Working Papers in Feminist Research

The UCLA Center for the Study of Women (CSW) is a nationally recognized center for research on women and gender. Established in 1984, it is the only unit of its kind in the University of California system, and it draws on the energies of 245 faculty from 10 UCLA professional schools and 34 departments. By bringing together scholars with similar interests, CSW has played an important role in the intellectual life of UCLA. Through its conferences, seminars and administration of grants, CSW has enabled feminist scholars to exchange ideas and secure funding. CSW works in conjunction with the UCLA Women's Studies Program to develop curriculum and promote feminist learning among both undergraduate and graduate students. Together, the Center for the Study of Women and the Women's Studies Program constitute an important platform for women's concerns in Southern California. The UCLA Center for the Study of Women contributes to the advancement of women by expanding and sharing knowledge.

Under the Rape Shield

Roman, Denise

(2011)

This article focuses on the Rape Shield Laws and their evolution in the United States, one of the pioneers in this field. The article also discusses constitutional and feminist critiques of present Rape Shield Laws, and ends with a comparative perspective throughout the Anglo-American legal space today. Finally, although the Rape Shield Laws can be approached from a variety of discourses, this article engages specifically with a discourse that intersects legal and feminist analyses.

TV Jewish Mothers: The Creation of a Multiethnic Antiheroine

Hant, Myrna

(2003)

It is in the domain of cultural studies to critique icons that delineate models of behavior and beliefs represented in films, movies, music, print and television. The media “provides modern morality tales that demonstrate right and wrong behavior, that show what to do and what not to do, that indicate what is or is not the ‘right thing’.” (Kellner, l995, p. 162) The TV Jewish Mother is a media archetype whose depictions represent the ambiguity that 21st Century American culture promulgates about the role of mothering. By doing a diagnostic critique of the Jewish Mother, so often stereotypically characterized on TV, one discovers that, for the most part, she is a devouringly negative, albeit loving presence in her child’s life...