About two hundred words for each assignment

Assignment One

Very good discussion so far; let's continue and change our focus a bit. Our first essay discusses manhood and masculinity. Let's take a closer examination of what men and boys experience in our society. Go to Course Documents, and read the article "Lawyer Files Antifeminism Suit ." You have to click on the attachmed document and open it to read it - it's only two pages. Roy Den Hollander, the lawyer in question, says that feminism has created bigotry toward men and that Columbia in particular offers Women's Studies but not Men's Studies.

What's your opinion? Is Hollander right in some way? Is it time to have a Men's Studies curriculum? Why or why not?

Assigment Two

Let's look a little further at what our society requires of men - specifically, the responsibilities of parents and the changing roles of fathers. How do some of these issues affect our lives?

According to a study of workers at four Fortune 500 companies by the Boston College Center for Work and Family, approximately 85% of new fathers take some time off after the birth of a child, but of those, the vast majority take a week or two, even if their workplace offers up to eight weeks. In another study, only 12% of fathers took any paternity leave, while 69% of mothers took maternity leave. What's your opinion? Why wouldn't new fathers take the extra time, if they could?