Draft 1. A comparative study of Rape: (see below for full title)

Rape is an extremely controversial issue. Basic definitions and explanations of Rape usually directly correlate with a state's lawful definition of rape, which can cause problems because many people's explanations and definitions are quite different than the law. Social science theorists argue that rape is a learned action that society plays a crucial role in. If this is true, there should be differing definitions and explanations of rape from generation to generation. The most fascinating study would be to learn of the these differences and analyze them in the hopes of finding and explaining the difference. This study could shed some light on why punishment has changed, if Rape happens more frequently then it used to, if marital rape was more widely excepted and not seen as an issue of rape and if any particular aspect of society can or is routinely held accountable.

Hypothesis: Each generation will reflect an attitude towards rape that coincides with the view of rape that was socially acceptable during the time in which they crew up. Older generations will be more likely to exclude marital rape as rape and will be more likely to blame the younger generations lack of morals for rape. The younger generation will think just the opposite.

Relevance: Laws are largely founded on morals and what is socially acceptable. If there has been changes in what is socially acceptable (which there has) this might lend itself to explaining why any changes in punishment for rape have me implemented. Also, is what is now socially acceptable seen as the reason for rape in some of the people surveyed. It is important to note that Rape is a very sensitive subject for some people and that a warning will be issued at the top of the survey informing people that the survey contains questions on rape and that if they do not have to participate in the survey if the do not wish to.

We have yet to come up with the questions for the survey and they exact process of analysis, but we intend to use the class as a major contributor to their particular generation. The people surveyed will include people of the early 20th century, baby boomers, gen-x, our generation and no one younger than high-school students. The time line of execution is roughly planned out. Within the next month we will distribute all surveys and have them back hopefully by the middle of March. That will give us enough time to analyze the data and time to get more data if it is required.

Bibliography
Bibliography

Barber, Nigel. 1998. Parenting: Roles, Styles, and Outcomes. Commack, NY: Nova.

Chagnon, Napoleon, and William Irons, eds. 1979. Evolutionary Biology and Human Social Behavior: An Anthropological Perspective. North Scituate, Mass.: Duxbury Press.

Ellis, Lee. 1989. Theories of Rape. New York: Hemisphere Publishing.

Freud, Sigmund. 1933. New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis. New York: W.W. Norton.

Palmer, Craig. 1989. "Is Rape a Cultural Universal? A Reexamination of the Ethnographic Data," Ethnology 28:1-16.

Thornhill, Randy, and Craig T. Palmer. 2000. A Natural History of Rape. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

Wright, Robert. 1994. The Moral Animal. New York: Vintage Books.

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Here is a list of responses that have been posted to this Study...

• Sensitive Issue (2/21/01) [ Contributor: Chris-Section: ]
• Survey Says... (2/13/01) [ Contributor: Leslie Blaha-Section: Myers ]
• Response to Rape (2/9/01) [ Contributor: Melissa Sanders + Quincy Essinger-Section: Myers ]

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