Explanations page

From Create Your Own Story

The Project

F.R. Theory stands for Feminist/Race Theory, a class taught at my law school.

We are charged with finding a creative way to "relate an experience in which something important about the nature, texture, or complexity of equality or inequality is taught or learned."

The setting of a classroom is just a catalyst for various stories that could be told. The student "listens" to the rules, which are basic goals of our everyday existence, (survival and improving our mental and physical health), and hopefully will employ those rules when making choices during the adventure. By selecting a numerical "answer" to the professor's in-class quiz, the student is transported into the life of another person and will need to make choices in conformity with the rules with real life consequences to their actions.

I am starting off with stories about domestic violence because I volunteer as a court advocate for our local battered women's shelter so I have first hand experience hearing stories like these.

My thought was that other stories could be added and do not necessarily need to be about domestic violence, but should be about other situations where a person's choices are very limited, and much like a choose your own adventure, lead to the same or similar outcomes because of inequality in society which is beyond their control. The consequences of each action should reflect real life consequences that many people may not realize would result.

For instance, in domestic violence situations, applying rule number one, a victim might attack her batterer before the next time they think they will be brutalized, seeing it as the only way out of their situation. In legal jurisprudence, we call this the "battered women's syndrome" but it is a choice that might seem the most logical to someone in that situation. Putting a reader in that situation may help to explain it better. The real life consequence is that the victim will then be charged with premeditated murder.

If you can keep with the theme, additional stories are welcome. They can be added by selecting an additional numerical option to the in-class pop quiz.

Make them your own stories or ones with which you have personal experience.

Go to a story F.R.Theory/Check your syllabus or start at the beginning to learn the rules F.R.Theory/Get out your stuff and hope you figure it out.