Kyra Lynch

2A
10-28-2015

A.

ABSTRACT
My senior project is titled Objectification of Women and its effect on the incident of rape

in the United States, and will be focused around the national issue of rape and the culture
surrounding it, with the added perspective of how Medias objectification of women impacts it. I
chose this topic because I feel very strongly about Rape and the need for its awareness, as well as
feeling very strongly about how media advertising portrays women. While researching, I will be
focusing on:

What are the legal definitions of rape and sexual assault? How do the two differ
from each other by definition, treatment, and severity?

What are the United States statistics of rape and sexual assault of women?

What are some common ways that media advertising objectifies women
through both physical and idealistic forms? (examples)

How does these common portrayals of women impact societys views on

women both in general and in instances of rape?

I will be planning and carrying out an awareness seminar for my topic. It will be held
outside of school next spring at the Virginia Beach Central Library. I plan on having several
different activities guests can do during the span of the seminar. There will be an introduction and
overview from me, video and picture examples of media objectification, I will write my own rape

scenario example afterwards and have my guests pick out the information they feel is important,
in order to assess how people view rape culture, I also hope to have a guest speaker to inform the
guests about the topic. I am hoping my event will benefit as many people as possible; not just
women or First Colonial students. I will be advertising throughout the school as well as on location.
While I go through this process, Dr.Godfrey will be my consultant and he will be able to work
with me through the steps. In order to create a successful project, I will need to confirm my venue.
Specifically for my seminar, I will have to create a setup and plan for all of the activities and I will
have to write out a lesson for the guests, to be able to give them the facts and basic information.

B.

LEARNING SKILLS
I will enhance

Social skills-contacting outside assistance

Managing my time and staying organized without given boundaries

Writing professional emails

I will learn

C.

Creating a seminar plan

Contacting people to find an outside venue

PROJECT STEPS Should be presented in sequential order. Total

Documented hours must be equal or greater than 20 hours.

Preliminary Email VBPL staff to discuss 4 Hours

Steps

booking a meeting room, plan out

seminar& activities (draft plans),
email communications professor?,
discuss seminar plans(time, place)
with Dr.Godfrey.

Midway

Make final plan and layout for 5 Hours

Steps

seminar,

confirm

venue(size

needed and specific room), secure

any assistance needed for event,
confirm

speaker?,

technology

confirm

availability,

create

advertisements for the event to be

posted

both

here

and

there,

continue meeting with consultant,

etc.
Later Steps

Gather

media

slideshow,

create

examples
activities

in 6 Hours
in

seminar plan, confirm attendance,

buy/prepare refreshments, continue
meeting with consultant, etc.

Project Day Set up stations and technology, 5 Hours

give introduction speech, show (3 for setup and cleanup, 2?
video clips and sample case, for event)
discussion, guest speaker?, clean
up, write thank you letters within a
few days after.

D.

PROJECT

DOCUMENTATION

All

documentation

promised

in

your

proposal must be present at your senior project defense. (In addition to those items
listed below, all students will be required to complete a journal, time log, and
progress reports)

I will have the progress reports filled out by my consultant, pictures and videos
from my seminar, pictures of the planning process, emails sent back and forth between the
people I work with in the community, my time log, and my journals.

E.

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION Explain why this is a quality project.

This project is important to me, knowing how much I care about my topic and its
connections to the real world. By creating this project, I am hoping to increase awareness
to an issue that impacts more people than many would expect and more than it should. I
have always been one to put a lot of my focus onto the topic of rape and rape culture, and
I also continuously become angered by what I see in the media because I know how it
negatively it impacts the public. This project I am creating will show my strong interests

while building several skills that I need to work on or lack. It will assist me in social skills
in professional settings, and it will lead me into becoming a more confident and organized
person, as I set up an event that works with members of the public. I have a hard time
building up my confidence to work with others above me in social settings, so everything
I do to create my final project in the spring will improve what I have always hoped to
change. Doing so will only make me more confident as I move through my future,
especially when it comes to a career, and these skills will only make my project and the
awareness stronger like I am hoping.

F.

PROJECT-PAPER CONNECTION Explain the link between your project and

the legal issue you have chosen to analyze.
My project will focus around both aspects of my topic, but more-so the media

objectification. The larger legal aspect of my senior project, and the main focus of my paper, is rape/rape
culture. I will be tying media objectification into the paper in some parts. It will not, however, be the
main focus due to it only being used by me on more of the social level. Also, many laws do not limit
what can be put into the media, making it difficult to discuss on the same level as Rape, therefore it will
remain my social topic leading into my legal one. My project plan is to use the media objectification
examples and see what effect they have on my audience, and what effect they have on peoples views
of women both in general and in cases of rape. After going over the media examples, I will be using the
rape scenario I create to observe the previous ideals and opinions people use when considering the events
and outcomes of a rape situation. I will be doing my project at the central library, which is a major part
of the community and can help bring in people of all backgrounds. I am striving to reach out to several
types of people, not just those who attend my school and outwardly show an interest in the topic. I hope

to see attendance of many from the community, which will be easy to do by holding my seminar at such
a key facility. The librarys role in the community makes my venue an appropriate place to help bring
awareness to my topic.

G.

ACADEMIC HONESTY-

I understand that any academic dishonesty by me on any part of the project will result in
failure of the Senior Project and forfeiture of the Legal Studies Seal on my High School
diploma.

H.

COMPLETION DATES Time management is a critical.

Your Senior Project/Portfolio will be due April 8, 2016.
Preliminary Email VBPL staff to discuss December 1
Steps

booking a meeting room, plan out

seminar& activities (draft plans),
email communications professor?,
discuss seminar plans(time, place)
with Dr.Godfrey.

Midway

Make final plan and layout for January 30th

Steps

seminar,

confirm

venue(size

needed and specific room), secure

any assistance needed for event,
confirm

speaker?,

confirm

technology

availability,

create

advertisements for the event to be

posted

both

here

and

there,

continue meeting with consultant,

etc.
Later Steps

Gather

media

slideshow,

create

examples
activities

in February 15th
in

seminar plan, confirm attendance,

continue meeting with consultant,
etc.
Project Day Buy refreshments, Set up stations March 19th(?)
and technology, give introduction
speech, show video clips and
sample case, discussion, guest
speaker?, clean up, write thank you
letters within a few days after.

I.

FACILITIES IMPACT FORM You must get prior approval to use any facility
intended for this project.
N/A