Purposes

The preliminary goal of parfem is to create a learning environment for restructuring the relationship of feminism and PAR. Parfem is intended for a three-way goal.

• It is an interdisciplinary site wherein the capacity for critical thinking and self-critique is expanded in the process of learning about the State of the Arts of feminism and PAR.
  
• It is a living experience whereas each user is actually a participant in the creation and evaluation of the curricular contents and instructional design process within the parameters of PAR and feminism.
  
• It is a bouncing board for a research community that generates value and knowledge claims for the express purpose of taking action to promote social change and social analysis. It allows re-structuring the research process for individuals and groups to control their own learning and destinies.

Participants who use parfem site are people (including community members, students, staff, faculty, and researchers) interested in re-defining their responsibilities to reflect the intents and values of the learning community, both on campus and in the city. Participants in this research-based web curriculum are those who value and/or work within this (the process) framework.

Participants in parfem learn how to define their own learning objectives individually and collaboratively. The basic goal is to maintain a process that allows for nurturing possibilities for social change that promotes involved members to improve their capacities to control their learning and destinies.

Parfem will support the above educational objectives through individual and group interactivity. Participants may use chat boards for discussing reading materials and case studies. In addition, long-range participants may insert still and video images to present a specific event, a case study or an argument. Animation of a concept or a silent discussion is also possible.

Please read the working paper to further explore the curricular perspective of Participatory Feminism Web Site