As the semester comes to a close, I am working on my last research guide, one of my own making on Contemporary Feminism. As a Women’s and Gender Studies minor, I noticed that the resources offered on feminist subjects were limited, and I was particularly excited about creating a guide that would both highlight important academic thinkers and interest the everyday reader in incorporating modern feminists, writers, musicians, and artists. I used past guides as a model, such as the American Women Writers guide, and gathered a list of people I wanted to include.
The guide consists of multiple pages: an introduction with reference works on feminist theory, theorists, novelists and poets, media, feminism in music, and feminism in art. Beyond linking users to the library’s content and academic resources, I wanted to include more mainstream and pop culture elements that would interest the everyday reader. That’s why my musical influences page includes music videos from Halsey and Beyonce with accompanying books and articles and a podcast from Lizzo speaking to feminism. While doing research, I also discovered some really interesting feminist art that I was unaware of which I also linked on the guide such as Barbara Kruger’s Your Body is a Battleground and Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills. I also included a page of media content including some Ted Talks I have seen and discussed in classes such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s We Should All Be Feminists and The Dangerous Way Ads See Women by Jeane Kilbourne.
I’m very excited about how this resource connects my knowledge from my minors in Sociology and Women’s and Gender studies with my English major and interests in creative writing. I’m also excited about how this page will connect those with similar interests to these resources and serve as an introductory overview of late twentieth to twenty-first century feminism. I’m regretful to see this internship come to a close, but I am incredibly grateful for the skills and knowledge I’ve gained and the resources I’ve been able to develop.
Building Bridges 