Review of a Scholarly Peer-reviewed Article
In the article Understanding Attribution of Blame in Cases of Rape: An Analysis of Participant Gender, Type of Rape and Perceived Similarity to the Victim, which was published in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Sexual Aggression, the authors Amy Rose Grubb and Julie Harrower (2009) described the findings of a study where they aimed to determine the various factors that “may influence attributions towards rape victims” (Grubb & Harrower, 2009, p. 63). In particular, they worked with the hypotheses that males will attribute higher levels of blame on the victim than will females; that higher levels of blame will be attributed to the victims in seduction rapes, followed by date rapes then stranger rapes; that a person will attribute lower levels of blame on victims with whom they perceive a similarity; and that persons will attribute lower levels of blame on victims with whom they perceive a similarity on various personal aspects.
For the study, 160 undergraduate students from a UK university responded to a 53-item questionnaire. This was used to determine their attitudes towards rape; their perceived similarity with rape victims and the level of blame they would assign to the victim; as well as their perceived similarity with the victims in terms of personal characteristics.
Various statistical methods were used to analyze the data and it was found that results supported the hypotheses made by the researchers. In particular, results showed that males exhibited more unfavorable attitudes towards rape victims than did females; that the highest level of blame was attributed to victims of seduction rapes, followed by date rapes then stranger rapes; and that lower levels of blame were attributed to victims with whom the participants perceived a similarity.
Review of an Article from a Popular Media Website
In the article A Time Limit on Rape, which was published on February 1, 2007 in Time Magazine, the author Jeninne Lee-St. John wrote about a brewing issue in the legislative arena about whether a man’s refusal to stop during an intercourse after a woman asks him to stop would constitute as rape even when the woman initially consented to having the intercourse. While some courts ruled that a woman could withdraw her consent at any time during the intercourse, others ruled that a woman should not be allowed to change her mind once consent was given.
The author presented the information in the format of a news article and gathered her data by determining the corresponding court laws in various states. The author also interviewed both those in favor of and those against the new ruling. In particular, the author cited how Justice Janice Rogers Brown questioned the scope of the new law, that is, how soon or how far into the intercourse a woman may be allowed to change her mind, a concern that was shared by “Scott Berkowitz of the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network” (Lee-St. John, 2007). On the other hand, the author also cited the opinion of Mel Feit who was the “director of the National Center for Men” (Lee-St. John, 2007). He claimed that men reached a certain point during intercourse when they were no longer capable of stopping. This in turn was countered by Lisae C. Jordan who was the “legislative counsel for the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault” (Lee-St. John, 2007). She claimed that such a comment was an insult to men and that numerous occasions in everyday life have proven this to be untrue.
However, as debates regarding the matter still continued to ensue, the general consensus was that the juries would be responsible for making the decisions for each case.
Comparison between the Two Articles
Both the articles by Grubb & Haarrower (2009) and by Lee-St. John (2007) talked about rape and how there seemed to be a bias against women. For example, in the article by Grubb & Harrower, it was determined that women were blamed for the rape in many instances. In the article by Lee-St. John, it was questioned whether women were allowed to withdraw consent from having the intercourse even after initially providing consent to such.
On the other hand, the main difference between the two articles lies in their format. While the article by Grubb & Harrower provided information about a study they conducted -- its methods, analyses, and findings -- in a formal paper that used formal language, the article by Lee-St. John used interviews and court cases as sources of information, which she then presented in a news article format where a less formal tone was used.
Scholarly articles benefit consumers who need in-depth information about studies conducted on a particular subset of the population regarding a specific topic. These types of articles are most useful for people who also want to conduct studies of their own and who need information from previous research on which to build their current research. On the other hand, media articles are useful for people who want to get quick updates on current events and who may not have enough literacy skills to understand complex language or terms. Web articles come in a very readable format that most consumers will find easy to understand.
A disadvantage with the way information is presented in scholarly articles is that the articles are often too lengthy and use formal language that may make readers easily lose interest. On the other hand, a disadvantage with the way information is presented in media articles is that the information is often brief; thereby possibly lacking in details. It’s also harder to ascertain the validity and credibility of the information sources used.
It can be argued that the scholarly approach is the best approach as the validity and credibility of the information is well established. It is evidence-based and data has been analyzed through the use of various techniques. The study is also conducted by professionals in the field, which adds further to the credibility of the information presented. On the other hand, it can also be argued that the media approach is the best as it presents information that is current and in a readable format that readers can easily understand and that can easily catch and retain their attention. It can also include images and videos, which make the information even more interesting.
That said, professors prefer the use of scholarly publications due to the validity and credibility of the information sources and due to the fact that articles in these publications are written by professionals with the necessary academic background on the topic or study they’re writing about.
Although sex can be learned through experience and common sense, it’s still better to learn about it formally as it’s something that can have permanent repercussions on the life of a person. It may not always turn out to be a pleasant experience and as such, it’s best for people to first know what they’re getting into before they actually get into it. This way, they can be prepared for whatever the outcome will be. This will also enable them to prepare for it and take the necessary precautions.
Conclusion
This paper reviewed a scholarly and a media article that focused on rape and how women were being marginalized in issues that concerned the crime.
The two types of articles were also evaluated and it was found that both types have their advantages and disadvantages. In conclusion, it can be said that scholarly articles are appropriate as bases for research while media articles are best for staying updated on current events.
References
Grubb, A. R. & Harrower, J. (2009, March). Understanding attribution of blame in cases of rape:
An analysis of participant gender, type of rape and perceived similarity to the victim.
Journal of Sexual Aggression, 15 (1), 63-81.
Lee-St. John, J. (2007, February 1). A time limit on rape. Time Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1584786-1,00.html
