Traverse City Area Public Schools’ Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity project is proud to offer area students and community members the opportunity to hear renowned speaker and expert, Jackson Katz, speak on violence prevention on October 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th, 2007.

Jackson’s captivating lecture format dispenses irreverent humor with gritty reality, and combined with interactive discussion, Katz illustrates how mainstream media images—from sports, television, Hollywood film, and music video—help to promote violent masculinity as a cultural standard.

Jackson has a rare gift for relating insights about gender, violence, and power to the real life experience of boys and men. He does this in a way that helps men and boys think critically without becoming defensive, while offering women and girls valuable new perspectives into masculinity. Jackson speaks to students and adults on a personal level and challenges them to rationally scrutinize traditional ideas of masculinity in a socio-historical framework. He emphasizes the negative price, for both men and women, of strict definitions of masculinity and contends that men have a crucial part to play in the effort to create real social change. Jackson’s multi-media presentation includes film clips from his award winning video “Tough Guise,” as well as up-to-date slides with images from popular culture.

The schedule of Jackson Katz’s presentations is as follows:

•   Monday, October 8^th            7:00 – 8:30 p.m.            West Senior High School Auditorium 

              Open to Community Members

•   Tuesday, October 9^th              9:30 – 11:00 a.m.            West Senior High School (WSH) Gymnasium

                                                                                                  Open to WSH 9^th – 12^th Students

•   Tuesday, October 9^th             12:15 – 1:45 p.m.            West Senior High School (WSH) Gymnasium

                                                                                                   Open to TBA-ISD 9^th – 12^th Students

•   Tuesday, October 9^th               7:00 – 8:30 p.m.              Dennos Museum, Milliken Auditorium

                                                                                                   Open to NMC Students and Staff

•   Wednesday, October 10^th       9:15 – 10:30 a.m.            Central High School (CHS) Gymnasium

                                                                                                   Open to CHS & TBA-ISD 9^th – 12^th Students

•   Wednesday, October 10^th       12:00 – 1:15 p.m.            Central High School (CHS) Gymnasium

                                                                                                   Open to TBA-ISD 9^th – 12^th Students

•   Wednesday, October 10^th          1:45 – 2:55p.m.            Central High School (CHS) Gymnasium

                                                                                                   Open to CHS & TBA-ISD 9^th – 12^th Students

Because the presentation is based on the topic of violence, reference to sexuality may come up in the discussion. The “Tough Guise” video can be previewed on Jackson’s Web site, www.jacksonkatz.com,

The Jackson Katz presentations and TCAPS’ Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity project have been made possible through the generous support of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, as well as the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation’s Kalkaska Youth Advisory Council and the Grand Traverse Families in Action.

Please contact TCAPS’ Gender Equity Coordinator, Anne Morrison Perry, at 649-1618 for more information.