academic and social circles and has impacted the lens through which I perceive, analyze, and appreciate how gender is experienced in daily life. In addition, this position has provided me with such insight and curiosity that I have also been fortunate to become the Undergraduate Representative for the Women & Gender Studies Program here at

Brandeis University. But this is not all that I have learned. The most important thing of all is that the struggle for equality is not yet over and although significant gains have been made for women, a long road still lies ahead. As my specialty lies greatly in the gender portrayals in the media, I will focus on those and share the impact of my own realization of how things are presented in our daily lives.

My first introduction to gender bias and even gender separation in the media was when I learned about the Bechdel Test. The Bechdel Test was designed by Amy Bechdel to assess how many women are seen, heard, and shown as entities on their own merit during filming. The

Test has three criteria which every movie has to pass or otherwise it will fail the test. The criteria

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are: 1) There must be two women in the film; 2) these two women must have a speaking role talking to each other or another woman; and 3) these women should speak about something other than men in the movie. It is absolutely fascinating how many movies fail this test, and especially movies made by Pixar and Disney such as Walle, the Shrek series, Avatar: The Last

Airbender, Megamind, and Ice Age among others. These movies are targeted to younger audiences yet what messages are being sent and received?

Negative portrayals of both genders are also found in commercials in which both men and women are hyper-masculinized and hyper-feminized by large amounts of muscles, makeup, and body types. It seems that both genders are constantly reminded to conform to a certain ideal of their gender which leaves very little flexibility for self-definition.

Although negative assertions of gender are common in society, many entities, such as the

Geena Davis Institute, are working to counter these false-representations. Gender Matters is pursuing a formal relationship with the institute. In addition, we are benefiting from studies they have been conducted on the effect of media on gender perceptions in lives of young girls, teenagers, and college-aged women. Out of all the studies done, the most common finding across the board is that both girls and boys are heavily influenced by what they see on the television and due to this, often undertake dangerous habits to mimic what they think is the

‘norm.’

It is not only my hope but also the hope of the creators and contributors of this website that more accurate perceptions of gender can be shared, seen, and understood. Gender is in fact a social construction and not based entirely on biology. Decisions made based on gender are made without due attention or fairness to the person who is in question. From the work place to whether single-gendered classes are better suited for students are all debates that have arisen recently with the common assertion – boys and girls are separate because that is how they are wired. We at Gender Matters hope to dispel those beliefs using peer-reviewed and scientifically sound data as well as experts to not only impart what gender really is but also to point out the flaws in many of the supposed science that is being promoted in the media

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Scholar: Mary Berg

Student: Gilda Di Carli

Translations of Olga Orozco’s Anthologies La oscuridad es otro sol y También la luz es un abismo

Scope:

In this project scholars, Mary Berg and Melanie Nicholson, undertake the difficult task of translating two anthologies of short stories by Argentine author Olga Orozco. “By the time of her death in 1999, Olga Orozco was widely recognized as one of Latin America’s most important twentieth-century poets. Her poetry, oracular in tone and surrealistic in vision, has received considerable critical attention and has been widely anthologized and translated into numerous languages. Yet Orozco’s fiction, collected in two volumes of short stories whose settings and characters intertwine and enrich each other, has remained until now a fairly well guarded-secret. The present collection, comprised of stories from La oscuridad es otro sol

(Darkness is Another Sun, 1967) and También la luz es un abismo (Light Also Is an Abyss, 1993), introduced English-speaking readers to the hallucinatory yet lucid world that Olga Orozco’s young narrator, Lía, inhabits and animates with her prodigious imagination.” 1

Student Duties:

With this understanding of the anthologies in mind, Gilda applied her experiences and native understanding of the Argentine culture and language to a close reading of both the original and also translated text. The texts are placed alongside one another, and she reads both texts almost simultaneously, transitioning at each sentence from Spanish to English. The purpose of this close reading is on a basic level to grasp any typographical errors made in translation, but more importantly to consider whether the word choice and the sentence structure do justice to the original text. But also, it is important to balance Orozco’s intended tone and structure with the audience’s readability in English. As this semester draws to a close,

1 Introduction of the Translated Text, p. 3

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Gilda is now finalizing her search and acquisition of the cover image of the final version of the collection.

Impact:

Both Mary and Gilda have found that Olga Orozco’s text has opened up enchanting thoughts and intriguing conversations especially on the topic of memory, with all its distortions, hazy in setting and yet vivid in details, wherein elements of the subconscious become apparent through symbols and motifs. Lía’s mancha venenosa has been one of the most challenging symbols to translate and no doubt the most fascinating because in it, Olga Orozco embeds several layers of meaning. As translators, it was Mary and Gilda’s task to target their own fears and subconscious, and reflect on their childhoods to try and embrace the rich imagination of

Olga Orozco. And as with any text, there is always the worry of whether anyone will read it.

But this book will hopefully intrigue and charm all those who risk entering Olga Orozco’s surrealist world. Optimistically, this collection will ultimately allow non-Spanish speakers to embrace Orozco’s unique imagery so that her voice can perhaps resonate throughout the world’s subconscious.

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Scholar: Helen A. Berger

Student: Rebekah (Becky) McDowell and Diana Marte

Does Worshipping the Goddess Make You a Feminist?

This project is an analysis of a large-scale international survey of contemporary Pagans entitled

“The Pagan Census Revisited.” The research explores gender attitudes, beliefs, and participation in feminist activities and groups among contemporary Pagans internationally. Paganism, a new religious movement in which the Goddess is celebrated to the exclusion of, or in conjuncture with the God, has appealed primarily to women (70% of members are women). The largest and most influential forms of the religion, Wicca and Witchcraft, have been informed by feminism.

Diversity is celebrated in all forms of the religion, particularly diversity of sexual expression.

For most Pagans gender is viewed as fluid, something to be considered and played with both in ritual and in their daily lives. Nature or Mother Nature is seen as the Goddess or as her body and as such it is to venerated and protected—as are all her creations. Paganism is part of the larger phenomenon in the contemporary developed world of the growth in popularity of spirituality and metaphysical religions.

“The Pagan Census Revisited” is an updated, revised, and expanded version of a survey

Helen A. Berger completed with Andras Corbin-Arthen (the founder of an influential umbrella group for Pagans) fifteen years ago, entitled “The Pagan Census,” which was the basis of her second book, Voices from the Pagan Census written with Evan Leach and Leigh Shaffer. There never was a true census but the first survey was the largest and most diverse survey completed of U.S. Pagans. It is now online at the Murray Research Archive at Harvard University. Unlike the original survey, which was only of U.S. Pagans, the current one is an international survey.

Like the first survey, this one will provide the most complete picture of Pagans that is available and the only one that has sufficient questions from other surveys, including the General Social

Science Survey, to permit both tracking trends within the community and a comparison with the larger non-Pagan community. The survey was circulated on Survey Monkey, which permits respondents to add written responses to answers. There are, therefore, short essays in response

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to a number of questions including those about individuals’ conversion to Paganism. These permit an analysis of the degree to which gendered language is used in people’s conversion narratives. The question about gender identity was written to permit respondents to indicate gender fluidity in their responses. The survey has received over 8000 responses from individuals in seventy-four nations.

The research explores how gender, age, nation and denomination of Paganism interact to influence individuals’ support of four social movements that are consistent with Pagan beliefs and practices—feminism, environmentalism, gay rights, and animal rights. The data permits us to both analyze individuals’ self-definitions as for example, stating they are feminists, their attitudes towards social issues, such as women’s reproductive rights, and their political activities, including voting, protesting, and writing letters to legislators.

In the past year two student partners, Diana Marte in the fall semester and Rebekah

(Becky) McDowell in the spring have worked with Helen A. Berger on the project. Both students have worked with Helen on breaking down the quantitative data into categories; in all instances the data was divided into four age groups and by gender, including in some instances those who indicated gender ambiguity. The data was then broken into nation or region of residence and denomination of Paganism. Both students also looked for data on the general American and

European populations to compare with what we found about Pagans. For example, research was done on voting rates of young Americans and the number of people both in the US and elsewhere who self-define as feminists, or environmentalist. In the spring semester Becky and

Helen have also read through the conversion narratives, and the respondents’ discussions of the books and websites that they found most invaluable in their spiritual quest for four of the groups (the oldest and youngest US females and males). This data will be used for programming the computer system to scan for these in other categories of respondents we have created.

Both student workers have been an invaluable addition to the study. We have met weekly to discuss the research. They have provided insights into interpreting the data, thoughts about how to best analyze the data, and help in working with the computer system to get the analysis completed. Diana left the project because of family responsibilities but prior to doing so

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she wrote in an e-mail: “I feel as though I gained a whole lot of experience while being part of this project. I think Helen can vouch for me, when I say that I learned plenty of things while working with her.” Rebekah notes “Working on this SSP project has allowed me to utilize the skills I have developed through my study of Sociology here at Brandeis, and has reaffirmed my interest in exploring and understanding the world around us. The time that I spent working on the project over the course of the semester provided me with new perspectives and insights.

Before my involvement with this project on the Pagan Census, I knew little of Pagan religions and of those that practiced them. This project offered me a window to look into that community and learn of a new set of beliefs and an alternative perspective on religion, life, and the physical world. In conducting quantitative analysis of the data, we were able to detect certain similarities and differences among groups of varying ages and genders, which gave us insight into why certain groups practiced or believed in Pagan faiths. Overall, I found this opportunity to contribute to new research to be both exciting and important, and it allowed me to apply my own perspectives and analytical skills”

For Helen having both these students working with her has been a real asset. They are bright, interesting, capable women. Helen has enjoyed her interactions with both student workers and has benefited from their insights and thoughts. She is currently working on a book outline, which will serve as the basis of a book proposal. Her first reviewer will be Rebekah, whose insights she trusts and whose input she welcomes. The proposed book will contribute to both Pagan Studies and Gender Studies as it looks at the intersection of religion, gender and political attitudes and behaviors. It will also help people to gain a better understanding and hopefully gain acceptance for this frequently maligned religion.

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Resident Artist / Scholar: Susan Eisenberg

Student: Julie Shih

On Equal Terms: Women in Construction 30 Years and Still Organizing

This year I had the opportunity to work alongside Brandeis Scholar Susan Eisenberg on her project On Equal Terms: Women in Construction 30 Years and Still Organizing. As a writer, activist, and former-electrician, Susan is a strong advocate for the equality of women working in the male-dominated construction industry. As her Student-Scholar Partner, I assisted her with a variety of tasks focused on raising awareness and stimulating discussion on how to end occupational segregation in the construction workforce.

Throughout the semester, I learned from Susan both the current situation tradeswomen face and the history of their struggle. In the 1970s, the federal government launched affirmative action policies to bring women into the trades, expecting to raise the ratio of women in the workforce up to 25%. However, 30 years later, it is more than evident that they’ve fallen short of this goal with the percentage of women in the trades still around 2.5%. In preparation for

California’s first national tradeswomen conference this year, Susan and I worked together on efforts to rekindle that optimistic spirit of the ‘70s using the idea of “moving the decimal point” from 2.5 to 25.% as a rallying point. Bouncing ideas off one another, we came up with an animation and a button design for the “Move the Decimal Point” workshop that Susan will be holding for the conference.

To further invite conversation about the issues construction women face, I also assisted

Susan in maintaining her website and blog throughout the semester. I managed the technical details such as formatting, and Susan managed the content – crafting each thought-provoking blog post around a central issue for discussion. The internet has proven a valuable tool in connecting tradeswomen across the nation, encouraging the movement and calling attention to gender inequity in the trades. Working with Susan, I have gotten the chance to observe how she and other tradeswomen pool their respective talents to advocate for treatment on equal terms , in what is truly a collaborative process that I was able to contribute to.

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Susan’s On Equal Terms exhibit is a multi-media art installation that captures the experiences of tradeswomen and the barriers they face, but I think just as importantly, it also speaks of the achievements and sense of fulfillment that women have found in their careers.

Working with Susan these past months has been both an enjoyable and meaningful experience. It has been a pleasure to assist Susan with the work she does and I am glad to have participated in the SSP program.

–– Julie Shih

As an artist, I’m well aware that content and form are inseparable. Julie’s contributions about form and formatting were incredibly useful and imaginative because they were rooted in understanding the content –– quite an accomplishment since when we began together, she was totally unaware of these issues. She has earned the admiration and appreciation of tradeswomen across the country. It has a been a delight to be partnered with someone who thinks flexibly and creatively, can be counted on to be disciplined and meticulous, and who catches on to the sport of the project while never losing sight of the gravity and human cost in the political realities that were being addressed.

–– Susan Eisenberg

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Scholar: EJ Graff

Student: Rachel Gillette

Gender and Justice, Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism

The Gender and Justice Project at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism relates to modern-day human rights abuses such as human trafficking – otherwise known as modern-day slavery – and international adoption fraud. As I hope to pursue a career in

International Human Rights Law, this SSP project provided a hands-on opportunity to build my research skills, bolster my knowledge on human rights issues, and work closely with a wellrespected expert in the field.

Many have heard of human trafficking, often relating the practice to sex slavery; though this is certainly an all too common practice, human trafficking also includes child slavery, labor issues, and deceptive hiring. Much of my research focused on California Bill SB 657, encouraging manufacturing and retail companies earning revenue over $100 million to trace and report their supply-chain. In other words, large retail companies would exculpate working conditions of all employees, making public any poor working conditions or slave conditions.

This bill has since been proposed Federally, and this research will no doubt assist in advocacy for its passing.

Uncommon knowledge is the true scale of international adoption fraud. Though the tales were harrowing, the individual stories tragic, and the government documents frightening, fraud unmistakably follows demands for adoption. Most moving was a case in Sierra Leone, where over 30 children were taken from their homes on the notion that the children would receive food, education, and safety from violence. Unknowingly, however, adoption agents matched each child with an American family for-profit, and bewildered Sierra Leonean parents were heartbroken at the realization that their children had been sold.

Most exciting was the introductory research I conducted on development fraud. As a possible future research project, the Schuster Institute wanted to explore fraud within international aid organizations, and I welcomed the opportunity to put some of my field

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experience to work. I appreciated the opportunity to share my expertise based on multiple field postings in post-conflict and developing countries.

This research will contribute to human rights research and literature broadly, but have a specific impact on awareness-raising. Through the popular media outlets – such as the

Washington Post, New York Times and Huffington Post – in which the Schuster Institute publishes, this research has a broad readership and a specific value to education: the building of the nation’s awareness as a whole. My time at the Schuster Institute - through the Student-

Scholar Partnership - has certainly been a rewarding and pertinent experience to my personal interests and career aspirations.

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Scholar: Florence Graves

Student: Rachel Klein

Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism

Working as a student research assistant at the Schuster Institute for Investigative

Journalism has given me the opportunity to have a first-hand experience of what it is like to conduct investigative research. I have had the opportunity to work on issues that are important to me and that I hope to pursue in the future. I have learned how to compile information into reports and make sure that it is in a format that will be useful to others.

Working at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism has allowed me to continue working on an issue that I am very passionate about, human trafficking and modern day slavery. Last semester I studied abroad in Kathmandu, Nepal as a part of the School for

International Training. The last month of the program each student conducts an independent study project where they are responsible for conducting their own research, fieldwork and interviews before compiling a written report. Due to the work I did last year as a part of the

Student Scholar Partnership at the Schuster Institute I knew that I wanted to focus on human trafficking in Nepal. I ended up conducting my independent study project on the effectiveness of rehabilitation and reintegration for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation in Nepal. I focused on vocational and life skills training programs that are used by several NGOs in

Kathmandu and explored whether or not these programs helped survivors to return to society.

The skills that I learned working at the Schuster Institute helped me to be a successful researcher and prepared me for what I hope to continue researching in the future.

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Scholar: Brenda Gael McSweeney

Student: Kate Curley

Irish Women Today: Perspectives from Galway to Dublin on Gender Equality

I had many ambitions this past January as I entered my last semester as an undergraduate here at Brandeis University. I wanted to leave my mark, challenge myself, and learn something new. While many seniors share this sentiment, it is a challenge to narrow down what cause or project to throw one’s energy and passion into, as Brandeis provides a wealth of opportunities of this very nature. I discovered the Student-Scholar Program and was immediately drawn to the creativity and innovation of the projects presented. As someone who has taken gender-related courses at Brandeis, focusing on various measures of inequality from wealth to positions in the workplace, I was most excited about Irish Women Today: Perspectives from Galway to Dublin on Gender Equality . It was, indeed, startling, to read in this project proposal of WSRC Resident Scholar Brenda Gael McSweeney that Ireland had fallen five places on the

Human Development Index, a result of the gender wage gap. It sparked my curiosity. What contributed to this? Did all women in Ireland experience this gap? I wanted to know more.

I applied to be a part of the project and was fortunate enough to be selected. For the past four months I have worked closely with Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney and her colleague, Raffi

Freedman-Gurspan. I have conducted a literature review, exploring existing research done by universities, experts in the field, and international organizations. I have developed a questionnaire that will be used to gather research in the field for an upcoming trip Brenda and

Raffi will take to Ireland. I have also established correspondence with individuals who may be able to add their own insight to our look at the status of Irish women today in Ireland, with the hopes that they may be able to meet with Brenda and Raffi upon their visit and add their voices to the conversation the three of us have been having for the past four months. In the following I will explore my key findings, how participating in this project has benefited me, and the impact this research will have in the world community.

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In the past several years, Ireland has experienced one of the worst economic bubble bursts in history, leaving its citizens jobless and struggling. It is in this context that our research project unfolds. Looking at the status of Irish women today, it was interesting to consider where they came from. In the 1970s, 2 nd wave feminism reached Ireland. At this time, contraceptives were illegal. It was commonplace to travel to neighboring countries for access to birth control and abortions. Though Ireland has progressed in many ways, there is still much to be done for gender equality, both socially and economically. Abortion is still illegal, women are still stuck in stereotypically feminine careers (i.e. care work), and although most women do some type of work outside of the home, the gender wage gap still exists.

The distribution of “care work” (taking care of children, housework, elderly relatives, etc.) is extremely unbalanced between men and women in Ireland. Women do the vast majority of care work in the home. These trends are reflected in popular media available to women.

During my review of recent issues of women’s magazines in Ireland, specifically Image and

Women’s Way , it was not the presence of articles about homemaking, fashion, and cooking that was shocking, but the absence of articles with political or economic substance that spoke to the plight of the Irish woman today. There was not a single article about the economic crash the country is experiencing, policies that are affecting women, career planning, or local or international politics.

Personally, this project has opened my eyes to the realities that women face around the world. At first glance, Ireland is a progressive country. Ireland’s focus on maternal health and as a result, its national low-rates of maternal and infant mortality speak to the country’s commitment to the wellbeing of women. But delving deeper, these standards are not the only ones that should be looked at when determining wellbeing. This project has sparked my interest as to what really matters to women in various countries and how their governments measure wellbeing.

Putting together the questionnaire that will be used to collect data in the field, I wondered how different women might answer the same questions. For example, how might

Irish women’s dreams differ from those of women in the Congo or Argentina? Do their dreams differ because of cultural values or because those dreams are unattainable? Not only that, but I

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have had the opportunity to consider what my dreams are for the future, and how those compare to ones my grandmother and my mother had at my age. And in the future, what might my daughter’s dreams be?

The findings from this project will be carried on in Brenda’s future projects regarding gender inequality in Ireland, India, and West Africa. I believe that through our research, we have presented a fresh look at gender inequality issues, one that delves deeper than statistics but really focuses on the root causes of the trends we see in world reports. Irish Women Today:

Perspectives from Galway to Dublin on Gender Equality has successfully developed a snapshot of what matters to Irish women, one that will become clearer as this research is applied in the field, by team leader Brenda Gael McSweeney and her colleague Raffi Freedman-Gurspan interviewing Irish women, and men, and hearing from them directly. It is my hope that this project will not only inspire our fellow colleagues to turn their attention to issues such as this, but that it will enable women all over the world to reflect, question, and perhaps redefine what matters to them today, and what they aspire to in the future.

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Scholar: Ruth Nemzoff

Student: Nathan Koskella

“Making In-Laws Into Family”

My scholar-mentor, Ruth Nemzoff is in the midst of writing her second book on intergenerational relationships, this time focusing on the in-law paradigm. My work involves all manner of scholarly research assistance, including reading, writing, editing and copyediting.

Dr. Nemzoff has involved me in all types decisions and circumstances surrounding her sociological and anthropological work.

I have scoured the most learned journals in these fields, catalogued hundreds of facts and figures and even critiqued the competition of rival writers on in-law relationships.

Dr. Nemzoff has been an instrumental educator and mentor. Her tutelage goes beyond learning the matters of her work or sociology in general. As a budding scholar myself, I have been able to see firsthand the entire process of what goes into a book—so many hours!—and even the marketing, publisher-bargaining, and endless revising of its versions.

This program has been ideal for me for this dual purpose—not only am I learning about the nitty-gritty of researching for its sake, but also the true facts of life—from actually getting a book published.

Finally, there remains to be said the type of person Ruth has been to me. Ruth has inspired me: I was initially shocked to learn that she only begin this latest phase of her career in her mid-60s— and has thrown herself passionately into yet another raison d’etre. That lifelong passion for learning, working and living is a lesson I will always remember. I am proud to call her my mentor, adviser, and dear friend.

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Scholar: Ellen Rosen

Student: Elizabeth Posner

Be Ye Steadfast: The Biography of Frances Perkins

The new project I am working on is about Frances Perkins. I plan to write a psycho-historical biography about her. It will be called “Be Ye Steadfast: The Biography of Frances Perkins.”

And steadfast she was all through her life.

My student –scholar partner is Elizabeth Posner. She is a wonderful student. She is a history major and is familiar with the period in American life that interests me- the Progressive Era. She is taking five courses and “loves school.”She has wonderful insights about Frances Perkins.

Before we began this semester, I asked her to read, two books about Frances Perkins. One was the famous “The Roosevelt I Knew” by Frances Perkins and the new, and wonderful, ”Frances

Perkins: the Woman Behind the New Deal.” Then, with that under her belt, I asked her to collect some of the historical documents. Despite her full schedule, she still manages to get me a number of articles from journals and newspapers each week.

We are learning how much Frances Perkins wanted to accomplish the things she did during her twelve years in the White House- the Social Security Bill is the highlight of her reforms. We do not realize how different America was before her bills, such as Social Security, or The Fair

Labor Standards Act which transformed America into the modern world we know today. What it was like with child labor, without a minimum wage and certainly without unions, and, she did it all.

It was not FDR who gave us these bills, but it was Frances Perkins, working with the facilitator of these programs, FDR, who made these things happen. Frances Perkins brought to the White

House, her concerns for the poor. In the Depression, with one quarter of the work force

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unemployed, and half of them literally starving. She had seen the poor, years before she came to the White House, in their wretched tenements, on the Lower East Side.

She had known what it meant to be called “a little lady” by “Honey Fitz” and to be aghast at

William Green, president of the AFL, who said, “he would never be reconciled” to having

Francis Perkins as Secretary of Labor, instead of someone from the AFL. She also balanced her personal life, with her demanding career. How terrible for her with her husband ill, and her daughter in school in New York, commuting from New York to Washington, and back again.

Liz and I have discussed us working together next semester to see if we can uncover “what it was that drove her” in this career that she chose, that of simple social work. Although she lived a life of excitement- and deep pain. I have hopes that we will be able to “unlock” the force that allowed her to do these things- “Be Ye Steadfast.”

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Scholar: Dr. Georgia Sassen

Student: Amanda Dryer

‘Drums and Poems’ Reflection

For the past two semesters, I have worked with Dr. Georgia Sassen on a program called,

Drums and Poems: A Relationship Building, Literacy- Building Intervention with at risk children. Dr. Sassen piloted this program last year because her research proved that visual art is effective in helping children build strong relationships. In her 2005 study, Dr. Sassen indicated that some children learn to self-regulate through music because they cannot merely sit still while creating art. Ultimately, neuropsychologists have shown that rhythm helps children selfregulate.

As result, Dr. Sassen created a program called Drums and Poems, which not only allows students to express themselves through music, but also, increases literacy skills through writing and poetry. Poetry is essential to this project because it has great literacy- building potential and is not looked upon by children as “school work.” Building poems based on rhythms allows students to speak their words aloud and interact with other students about their words. It has been shown that to build connections amongst children, they must interact. Building poems based on rhythms as a group, forces the children to interact in both traditional (speaking) and non-traditional (jamming) ways. It is clearly evident that jamming is not only a connection builder amongst the children in this program, but also, it has been a connection builder in many cultures all over the world. In summary, this program allows underprivileged children to build literacy skills and explore their own and other’s creativity.

A typical session would consist of ten to twelve children, an additional intern, Dr. Sassen, and myself. At first, the children would solely bang out rhythms on homemade drums created by Dr. Sassen. Following the students drumming, one of the students would make up a line of poetry that corresponds with the rhythm another classmate had created while jamming on the drums. Afterwards, the students’ poetry would appear on the wall (via the smart-board or

PowerPoint projector), which helps support reading. All of the students in the group repeat the

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line and re-beat the rhythm as one. As result, the group builds a poem together, as this process is repeated until the poem is completed. During this process, students learn about poetic rhythms first, and then they move on to the meaning and sounds of words, which ultimately, allows them to create their own music.

Over the past two semesters, I have had the opportunity to see various grade levels (2 nd graders and 4 th graders) create poetry and rhythms to the best of their ability. Overall, I have enjoyed working with Dr. Sassen on this innovative project that allows students to build relationships, increase literary skills, and ultimately, express themselves. In short, I would embrace the opportunity to work with Dr. Sassen again as her program, Drums and Poems,

“really works” (as quoted in the Boston Globe this past winter).”

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Scholar: Dr. Georgia Sassen

Student: Ilana Pomerantz,

Drums and Poems: Using Rhythmic Intervention to Support Children’s Relational and

Literacy Skills

Scope of Project: Working together on art has been shown to build connection between people.

The arts have proven to build strong connections among different people and have correlated with increased communication abilities. Dr. Georgia Sassen conducted a study among elementary school students using both drums and poems. Studies have already used drums to understand the impact of drums and relational abilities, and the poems are an added component. The research is being conducted at the Stanley school in Waltham among elementary school students as an after school activity. The children create drums and poems as a group in hopes that the children will be able to build stronger interpersonal and verbal skills.

Working in a group will allow the children to each contribute, thereby limiting the amount of competition and fostering a comfortable and safe environment for self -expression. The use of poems were introduced to improve the children’s literacy skills. Some of these underprivileged children do not come from English speaking families so this will also help to improve their language development.

I am one of the two student scholar partners. I took on the role of the research assistant and the other student scholar partner interned at the school. My job included researching through databases to find studies that support the research, coding the videos from the sessions with the kids for positive and negative behaviors and involvement attention, and developing a protocol for anti-relational and pro-relational behavior.

I have improved my research skills and was able to share my ideas with a scholar in residence who truly treated me as a partner, and not just a student. Every research opportunity that I have at Brandeis is very important for me as I want to receive a P.H.D. in psychology and am truly beginning to understand the different steps within a research project.

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Drums and Poems is a very important study as it implies that if we can target different behaviors when children are engaging in group activities, different programs can be tailored towards children’s abilities to build resilience and to build pro-relational behaviors that will follow them into their adolescent and adult stages.

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Scholar: Phoebe K. Schnitzer

Student: Justine A. Zayhowski

Gender and Achievement Concerns, Evolving Contexts and Concepts: A Thirty-Year Followup Study of Fear of Success

Scope of the Study: This research compares two different samples of fantasy material (stories) about achievement and social relations, written by undergraduates at Wellesley and MIT in the early 1970’s, and again thirty+ years later, in the early 2000’s. The purpose of the comparison is to examine changes in the achievement and interpersonal concerns of young women and young men; and also to compare the psychological formulations and concepts that were called into play earlier to describe gender differences – especially, the so-called motive to avoid success - with formulations that might be deemed useful currently. That is, the research will examine not only changes in the findings, but in the concepts introduced for their interpretation. In this way the study hopes to contribute to understanding the role of historical context in formulating research questions and interpreting research results.

 Predictions: Pilot data has suggested that the nature of both achievement and interpersonal concerns has shifted significantly over the last three decades, reflecting the changes in gender roles in contemporary society as well as broader changes in

American social and economic climate. Specifically, the pilot data suggested, predictably, that today’s young college women are not as subject to the same gender role restrictions regarding achievement as their counterparts in the 1970’s; and that today, both women and men are more subject to economic and competitive pressures. However, the pilot data suggests that gender differences may still be apparent in the specific types of themes today’s students describe. While the concept of fear of success may appear to be less useful in characterizing the achievement

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themes elicited today, other types of negative consequences of success may be apparent.

 Discussion: Analyses of the main body of data will consist of theme, gender and

époque comparisons which will permit commentary on several fronts: in the current samples, connections between success themes and social themes; gender differences in achievement and social concerns; comparisons of past and current themes and the evolution of expressed concerns; relevance and utility of the “motive to avoid success” to the past and current samples; and consideration of more contemporary concepts about the consequences of success, (“stereotype threat”; “penalties” of success.)

Impact of the Research: The project examines one example of social historical and economic factors affecting research questions and interpretations. It compares 1970 data on gender differences in achievement concerns to a recent replication, focusing on the concept "fear of success." Examining the emergence of this concept in the late 1960’s, and questioning its current relevance to young women and men, may illustrate how historical context - the changing social and economic roles of women, and perception of gender differences - influences interpretations of these differences.

Current Work at Brandeis WSRC:

The data collection phase of the research has been completed. The current work during this scholar’s (PKS) first year at WSRC focuses on steps preliminary to data analysis: transcribing the

200+ hand–written protocols (each consisting of 5 different stories;) and developing a coding system for the first of the five stories. In addition, we began the task of updating background knowledge by reviewing recent research in the area.

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The student partner (JAZ) has been crucially involved in all three aspects of the work this first year:

 Finding and reviewing relevant research since 1980;

 Transcribing the stories i.e. typing;

 Participating actively in developing a coding system for the “fear of success” story.

In her own words:

“Through participation with the SSP and Dr. Phoebe Schnitzer I have gained exposure to the original fear of success studies and other related themes; from this basis I searched for current, relevant research. I have also transcribed initial data into a computer-generated form and have contributed to creating and examining the coding system that will be put into use for the first set of stories.

The most rewarding aspect of this research has been learning about original studies on ‘fear of success’ and the impact the results had on society; this large-scale impact makes me curious as to what this study may find and how its results may be interpreted. The project has allowed me to work closely with a scholar and gain some insight to the field of psychology. The time I have spent helping with this project has showed me how psychological ideas have far-reaching effects and has sparked an interest in me to declare an additional major in the field of Psychology. “

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Scholar: Stephanie Wasserman, Ph.D.

Student: Sarah Kass Levy Steinhouse

The Voices of Admirable Foster Mothers

Ms. Kass Levy and I embarked on a journey into qualitative research that was well planned, yet, one that took surprising twists as we analyzed interview transcripts from admirable foster mothers.

In Massachusetts, there are approximately 3,500 foster families who volunteer to care for over 8,000 foster children. Statistics from the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care (2003) reveal that although 88% of adults are not very familiar with foster care in their community,

53% believe that the system needs large-scale reformation. Nearly 30% believe that foster parents are mostly interested in financial gain. This negative image of foster care is hurting foster children. “Across the state {MA} there is a serious shortage of foster homes for children who need temporary care due to problems in their families.”

(MSPCCwebsite4/7/2011http://www.mspcc.org/page.aspx?pid=386)

The goal of this research project is to hear the “voice” of twelve admirable foster mothers and uncover what it means to them to provide nurturing care. Findings will be used to support foster parent recruitment and training efforts thereby, increasing the pool of available foster families.

Kass assisted me on my constant comparison analysis of six in-depth interviews. Each of us read, color-coded and analyzed one transcript at a time and only then met together to discuss themes as they emerged; namely, attachment, separation, and resilience. Her role was intended to support my later collaboration with two additional experts in the field of foster care who had agreed to participate in a research strategy known as triangulation.

One of the experts however, unexpectedly withdrew from the project for personal reasons, which left us unable to triangulate as planned. (Triangulation increases the validity and

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reliability of the qualitative findings.) Several of the WSRC scholars suggested that I consider asking Kass to become a formal member of the triangulation team. Although she was not an expert in foster care, they suggested that she could offer a valuable inter-generational view!

Kass’ level of commitment, interest in the project, and analytical literary skills led me to offer her the opportunity. To my delight she responded with enthusiasm and we began a collaborative effort that far exceeded our earlier expectations.

Kass and I now met on a weekly basis to discuss her own analyses so that she would feel empowered to share her perspectives with confidence when we later began meeting as a full research team. In February 2011, I introduced Kass to Ms. Elaine Gaffny who is Project Director for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) Supervised

Visitation Program.

Together we began discussing our individual interpretations and engaged in vibrant dialogue. Kass demonstrated remarkable confidence even during disagreements within the theory building process; she “held her own”. Together we began constructing tentative theories about what it means to provide nurturing care.

Our original plan was to analyze all twelve transcripts. The time it took to reorganize the research team, however, constrained our findings to the first six interview transcripts.

On April 14, 2011 we presented our interim report to the Women’s Studies Research Center as part of their lecture series. I lead the presentation and was accompanied by Ms. Elaine Gaffny and Ms. Kass Levy who read selected vignettes that exemplified the tentative theories. For purposes of brevity I will describe only three of our tentative theories thus far.

1.) Our admirable foster mothers view loss and grief as normal aspects of life. Foster mothers, who have processed through their own personal losses, are better able to have empathy and to talk openly about painful experiences that foster children and biological families are facing.

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2.) All six of our foster mothers are comfortable with permeable family boundaries. They are able to allow social workers and other collateral agencies access to the foster children so to provide services both at home and in the community.

3.) Our admirable foster mothers consider attachment to their foster children as the ultimate reward for providing foster care. They are neither altruistic saints, nor, financially motivated by the monetary stipend given to foster parents.

The presentation was very well received.

Next year I hope to complete the remaining six interview transcripts and to report on the resilience of all twelve admirable foster mothers. Analyzing their successful and not so successful experiences with providing foster care will likely prove very intriguing.

By Student: Kass Levy

Working as a Student-Scholar Partner has been a fun and rewarding undertaking. My specific project, “The Voices of Admirable Foster Mothers,” has taught me methods of research, analysis, and scholarship; allowed me to study a topic to which I would otherwise have no exposure; and most importantly, opened my eyes to an essential societal issue in a way that enables me to act and make a difference. The scholar with whom I have been partnered, Dr.

Stephanie Wasserman, is a kind and intelligent woman who has guided me through this research process while genuinely valuing my contributions to her project. I honestly could not have asked for a better experience.

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Fall 2010 - Spring 2011 Academic Year Journal The WSRC Internship:

The WSRC Internship:

Student-Scholar Partners (SSP) run out of The Women’s Studies Research Center of Brandeis University