WMST-L File Collection:

Health / Biology

Last updated: Sept. 5, 2010

The following files from the WMST-L file collection focus on women-related issues concerning health or biology:

The Body and Culture: Suggested Readings
(This file offers suggestions for accessible texts dealing with the body and culture. WMST-L discussion, Sept./Oct. 2002.)

Body Image and Young Girls
(Responses to a 1998 WMST-L query seeking suggested books, videos, etc. that encourage more positive body image among young girls.)

Body Image, Strength, and 'Masculinity'
(A discussion of women's strength and body image, and the fear of appearing too 'masculine.' The discussion, which includes extensive resources, took place on WMST-L in May 2003.)

Books Helpful to Housebound New Mothers
(Recommendations for fiction and non-fiction, as well as some coping strategies, that a housebound new mother might find helpful. WMST-L discussion, May 2003)

Brain Differences and Sex
(Discussion of research on brain differences between women and men. WMST-L, February 2002. 2 parts.)

Breast Cancer and Abortion: Is There a Link?
(Discussion and resources for refuting the anti-choice claim of a link between having an abortion and developing breast cancer. The discussion took place on WMST-L in February 2005.)

The Courage to Heal and Memories of Abuse
(WMST-L discussion about the book The Courage to Heal and the issue of memories of sexual abuse. The discussion took place in June 1998. 2 parts)

A Course on Women and Food
(Suggested resources for a course on women and food. WMST-L discussion, December 2003)

Cutting/Self-Mutilation among Adolescent Girls
(Resources about cutting and self-mutilation among adolescent girls. WMST-L discussion, January 2005.)

Does the Fetus Begin as Female?
(WMST-L discussion, April 2000)

Discussions about Beauty Issues
(A query about good discussions of beauty issues--"makeup, high heels, etc."--elicited the suggestions offered in this file. WMST-L discussion, October 2008)

Domestic Violence Course Resources
(Suggested introductory materials for a course on violence against women, especially intimate partner violence in the U.S. WMST-L discussion, June 2010)

Domestic Violence in Film
(Suggestions for films that portray domestic violence. The first part focuses especially on popular, mainstream films, while the second part offers a somewhat broader ranger of suggestions. WMST-L discussiona, 2004 and 2007.)

Domestic Violence Training for High School Guidance Teachers
(Suggested resources for contructing a curriculum to help train high school guidance teachers about domestic violence (dating violence). WMST-L discussion, March 2004.)

Evolutionary Psychology?
(Two brief WMST-L discussions from April and May 2008 that offer resources for dealing with the claims of evolutionary psychology. The May discussion focuses primarily on works useful for an Intro to Women's Studies course.)

Female Genital Mutilation
(Two-part WMST-L file including discussions from 1994 and 1997. See also Incorporating FGM into Courses, Female Genital Mutilation II, and Genital Cutting and Gender.)

Female Genital Mutilation, II
(Further discussions of the topic, these from January and August 2000, February and November 2001, and October 2004. See also the earlier discussions from 1994 and 1997 (above) and the files Incorporating FGM into Courses and Genital Cutting and Gender.)

The Fluidity of Sex, Sexuality, and Gender
(This lengthy WMST-L discussion began in July 2001 with a query about a term for women who dress up as transvestites. After some consideration of terms (several involving "drag"), the topic evolved into a discussion about social construction and the fluidity of sex, sexuality, and gender. Additional messages from 2001-2003 have been added at the end of the file. 5 parts.)

Genital Cutting and Gender
(A WMST-L discussion from January 2008 responding to a request for resources dealing with FGM/FGE and male circumcision together. See also Female Genital Mutilation, Female Genital Mutilation II, and Incorporating FGM into Courses)

Incorporating FGM into Courses
(Suggested readings and lesson plans for incorporating the issue of female genital mutilation into courses on Contemporary Moral Issues and on African American Women Writers. See also Female Genital Mutilation, Female Genital Mutilation II, and Genital Cutting and Gender.)

Is Modern Medicine Sexist?
(Two-part file resulting from a discussion on WMST-L in October 2000 about whether modern medical research and funding are biased in favor of women and offer inadequate recognition of men's health problems.)

Menstruation: A List of Sources
(A 1996 bibliography compiled by Paula Wansbrough and WMST-L member Kathleen O'Grady. 2 parts)

Menstruation and Religion: A List of Sources
(A 1998 bibliography compiled by WMST-L member Kathleen O'Grady.)

Motherhood and Pregnancy in Popular Culture
(WMST-L discussion in November 2001 about representations of motherhood and pregnancy in popular culture and in the media.)

Race and Concepts of Female Body Size
(A discussion of differing concepts of ideal body size and shape among women of different races and ethnic groups. WMST-L, November, 2004.)

Reproductive Justice: Resources for a Course
(Suggestions for readings, films, etc. of use in an upper-level undergraduate course on Reproductive Justice. WMAT-L, May 2010)

Reproductive Technology in Courses
(Suggested resources for including a discussion of reproductive technology in gender courses. These suggestions were offered on WMST-L in June 2005.)

Resources on Menopause and HRT
(Suggested resources for dealing with menopause and hormone replacement therapy in a Sociology course. These suggestions were offered on WMST-L in August 2006.)

"Sex" versus "Gender"
(A 2-part file containing discussions of these often-confused terms from 1993 and 1997)

"Sex" versus "Gender" Revisited
(Further discussion of the terms "sex" and "gender," including their meaning(s) and some reasons that people often confuse these terms. WMST-L discussion, September/October 2006.)

Sexual Assault Statistics
(WMST-L discussion of the "1 in 4" statistic and related matters. February 2002)

Sizism: Resources for Teaching
(Resources for teaching about sizism/body image. A WMST-L discussion, August 2001)

Toxic Tampons
(WMST-L discussion about possible health risks from tampons. April 2001)

The Vagina Monologues
(Three WMST-L discussions of Eve Ensler's play "The Vagina Monologues," one in February 2001, the second in July 2003, and the third in the spring of 2005. The 2005 thread also includes discussion of female genital excision.)

Violence in GLBT Relationships
(Resources for information about intimate violence in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender relationships. WMST-L discussion, October 2004.)

Women and Disability
(Suggestions offered on WMST-L in May 2004 for recent work dealing with women and disability.)

Women and Physically Demanding Jobs
(Three-part WMST-L discussion in July 2001 that focused on women's performance in physically demanding jobs such as firefighter. Among the issues covered were dual standards, discrimination, differential death rates for men and women, and how to teach about such topics.)


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