Ethnic Studies
Ms. Portman

Gender and ethnicity
Read the excerpt from Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston and "We Have the Power"

Why do you think women are often demeaned in the name of cultural traditions? What kinds of conflicts can occur specifically for women over ethnicity and living in the United States? Do women of color have power in this country?

Domestic Violence
Read "Reinventing herself in America: Shanti" (A Larger Memory 282-291) and "Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros

Domestic violence and patriarchy can be found within any family. Often times, women blame themselves or feel that they have no way out of the situation. How does ethnicity play a role in how the women of these two essays dealt with their situations?

Diversity Within the Women's Movement
Read excerpt from "The Experiences of Minority Women in the United States: Intersections of Race, Gender, and Class" by Elizabeth M. Almquist, "Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference" by Audre Lorde and the excerpt from This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa

Why does Lorde criticize the traditional methods of dealing with differences between people? What does she recommend people do when they meet someone who is different from themselves? Why is racism a feminist issue? How are the life experiences of women of color different than the experiences of white women? Men of color?

Movie
"The Wedding Banquet"
Gay Taiwanese-American Chao tries to fool his parents via a fake wedding, with unexpected complications. Top-notch comedy which knowingly and poignantly examines the meaning of cultural identity and child-parent relationships.
Copyright© Leonard Maltin, 1998