Introduction Letter

My name is Alexa Nelen, I am a junior at UCF majoring in History with a minor in Women's Studies. I'm from Maitland Florida and still live here in Maitland while commuting to UCF daily. The reason I'm taking Intro to Women's Studies besides it being a requirement for my minor is because I'm very interested in learning about the history of feminism, the three waves in history and how they may relate to my life today. I'd also like to gain some experience in the community with the Service Learning because one of my main goals is to become more active in the community with organizations that make an impact every day. One reason why I've really developed an interest in not only women's studies but gender studies is because I have always experienced both advantages and disadvantages of societal constructed gender roles if not with my immediate family then with classmates and peers. I am the only female of my generation in my family and that has been a downfall for me because my family expects very different things from men and women and essentially my life goals SHOULD be to be a paralegal or a steno typist if anything at all; I should be content with being a wife and mother and to never speak back to the man of the house; I should own no opinions of my own and "yes" is always the only answer when asked anything. It's needless to say that this is not the reality in which I'm actually living but it's nevertheless forced on me every day. I feel a certain connection to this subject and to it's past.

I want to learn more about the three waves of feminism, notable feminists and their particular advancements that impacted their generation and what difficulties and controversies these women (or men) faced. After all, the majority of notable men and women in history are noted because of the controversies they overcame; the things that challenged their beliefs and presented them with difficult decisions in balancing personal beliefs and moral responsibilities; much like those facing people every day but magnified and exploded by media attention. I’d also like to learn about the different goals of feminists during the three waves and how they planned on accomplishing them. Furthermore, I’d like to construct more complete and well-rounded views about what feminism means to me through the personal anecdotes and scholarly segments presented in the text. This class and its collaborative learning technique, I feel will also be valuable to me when looking to draw upon personal experiences and other perspectives on feminism and the roles of gender in everyday life.

I have read and fully understand the terms of the academic policy and the syllabus for this course and the terms of blogging procedures.