User talk:R Matt Davidson/sandbox

R Matt Davidson 03:41, 7 February 2017 (UTC)This is not funbold

Possible Topics

Fist topic idea is using the Elizabeth I as a main resource guide and adding a gender section to the already copious amount of information available. The real challenge will be to see if it is accepted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England </gallery> The second idea is to add and edit the information on Kate Ashley. This will be a lesson in editing existing work as well as adding new material. So far the amount of material that is being used appears to be inaccurate.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kat_Ashley Third idea will be adding a gender section to to Katherine the Great, but at the present moment I am uncertain of the resources.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_the_Great

R Matt Davidson 05:56, 28 February 2017 (UTC)  

R Matt Davidson 06:21, 21 February 2017 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by R Matt Davidson (talk • contribs) R Matt Davidson 02:33, 4 March 2017 (UTC)

Research Paper and References

Catherine the Great married for power. Her husband was childish and inept, with her intellect and sexual appeal she managed to maneuver her way to the throne. In court she operated with a shrewd and vigorous tact and yet easily moved back and forth from feminine and masculine qualities. She blurred conventional gender lines and earned a reputation as a great ruler. Her gender wasn’t the determinant factor in how she managed her affairs but her constant power struggle and her gender role played off of each other throughout her reign. Examining gender lines, performative action is applied to the mixing of gender roles, challenging social norms and crossing boundaries as they are interpreted in a historical context. Through the literature of Judith Butler https://libpac.sdsu.edu/record=b3601596 and the three Historians for a broader context http://libpac.sdsu.edu/record=b4016691 http://libpac.sdsu.edu/record=b3521317 https://libpac.sdsu.edu:443/record=b3877683 and finally the primary source of Catherine’s letters to Prince Grigory Potemkin https://libpac.sdsu.edu/record=b3045937 this may give insight into how she managed her affairs in contrast to how she ruled. R Matt Davidson 02:30, 4 March 2017 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by R Matt Davidson (talk • contribs) R Matt Davidson 02:34, 4 March 2017 (UTC)

Dear Matt, You're off to a strong start. The explanation of your approach to your research paper (Catherine the Great) is helpful. I'd like you to submit to me a more focused research question, though: one that has more than one plausible answer that you have discovered in your research. This will help you stay open to the research and not attach to a conclusion prematurely. Even your Prospectus will ask you to submit a WORKING thesis, but one that can be amended with further research by the final paper. The research question will help you identify different approaches/answers to your question and help you to determine an approach that is most convincing to you. You'll need to deal with counter-evidence or counter-arguments in your paper. Starting with an open question will provide the material for you to do this. That being said, you have selected some good, scholarly, peer-reviewed sources and primary sources so now you should start your reading so that you can have a strong Prospectus by March 21.

For clarification, are you still working on Elizabeth I for your Wikipedia Article?

Teacheurohist (talk) 19:15, 4 March 2017 (UTC)Prof. Keller-Lapp

Gender and Sexual Identities

<Durova, Nadezhda, The Cavalry Maiden: Journals of a Russian Officer in the Napoleonic Wars trans. Mary Fleming Zirin. Indiana University Press, 1989. ISBN 0-253-20549-2 (see book reviews on Amazon.com).ref></ref> Nadezhda Durova in her decision to dress up as male and adopt the name Aleksandrow did so to escape the destiny that she clearly expresses that her own mother and the women around her lived based on the conditions they were exposed to because of social norms of the time. There is no indication that she perceived herself as being trapped in woman’s body or that she thought of herself being a male. In countless occasions, she expressed to the reader that not only did she think of herself as a woman but that others seemed to recognize that she was. In one occasion, she mentions that it will be interesting to see how people respond to her when the truth is finally revealed. Not even half way through her autobiography she is singled out by the authorities and presented to the Emperor Alexander I of Russia. He pronounces that she may continue to serve as Aleksandrow as an officer and choose her regimen. Durova expressed that purpose of her pursuit of military service was influenced by the experience she had as child and deep connection shared with her father. What she associated to this was her desire to roam free, like the very first time she was exposed to the wilderness and ran away from her mother and her friends. This gave her a profound sense of freedom and she continued to experience this whenever possible. Though this a unique case of woman joining the military in disguise it should not be confused with life of an individual that feels they were born the wrong gender. This was a struggle for power and the feeling of powerlessness that Durova believed accompanied her own gender. She lived her life outside of what could be considered her gender role but not because of issues of gender identity.