11 DAYS OF ACTION for THE 2013 DAY OF THE GIRL SUMMIT

Today is Day 5 of the 11 Days of Action. Click on Day 5 to join Sage Girl and help advance Girls’ Rights around the globe:

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

DAY 5

DAY 6

DAY 7

DAY 8

DAY 9

DAY 10

DAY 11: ALL DAY WEBCAST FEATURING OVER 50 WORLDWIDE PARTNERS AND SPONSORS OF THE 2013 DAY OF THE GIRL SUMMIT

And there’s more:

Every time YOU participate in one of the 11 Days of Action, you will be entered into a drawing to win a pair of UGG Boots!

So be sure to check back for more details regarding the 11 Days of Action topics, challenges and activities. Together we are changing the world!

Participate in The International Day of the Girl 10.11.13

http://Dayofthegirlsummit.org

The Day of the Girl Summit’s partner, theWorking Group on Girls, is hosting the Girls Speak Out event at the United Nations on 10.11.13 from 3:00PM – 5:00PM EST.

This event will give girls the chance to speak with governments and UN Agencies about how they are making strides for girls in their community. Girls selected for the Girls Speak Out will share information about their strategies for creating change and they will talk about how the international community can support their efforts. Approximately half of the girls at the Speak Out will present on issues related to the International Day of the Girl 2013 theme, “Innovating for Girls’ Education.”

If you can’t be in NYC on October 11, DayoftheGirlSummit.org will live-stream the Girls Speak Out. 

Summer Session B 2011 Blog Buddies for Blog Post 4

Same instructions as the previous blog posts for the feedback are applicable; however, the partners (and one trio) have changed.

Trio of Blog Buddies:

• Quay's Gender & Pop Culture Blog
• Sam's Womens and Popular Culture
• Sarah Jablonski's gender and pop culture blog

Duos:

• Kevin's Gender & Pop Culture Blog
• kristi's pop culture bolg! 

• Tarah's GPC Blog
• Ashley's Gender and Pop Culture Blog

• Archie's Gender & Pop Culture Blog
• Dan C's Gender & Pop Culture Blog

• Brendan's Gender and Pop Culture Blog
• Dan's Gender & Pop Culture Blog

• Alexis' Gender & Pop Culture Blog
• Danielle's Gender and Pop Culture Blog

Blog Post 4: Mixed Media Messages Assignment Instructions (Collage with a 3 paragraph write up)

Blog Post 4: Mixed Media Messages Assignment Instructions (Collage with a 3 paragraph write up)
Gender and Pop Culture
Due on the date and time specified on the course calendar
Blog buddy feedback due on the date and time specified on the course calendar

Your goal for this assignment is to illustrate in both photos and written text how a specific arena of pop culture is marketed and sold on the basis of gender.
For this assignment, "product" is quite a broad term, which can mean just about any specific element of contemporary popular culture. 
Examples include (you'd need to specify the brand, name, title, etc to really focus your argument about the marketing of a specific product on the basis of gendered marketing):
A TV show
A cell phone
A service
A clothing line
A gadget
A product for cleaning
A product for cooking
A toy
A burger from a fast food restaurant
...among many other possibilities (including products and services that are marketed to the public, but free of charge to the consumer. ad-supported products or services would fall under this criteria)
 
Think about the products marketed to women that use women to sell the product, or products marketed to men, which use women as well.  What kind of images are used? What marketing strategies are utilized? How can you best convey the product as sold on the basis of gender?

Make sure your blog post's title, thesis, and 2 paragraphs with 2 specific quotes from course readings, and also the collage, form a cohesive articulation of a point you're trying to make. 

Written Component Requirements
Title of Blog Post  (your title is the blog post’s title).   Make sure you develop a title for the blog post that reflects your write-up and collage, in a way that reflects the thesis/argument that you're making..
Intro with Thesis (1st paragraph) The thesis is going to be crucial here, because you will need to include it as a written component of the assignment. Your thesis should be as nuanced and analytically deep as you can find images and quotes to support.
2 Readings cited in a 2 paragraphs that underscores your thesis and the points you're making in the collage.  You will need to cite the work of 2 course readings related to media, ‘the body,’ gender, and advertising (use the readings after the section you used for the previous blog post assignment).  For most students, it may help to use the readings to find quotes to inspire the collage. Remember, short direct quotes (one quote in each paragraph).
Works Cited/List of References --Use the MLA!  Make sure you include the two readings (in the parenthetical references in your two paragraphs) and the sources of media that you used for the assignment in a separate “Works Cited” list at the end of the blog post.
Reminder:
Analysis!
You’ll be graded on the level of analysis (not artistic ability☺) that you’ve demonstrated based on the relevant use of quotes, thesis, title, and through your visual collage.

Think of the collage as the body of the paper (for the most part), which stands in where the first three paragraphs would not be able to provide a cohesive argument/set of points to prove the entirety of your thesis.
..........................................................................................
Getting the collage on the blog with your write-up
You can scan a paper/glue/scissors collage or you can perform this component of the assignment digitally, without the glue, paper, and scissors by using digital pictures/images/etc to create your collage using Picasa (a free download from Google for photo editing and is capable of making collages), Photoshop, or other software. Any method for creating the collage is fine as long as it will allow you to create an image file that ends in .jpg, .gif, .png, .tif, or .bmp).

Remember that the collage will need to be inserted as an image in the blog post.

If you’re scanning, remember that you’ll need to be able to fit it on the bed of the scanner.
Therefore, do not use paper larger than 8.5”x11” (standard printer paper size aka: letter-size)

If multiple sheets of standard printer paper are used, scan them in order, keep them flat, and don’t attach them to each other. Scan each separately, save each page as its own file, and then upload them to a single blog post using the “add image” icon in the usual “compose” screen used in blogger (just like you used for the first post) with the written components listed above. If you need to add more than one image to complete your collage, the pop-up window will show “add an image from your computer” and once you’ve clicked “browse” to find the first image, click the link above the browse for file area, which is labeled “Add another image” and use that until all images are uploaded and then hit the orange button as the last step.

Blog Post 3 - Written Options: Gendered Consumers/Engendering Consumerism—Toy Shopping Field Work

Choose one approach from the following two approaches for this assignment:

1. Gendered Consumers
o Shop for a child of a particular age/gender (we can define the age/gender & come up with a 4-5 item wish list before doing the assignment) by going to a physical (“brick & mortar”) toy store or by shopping online. Neither of the options would require you to actually buy anything, just conduct the assignment as if you were shopping for the child.
o Analyze the role that toys (and products marketed for children) play in the gendered socialization of children using the products marketed to them.
o Examples of analyses to pursue:
• Do the toys resemble (i.e. skin color, age, (dis)ability) the child you’re shopping for? Do only a small fraction of toys resemble your fictitious child?
• How does socioeconomic class factor into the desired toys for a particular child; are these toys accessible to the child you’re shopping for, or would price, location, and/or other issues prohibit access for this particular child?
• Examine issues of sexuality (ads using sexual objectification or toys promoting a heightened/sensationalized sexuality & heteronormativity are both considerations under this category of analysis)?
• What values do the toys you found promote? Are they gendered values? How do gendered values teach children about propriety and social norms based on association with a particular gender?

2. Engendering Consumerism
o Examine the confluence of corporations and public educational institutions that has exploded over the past several years, resulting from the “No Child Left Behind Act.” The goal was to ‘reap the benefits of capitalism’ and the ‘innovation’ and competition leading to lower prices to ‘better’ schools in the US. However, the ideal capitalist outcomes are not always the result of privatization efforts, particularly as they’ve unfolded in US education. The piece you read by Henry Giroux highlights many of the examples of heightened corporate influence on education.
o For this option, you’ll be looking at:
• How corporate influence has affected the curriculum, teaching methods, testing, data collection, sponsorship, and capital investment projects at a school of your choice.
• You may use your local public high school or elementary school as a case study (or return to your own if you can) to examine the influence of advertising and corporate involvement on US public education in a particular school.
• Look at the ways in which socioeconomic class, gendered norms, and issues of race factor into your examination of the privatization of education.
• For this option, you will also need to conduct a bit of cursory research on demographics of area of the school you’re using. Try to find out what companies and their products are likely targeted at this location, and how the products that you find are part of the material construction of gender in childhood. In other words, you’re looking at how economics and corporate involvement engenders both consumption and gender simultaneously (as opposed to a more discursive construct of gender socialization).





If you find that you’re stuck, here are a few questions to consider:

• What messages are sent to children about “boys” and “girls” through their toys?
• How do toys facilitate the understanding of normative gender roles and stereotypes in childhood?
• If toys are cultural products that are considered benign and ‘innocent’ by virtue of their target demographic group, how do toys represent powerful methods of information dissemination (think of the arguments we read in the pieces by Lull, Johnson, and Hall)?
• Look at the age-ranges for the toys you’ve found, what messages are being sent? How can toys relate to an issue/value/aspect of adulthood? Try to find a gender-neutral toy that would appeal to the child you’ve been shopping for…how did it work out?
• How are children socialized into 21st century consumption (Lipsitz argued TV was the catalyst for the role of “consumer” as an ideal in US culture…how are children being “trained” as consumers)?

Don’t try to answer all the questions above, or tackle all the categories for possible analysis. These are just ideas to get you started on the assignment. Your thesis will be quite specific in relation to the specific analysis you pursue, the specific child/school, all in relation to the option chosen for this assignment.

Requirements:

Your analysis will be approximately 8-12 paragraphs in length, supported by at least 2 different course readings, and the source(s) of your toys used for analysis. Photos from websites or pictures you’ve taken will be particularly beneficial (make sure you don’t infringe on copyright laws, so cite where the pictures were taken from (if you didn’t take them yourself). Please use MLA format for in text citations and for the list of references that needs to be included at the end of your blog post (i.e. “References” after the conclusion).

Although this assignment will be in the form of a blog post, my expectations are similar to any other writing assignment. Specifically, this assignment is an analytical writing assignment; while I’m not hunting for grammar issues, writing clearly, staying focused and citing precise quotes are key factors in a good analysis. My primary focus, when reading your piece to grade it, will be on the quality of your analysis. Use the rubric you received for the first blog post’s grade as your guide for this post.

Gender & Popular Culture Summer Session B 2011 Blog Post #1 Constructs of Femininity and Masculinity In a TV-based Aspect of Pop Culture

Gender & Popular Culture Summer Session B 2011
Blog Post #1
Constructs of Femininity and Masculinity In a TV-based Aspect of Pop Culture

Choose a very narrow aspect of popular culture to analyze (a specific episode of a TV show). Analyze how your chosen element of pop culture portrays masculinity or femininity.  
Your "big goal" is to argue a point that addresses the following question according to your chosen element of popular culture:

What does it mean to be a man, or what does it mean to be a woman, in this element of popular culture?
Avoid including too much narration of the show, instead write in a clear analytical manner that targets an aspect of pop culture, and examines how this element constructs an understanding of masculinity or femininity.

You may choose to focus on a specific character if your find yourself with too many examples from the aspect of pop culture you have chosen (in order to keep the length manageable and close to the equivalent of a 3 page paper).  

Try to use the readings to define terms that may be new to you (or to a reader without a women's and gender studies background), by quoting the reading that defines the term when you first use it.  For example, Lull would be a perfect fit for using his work to define hegemony, while Johnson would be ideal for defining patriarchy. 

Remember, your goal is to analyze this piece of pop culture (analysis and judgment are not the same and if anything, judgment in place of analysis is counterproductive). Additionally, it may help you to look at both masculinity and femininity in both male and female-appearing characters
See the course syllabus and the blog post rubric for the guidelines for your blog post.
Include an introduction (with your thesis, which is up to you to develop) paragraph and a conclusion paragraph. 
Double-space between paragraphs (indenting frequently is undermined by the template you have chosen to use for your blog). 
You must include 2 different direct quotes (at minimum), from 2 different course readings from the week that precedes your blog post. 
Remember that it's imperative you incorporate your direct quotes into sentences and that you use the best possible quotes in a point-by-point basis to use as "backup" or as an "expert witness" for each of your points (therefore, you should make a point in a 4-6 sentence paragraph, then the following 4-6 sentence paragraph would include a direct quote from a course reading to back up your point)
Cite all in-text (parenthetical references) in MLA format and a include a works cited list (at the end) in MLA format.
If you use any quotes, clips, images, etc from the aspect of popular culture you have chosen to analyze, include them in your works cited list (and when appropriate for the source, in text citations as well). 
Comments will be posted to your blog in the “comments” section by me
Grades (alpha-numeric) will be posted to the SOCS gradebook.

Summer Session B 2011 Blog Buddies & Peer Feedback Instructions

Buddies (Trio needs to decide who will be providing feedback to whom):
Quay's Gender & Pop Culture Blog
Dan's Gender & Pop Culture Blog


Ashley's Gender and Pop Culture Blog

Dan C's Gender & Pop Culture Bog


Brendan's Gender and Pop Culture Blog

Alexis' Gender & Pop Culture Blog


Sam's Womens and Popular Culture

Danielle's Gender and Pop Culture Blog


Sarah Jablonski's gender and pop culture blog

Kevin's Gender & Pop Culture Blog


Archie's Gender & Pop Culture Blog

kristi's pop culture bolg!

Tarah's GPC Blog

Aside from the first blog assignment (link hunt with simplified feedback based on relevance to subjects covered by/in class and the listing of analytical blog posts), your blog buddy feedback is detailed below:

On your "blog buddy's" blog, read their posted assignment and, provide feedback (in the "comments field") on:
2-3 ways/areas your "buddy" excelled (in the post you're commenting on)
2-3 areas that could be improved, and offer any suggestions for improvement.

*For all assignments other than the one due on the 9th (the link hunt...I'll post a modification to the buddy feedback)

After you've left your comment, create a new post on the Class notes blog with:

Title: [your name]'s feedback on [your blog buddy's name]:  [Title of post you commented on]
Link: [provide specific URL to the post on your blog buddy's blog that you commented on]
Main text editor area: [Copy and paste your feedback]
...............................
Please publish your post, then check the class notes blog to ensure that your post made it there, then click the title of the post you just created on the class notes blog to make sure you were able to get to the original post you commented on.

Topic Brainstorming and Link-hunt for blogs analyzing gender/race/class/sexuality/etc in an area of interest of pop culture

Topic Brainstorming and Link-hunt for blogs analyzing gender/race/class/sexuality/etc in an area of interest of pop culture
Due: Friday, July 8th by 1pm

Gather Links on 5 of the topics you listed on your brainstorming sheet.
Try searching for words/phrases with the specific area of pop culture you're trying to find.
Examples:
feminist analysis "big love"
feminist analysis twilight
feminism "Lady Gaga"

For each of the five blog posts you find, include the following info:
Title of blog post (which should be  be linked to the URL by clicking on the link button in the new post at the top of the editing box, then type the title of the site for the page you have found, and copy and paste the URL into the link field by "web adddress," then click "OK.")
Date of Blog Post
Paste the URL of blog post below the linked title (yes, it's a second time)
Author of Blog Post (or username if that's all that's included for the author)
Title of blog that the post originated from (not the post's title, but the bigger body of blogging-work)

Example of the appropriate format:
HBO declares "Women's Studies" major
[date of post]
http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2009/04/15/hbo_womens_studies/index.html
Judy Berman
Salon.com
(However, you'll have five different posts, formatted as in the above example, contained in ONE blog post on your blog)

Blog Post 4: Collage (and Short Write-up) of engendering consumption and gender in the marketing of products for children

Your goal for this assignment is to illustrate in both photos and written text how a children are molded into gendered consumers.
•    “Shop” for a child of a particular age/gender (we can define the age/gender & come up with a 4-5 item wish list before doing the assignment) by going to a physical (“brick & mortar”) toy store or by shopping online. Neither of the options would require you to actually buy anything, just conduct the assignment as if you were shopping for the child.
•    Analyze the role that a specific category of toys (or another product marketed for children) plays in the gendered socialization of children.
Examples of analyses to pursue:
•    Do the toys resemble (i.e. skin color, age, (dis)ability) the child you’re shopping for? Do only a small fraction of toys resemble your fictitious child?
•    How does socioeconomic class factor into the desired toys for a particular child; are these toys accessible to the child you’re shopping for, or would price, location, and/or other issues prohibit access for this particular child?
•    Examine issues of sexuality (ads using sexual objectification or toys promoting a heightened/sensationalized sexuality & heteronormativity are both considerations under this category of analysis)?
•    What values do the toys you found promote? Are they gendered values? How do gendered values teach children about propriety and social norms based on association with a particular gender?
•    Think about the products marketed to women that use women to sell the product, or products marketed to men, which use women as well.  What kinds of images are used? What marketing strategies are utilized? How can you best convey the product as sold on the basis of gender? How does marketing to a younger demographic change in these arenas?
If you have a clear focused thesis and the write-up and collage supports it, there is absolutely no chance you’d be able to address all of the above bullet points. They are meant merely to get you thinking about areas you could focus on for this assignment, you’ll have to choose one very narrow one to focus your assignment on.

Make sure your blog post's title, thesis, and 2 paragraphs with 2 specific quotes from course readings, and the collage, form a cohesive argument.  

Written Component Requirements
1.    Title of Blog Post  (your title is the blog post’s title).  
Make sure you develop a title for the blog post that reflects your write-up and collage, in a way that reflects the thesis/argument that you're making..
2.    Intro with Thesis (1st paragraph)
The thesis is going to be crucial here, because you will need to include it as a written component of the assignment. Your thesis should be as nuanced and analytically deep as you can find images and quotes to support.
3.    2 Readings cited in a 2 paragraphs that underscores your thesis and the points you're making in the collage.  NEITHER OF THE READINGS CITED CAN COME FROM NEWMAN OR ANYONE ASSIGNED BEFORE THURSDAY, JULY 22nd (even though one of those readings was Newman, you can’t use him).
You will need to cite the work of 2 course readings related to media, ‘the body,’ gender, and advertising (use the readings after the section you used for the previous blog post assignment).  For most students, it may help to use the readings to find quotes to inspire the collage. Remember, short direct quotes (one quote in each paragraph).
4.    Works Cited/List of References --Use the MLA!  Make sure you include the two readings (in the parenthetical references in your two paragraphs) and the sources of media that you used for the assignment in a separate “Works Cited” list at the end of the blog post.

Reminder:

Analysis!

You’ll be graded on the level of analysis (not artistic ability☺) that you’ve demonstrated based on the relevant use of quotes, thesis, title, and through your visual collage.

Think of the collage as the body of the paper (for the most part), which stands in where the first three paragraphs would not be able to provide a cohesive argument/set of points to prove the entirety of your thesis
.
..........................................................................................

Getting the collage on the blog with your write-up
You can scan a paper/glue/scissors collage or you can perform this component of the assignment digitally.  If you choose to go the digital route, use digital pictures/images/etc to create your collage using Picasa (a free download from Google for photo editing and is capable of making collages), Photoshop, Paint (on Microsoft Windows) or any other software that lets you edit images.
Any method for creating the collage is fine as long as it will allow you to create an image file that ends in .jpg, .gif, .png, .tif, or .bmp).

Remember that the collage will need to be inserted as an image in the blog post.

If you’re scanning, remember that you’ll need to be able to fit it on the bed of the scanner.
Therefore, do not use paper larger than 8.5”x11” (standard printer paper size aka: letter-size)

If multiple sheets of standard printer paper are used, scan them in order, keep them flat, and don’t attach them to each other. Scan each separately, save each page as its own file, and then upload them to a single blog post using the “add image” icon in the usual “compose” screen used in blogger (just like you used for the first post) with the written components listed above.
If you need to add more than one image to complete your collage, the pop-up window will show “add an image from your computer” and once you’ve clicked “browse” to find the first image, click the link above the browse for file area, which is labeled “Add another image” and use that until all images are uploaded and then hit the orange button as the last step.

The rubric for this assignment is on SOCS Assessments (under collage and short write-up), which is what I’ll use to calculate your grade.

The collage and short write-up are due to your blog by Friday at 1pm
There is no blog-buddy work for this assignment.

Blog Post 3: Revising the music videos you remade to subvert the marginalizing messages that are (re)created by the music industry

Blog Post 3:    Revising the music videos you remade:
Using the class’s feedback, as well as the feedback I gave each video (in the comments section of the blog post of the original group members’ blogs), your job is to take the amazing videos you created and make them even better.  I’ll upload each of the four videos to SOCS once I’ve received them (if I don’t have the video by the end of class today you’ll need to get your video to the group that is revising it.

This revision is due to each of your blogs (don’t forget your disclaimers or the need to title the new video in a meaningful way) by Saturday at 12 noon.

Blog Buddy feedback will be due Sunday at 12 noon.
Blog Buddy groups will be posted to SOCS by Friday.
Revision Groups:
1.    “Sex Room”
Sara
Ola
Derek
Christian
2.    “Say Ahh” – Change the video at Tylin's request & song change if necessary
Meagan
Tylin
Dan
Cara
3.    “California Girls”
Jon
Henry
Stewart
4.    “Can’t Be Tamed”
Rachael
Amy
Mike
Hannah

Blog Post 3 Blog Buddy Groups:

1. Sara & Jon
2. Ola & Cara
3. Derek & Hannah
4. Meagan & Henry
5. Tylin & Mike
   
6. Dan & Rachael
   
7. Stewart reviews Amy, Amy Reviews Christian , & Christian Reviews Stewart

Blog Post 2: Subverting Music Videos and Subversive Music Videos

Blog Post 2: Subverting Music Videos and Subversive Music Videos 
* Note the 12 month-recent production requirement has been changed to 24 months
You have two options for this assignment, and each has unique requirements and parameters.

Option A: Subverting a music video (a positive and transformative video-remake)

Due Sunday by 9pm (no blog buddy feedback)
You may work with any number of students from the class on the creation of a subversive music video (or work solo) using a song produced within the last 24 months.

Option B:  Analyzing a subversive music video

Due at the same time as all other blog posts due on Friday, with same Buddy-Feedback Deadline
You must write this assignment individually on a subversive music video that was produced within the last 24 months.

However, regardless of your choice of option A or B, you will need to choose a song/video that was produced (or released) in the last 24 months and post the following by Thursday at 11 pm (as a comment in the comments section on this blog post):
1.    Your name (if you’re working with a group for option A, one member of your group should do this commenting for the group as a whole, including the names of the group’s members)
2.    Choice of Option A or B
3.    Whether you’re working solo or who is in your group (option A only)
4.    Which song, artist, and the year it was produced.
NO GROUP (Option B only) OR INDIVIDUAL MAY WORK ON THE SAME SONG BY THE SAME ARTIST.  Whoever (regardless of option A or B) posts the song/artist first gets that song/video to work on. Each analysis and video must be on a unique song/artist.

Option A: Subverting a music video  (a positive and transformative video-remake)
Due Sunday by 9pm (no blog buddy feedback)
You may work with any number of students from the class on the creation of a subversive music video (or work solo) using a song produced within the last 24 months.

The images in your video will illustrate the marginalizing/oppressive messages that are sent/reinforced by the lyrics of the song.  The goal is similar to the strategy of one of your readings on music videos and representation; therefore, the images should not reinforce the lyrics, and instead point out the marginalizing messages sent by the song to viewers who may not otherwise take notice of the overt or inferential racism, heterosexism, classism, etc.

Each group member must post the video you’ve created to his/her blogs by the 9pm deadline on Sunday. Uploading a video can be done directly on blogger from the “new post” area.

You should not change the lyrics of the song; additionally, your video does not need to use the original music video (if applicable) as a point of departure, comparison, etc.  You’re creating the images to point out the marginalizing messages!
We’ll watch these videos on Tuesday during class.  You’ll be graded similarly to the first blog post based on the analytical complexity you’ve demonstrated in your video-remake; however, there is no written component to this assignment.

Option B:  Analyzing a subversive music video
Due at the same time as all other blog posts due on Friday, with same Buddy-Feedback Deadline
You must write this assignment individually.

Your job for this option is to find a music video that utilizes images to subvert the lyrics in a song.  The music video must be one that you can embed into your blog post from YouTube (keep it legal and use the artist’s official video and then copy and paste the code to embed the video).
The analysis must focus on the ways in which the artist utilizes images to subvert hegemonic ideologies through his/her/their music video.  Identify the categories this artist has decided to target and analyze how the artist utilized the images to undermine (what would otherwise be marginalizing) messages that are overwhelmingly sent by current music videos (like the Pink video we’ll watch in class).
    •    The same rubric will be used for this blog post as the one used for your 1st blog post.
    •    Include an introduction (with your thesis, which is up to you to develop) paragraph and a conclusion paragraph.
    •    Double-space between paragraphs (indenting frequently is undermined by the template you have chosen to use for your blog).
    •    You must include 2 different direct quotes (at minimum), from 2 different course readings from the week that precedes your blog post.
    •    Remember that it's imperative you incorporate your direct quotes into sentences and that you use the best possible quotes in a point-by-point basis to use as "backup" or as an "expert witness" for each of your points (therefore, you should make a point in a 4-6 sentence paragraph, then the following 4-6 sentence paragraph would include a direct quote from a course reading to back up your point)
    •    Cite all in-text (parenthetical references) in MLA format and a include a works cited list (at the end) in MLA format.
    •    Include all videos, quotes, clips, images, etc from the aspect of popular culture you have chosen to analyze, include them in your works cited list (and when appropriate for the source, in text citations as well).
Comments will be posted to your blog in the “comments” section by me
Grades (alpha-numeric) will be posted to the SOCS gradebook.

Blog Post 1: Constructs of Femininity or Masculinity in a TV-based Aspect of Popular Culture

Gender & Popular Culture Summer Session B 2010
Blog Post #1
Constructs of Femininity and Masculinity In a TV-based Aspect of Pop Culture

Choose a very narrow aspect of popular culture to analyze (a specific episode of a TV show). Analyze how your chosen element of pop culture portrays masculinity or femininity.  
Your "big goal" is to argue a point that addresses the following question according to your chosen element of popular culture:

What does it mean to be a man, or what does it mean to be a woman, in this element of popular culture?

Avoid including too much narration of the show, instead write in a clear analytical manner that targets an aspect of pop culture, and examines how this element constructs an understanding of masculinity or femininity.

You may choose to focus on a specific character if your find yourself with too many examples from the aspect of pop culture you have chosen (in order to keep the length manageable and close to the equivalent of a 3 page paper).  

Try to use the readings to define terms that may be new to you (or to a reader without a women's and gender studies background), by quoting the reading that defines the term when you first use it.  For example, Lull would be a perfect fit for using his work to define hegemony, while Johnson would be ideal for defining patriarchy. 

Remember, your goal is to analyze this piece of pop culture (analysis and judgment are not the same and if anything, judgment in place of analysis is counterproductive). Additionally, it may help you to look at both masculinity and femininity in both male and female-appearing characters

• See the course syllabus and the blog post rubric for the guidelines for your blog post.
• Include an introduction (with your thesis, which is up to you to develop) paragraph and a conclusion paragraph. 
• Double-space between paragraphs (indenting frequently is undermined by the template you have chosen to use for your blog). 
• You must include 2 different direct quotes (at minimum), from 2 different course readings from the week that precedes your blog post. 
• Remember that it's imperative you incorporate your direct quotes into sentences and that you use the best possible quotes in a point-by-point basis to use as "backup" or as an "expert witness" for each of your points (therefore, you should make a point in a 4-6 sentence paragraph, then the following 4-6 sentence paragraph would include a direct quote from a course reading to back up your point)
• Cite all in-text (parenthetical references) in MLA format and a include a works cited list (at the end) in MLA format.
• If you use any quotes, clips, images, etc from the aspect of popular culture you have chosen to analyze, include them in your works cited list (and when appropriate for the source, in text citations as well). 

Comments will be posted to your blog in the “comments” section by me
Grades (alpha-numeric) will be posted to the SOCS gradebook.

Blog Buddy Peer-Feedback Instructions

On your "blog buddy's" blog, read their posted assignment and, provide feedback (in the "comments field") on:
2-3 ways/areas your "buddy" excelled (in the post you're commenting on)
2-3 areas that could be improved, and offer any suggestions for improvement.

*For all assignments other than the one due on the 9th (the link hunt...I'll post a modification to the buddy feedback)

After you've left your comment, create a new post on the Class notes blog with:

Title: [your name]'s feedback on [your blog buddy's name]:  [Title of post you commented on]
Link: [provide specific URL to the post on your blog buddy's blog that you commented on]
Main text editor area: [Copy and paste your feedback]
...............................
Please publish your post, then check the class notes blog to ensure that your post made it there, then click the title of the post you just created on the class notes blog to make sure you were able to get to the original post you commented on.

Topic Brainstorming and Link-hunt for blogs analyzing gender/race/class/sexuality/etc in an area of interest of pop culture

Topic Brainstorming and Link-hunt for blogs analyzing gender/race/class/sexuality/etc in an area of interest of pop culture
Due: Friday, July 9th by 1pm

Gather Links on 5 of the topics you listed on your brainstorming sheet.
Try searching for words/phrases with the specific area of pop culture you're trying to find.
Examples:
feminist analysis "big love"
feminist analysis twilight
feminism "Lady Gaga"

For each of the five blog posts you find, include the following info:
Title of blog post (which should be  be linked to the URL by clicking on the link button in the new post at the top of the editing box, then type the title of the site for the page you have found, and copy and paste the URL into the link field by "web adddress," then click "OK.")
Date of Blog Post
Paste the URL of blog post below the linked title (yes, it's a second time)
Author of Blog Post (or username if that's all that's included for the author)
Title of blog that the post originated from (not the post's title, but the bigger body of blogging-work)

Example of the appropriate format:
HBO declares "Women's Studies" major
[date of post]
http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2009/04/15/hbo_womens_studies/index.html
Judy Berman
Salon.com
(However, you'll have five different posts, formatted as in the above example, contained in ONE blog post on your blog)

Blog Post 4 - Video Project Option: Reinventing a Piece of Pop Culture

The format of the project needs to be a video (a slide show set to music would also work...but you'll need to be able to upload it in a format that is compatible with YouTube (.mp4 .wmv. etc.) Each group member will then post the project to his/her individual blogs using the instructions from YouTube (it's just a copy and paste maneuver).  

You will need to narrow your scope of popular culture and choose a media format/genre (below are some examples):
* TV Program
* Radio Show
* Film
* Music Video
* Magazine
* Video Game
* (Aspect of) Athletic Event
* Fashion
* Public Education & Corporation
  
Choose a subject/audience:
For example, create a satirical cartoon, cable news program, reality show, televised sporting event, parenting magazine, a game show, children’s entertainment (from Scooby Doo to High School Musical), part of the fashion world (runway modeling or the next season’s "Look Book"); if corporate-edu-consumer-training is your interest, think of a revised Chanel One, corporate sponsored events, curriculum, or major capital project-funding , such as the construction of stadiums and theaters, perhaps target one of these areas in a Colbert-Styled "The WØrd" or a set of segments from The Soup.

If you choose to work within movies/films, a "trailer" would be the right length and format
for envisioning this assignment.

Based on your chosen genre/format:
* Give your production/publication a name— be original and creative!
* Identity the assumptions that underlie the messages you want to send.
* Specifically, identify the messages that you see being disseminated by an analogous/similar form of media that relate to gender, sexuality, race, class, etc. (i.e. current fashion magazines send the message that being female involves striving for ‘ideal’ physical beauty).
* Create visual images and text (whether written or spoken) that accurately work off these assumptions. (What message(s) do you want to send about, sexuality, racism, sexism, and/or classism)  * You may use images from other texts/videos/images/audio to create a commentary on a preexisting element of popular culture. However, make sure you cite these external sources in your video in the "credits" using MLA citations at the end.
* Write, enact, portray (in the format suited for the genre you’ve chosen- video, image, etc) that address existing norms, ideals, and messages about gender, either directly or indirectly. (i.e. an article about males and eating disorders addresses gender directly while an article about the CEO of a Fortune 500 company who happens to be a woman addresses it indirectly)

Remember that you need to make it clear that your production is a critique of gender (and other categories and biases too, where applicable) and ensure your project is inspired by a particular author's (or multiple authors) points. For example, a video montage of reality TV show-clips with text/voice-overs illustrating Ouellette and Hay's argument about Reality TV would clearly be linkable to their piece as the basis of your critique. 


There is no write-up for this project; however, you must have a title and all group members must be cited in the credits along with all sources of information and inspiration.

Blog Post 4 - Written Options: Gendered Consumers/Engendering Consumerism—Toy Shopping Field Work

Choose one approach from the following two approaches for this assignment:

1. Gendered Consumers
o Shop for a child of a particular age/gender (we can define the age/gender & come up with a 4-5 item wish list before doing the assignment) by going to a physical (“brick & mortar”) toy store or by shopping online. Neither of the options would require you to actually buy anything, just conduct the assignment as if you were shopping for the child.
o Analyze the role that toys (and products marketed for children) play in the gendered socialization of children using the products marketed to them.
o Examples of analyses to pursue:
• Do the toys resemble (i.e. skin color, age, (dis)ability) the child you’re shopping for? Do only a small fraction of toys resemble your fictitious child?
• How does socioeconomic class factor into the desired toys for a particular child; are these toys accessible to the child you’re shopping for, or would price, location, and/or other issues prohibit access for this particular child?
• Examine issues of sexuality (ads using sexual objectification or toys promoting a heightened/sensationalized sexuality & heteronormativity are both considerations under this category of analysis)?
• What values do the toys you found promote? Are they gendered values? How do gendered values teach children about propriety and social norms based on association with a particular gender?

2. Engendering Consumerism
o Examine the confluence of corporations and public educational institutions that has exploded over the past several years, resulting from the “No Child Left Behind Act.” The goal was to ‘reap the benefits of capitalism’ and the ‘innovation’ and competition leading to lower prices to ‘better’ schools in the US. However, the ideal capitalist outcomes are not always the result of privatization efforts, particularly as they’ve unfolded in US education. The piece you read by Henry Giroux highlights many of the examples of heightened corporate influence on education.
o For this option, you’ll be looking at:
• How corporate influence has affected the curriculum, teaching methods, testing, data collection, sponsorship, and capital investment projects at a school of your choice.
• You may use your local public high school or elementary school as a case study (or return to your own if you can) to examine the influence of advertising and corporate involvement on US public education in a particular school.
• Look at the ways in which socioeconomic class, gendered norms, and issues of race factor into your examination of the privatization of education.
• For this option, you will also need to conduct a bit of cursory research on demographics of area of the school you’re using. Try to find out what companies and their products are likely targeted at this location, and how the products that you find are part of the material construction of gender in childhood. In other words, you’re looking at how economics and corporate involvement engenders both consumption and gender simultaneously (as opposed to a more discursive construct of gender socialization).





If you find that you’re stuck, here are a few questions to consider:

• What messages are sent to children about “boys” and “girls” through their toys?
• How do toys facilitate the understanding of normative gender roles and stereotypes in childhood?
• If toys are cultural products that are considered benign and ‘innocent’ by virtue of their target demographic group, how do toys represent powerful methods of information dissemination (think of the arguments we read in the pieces by Lull, Johnson, and Hall)?
• Look at the age-ranges for the toys you’ve found, what messages are being sent? How can toys relate to an issue/value/aspect of adulthood? Try to find a gender-neutral toy that would appeal to the child you’ve been shopping for…how did it work out?
• How are children socialized into 21st century consumption (Lipsitz argued TV was the catalyst for the role of “consumer” as an ideal in US culture…how are children being “trained” as consumers)?

Don’t try to answer all the questions above, or tackle all the categories for possible analysis. These are just ideas to get you started on the assignment. Your thesis will be quite specific in relation to the specific analysis you pursue, the specific child/school, all in relation to the option chosen for this assignment.

Requirements:

Your analysis will be approximately 8-12 paragraphs in length, supported by at least 2 different course readings, and the source(s) of your toys used for analysis. Photos from websites or pictures you’ve taken will be particularly beneficial (make sure you don’t infringe on copyright laws, so cite where the pictures were taken from (if you didn’t take them yourself). Please use MLA format for in text citations and for the list of references that needs to be included at the end of your blog post (i.e. “References” after the conclusion).

Although this assignment will be in the form of a blog post, my expectations are similar to any other writing assignment. Specifically, this assignment is an analytical writing assignment; while I’m not hunting for grammar issues, writing clearly, staying focused and citing precise quotes are key factors in a good analysis. My primary focus, when reading your piece to grade it, will be on the quality of your analysis. Use the rubric you received for the first blog post’s grade as your guide for this post.

Blog Post 3: Mixed Media Assignment Instructions (Collage with a 3 paragraph write up)

Gender and Pop Culture
Blog Post 3
Due on the date and time specified on the course calendar

Your goal for this assignment is to illustrate in both photos and written text how a specific arena of pop culture is marketed and sold on the basis of gender.
For this assignment, "product" is quite a broad term, which can mean just about any specific element of contemporary popular culture. 
Examples include (you'd need to specify the brand, name, title, etc to really focus your argument about the marketing of a specific product on the basis of gendered marketing):
A TV show
A cell phone
A service
A clothing line
A gadget
A product for cleaning
A product for cooking
A toy
A burger from a fast food restaurant
...among many other possibilities (including products and services that are marketed to the public, but free of charge to the consumer. ad-supported products or services would fall under this criteria)
 
Think about the products marketed to women that use women to sell the product, or products marketed to men, which use women as well.  What kind of images are used? What marketing strategies are utilized? How can you best convey the product as sold on the basis of gender?

Make sure your blog post's title, thesis, and 2 paragraphs with 2 specific quotes from course readings, and also the collage, form a cohesive articulation of a point you're trying to make. 

Written Component Requirements

1. Title of Blog Post  (your title is the blog post’s title).   Make sure you develop a title for the blog post that reflects your write-up and collage, in a way that reflects the thesis/argument that you're making..
2. Intro with Thesis (1st paragraph) The thesis is going to be crucial here, because you will need to include it as a written component of the assignment. Your thesis should be as nuanced and analytically deep as you can find images and quotes to support.
3. 2 Readings cited in a 2 paragraphs that underscores your thesis and the points you're making in the collage.  You will need to cite the work of 2 course readings related to media, ‘the body,’ gender, and advertising (use the readings after the section you used for the previous blog post assignment).  For most students, it may help to use the readings to find quotes to inspire the collage. Remember, short direct quotes (one quote in each paragraph).
4. Works Cited/List of References --Use the MLA!  Make sure you include the two readings (in the parenthetical references in your two paragraphs) and the sources of media that you used for the assignment in a separate “Works Cited” list at the end of the blog post.

Reminder:
Analysis!
You’ll be graded on the level of analysis (not artistic ability☺) that you’ve demonstrated based on the relevant use of quotes, thesis, title, and through your visual collage.

Think of the collage as the body of the paper (for the most part), which stands in where the first three paragraphs would not be able to provide a cohesive argument/set of points to prove the entirety of your thesis.
..........................................................................................
Getting the collage on the blog with your write-up
You can scan a paper/glue/scissors collage or you can perform this component of the assignment digitally, without the glue, paper, and scissors by using digital pictures/images/etc to create your collage using Picasa (a free download from Google for photo editing and is capable of making collages), Photoshop, or other software. Any method for creating the collage is fine as long as it will allow you to create an image file that ends in .jpg, .gif, .png, .tif, or .bmp).

Remember that the collage will need to be inserted as an image in the blog post.

If you’re scanning, remember that you’ll need to be able to fit it on the bed of the scanner.
Therefore, do not use paper larger than 8.5”x11” (standard printer paper size aka: letter-size)

If multiple sheets of standard printer paper are used, scan them in order, keep them flat, and don’t attach them to each other. Scan each separately, save each page as its own file, and then upload them to a single blog post using the “add image” icon in the usual “compose” screen used in blogger (just like you used for the first post) with the written components listed above. If you need to add more than one image to complete your collage, the pop-up window will show “add an image from your computer” and once you’ve clicked “browse” to find the first image, click the link above the browse for file area, which is labeled “Add another image” and use that until all images are uploaded and then hit the orange button as the last step.

Blog Buddy Peer-Feedback Instructions

On your "blog buddy's" blog, read their posted assignment and, provide feedback (in the "comments field") on:
2-3 ways/areas your "buddy" excelled (in the post you're commenting on)
2-3 areas that could be improved, and offer any suggestions for improvement.

After you've left your comment, create a new post on the Class notes blog with:

Title: [your name]'s feedback on [your blog buddy's name]:  [Title of post you commented on]
Link: [provide specific URL to the post on your blog buddy's blog that you commented on]
Main text editor area: [Copy and paste your feedback]
...............................
Please publish your post, then check the class notes blog to ensure that your post made it there, then click the title to make sure you were able to get to the original post you commented on

Blog Post 2: Constructs of Femininity or Masculinity in an Aspect of Popular Culture

Gender & Popular Culture Maymester 2010
Blog Post #2
Constructs of Femininity and Masculinity In an Aspect of Pop Culture
Due on May 14th by 1pm to your individual blog

Choose a very narrow aspect of popular culture to analyze (an episode of a TV show/music video/etc). Analyze how your chosen element of pop culture portrays masculinity or femininity.  
Your "big goal" is to argue a point that addresses the following question according to your chosen element of popular culture:

What does it mean to be a man, or what does it mean to be a woman, in this element of popular culture?

Avoid including too much narration of the show, instead write in a clear analytical manner that targets an aspect of pop culture, and examines how this element constructs an understanding of masculinity or femininity.

You may choose to focus on a specific character/music video/episode of a show/song/etc if your find yourself with too many examples from the aspect of pop culture you have chosen (in order to keep the length manageable and close to the equivalent of a 3 page paper).  

Try to use the readings to define terms that may be new to you (or to a reader without a women's and gender studies background), by quoting the reading that defines the term when you first use it.  For example, Lull would be a perfect fit for using his work to define hegemony, while Johnson would be ideal for defining patriarchy. 

Remember, your goal is to analyze this piece of pop culture (analysis and judgment are not the same and if anything, judgment in place of analysis is counterproductive). Additionally, it may help you to look at both masculinity and femininity in both male and female-appearing characters

• See the course syllabus and the blog post rubric for the guidelines for your blog post.
• Include an introduction (with your thesis, which is up to you to develop) paragraph and a conclusion paragraph. 
• Double-space between paragraphs (indenting frequently is undermined by the template you have chosen to use for your blog). 
• You must include 2 different direct quotes (at minimum), from 2 different course readings from the week that precedes your blog post. 
• Remember that it's imperative you incorporate your direct quotes into sentences and that you use the best possible quotes in a point-by-point basis to use as "backup" or as an "expert witness" for each of your points (therefore, you should make a point in a 4-6 sentence paragraph, then the following 4-6 sentence paragraph would include a direct quote from a course reading to back up your point)
• Cite all in-text (parenthetical references) in MLA format and a include a works cited list (at the end) in MLA format.
• If you use any quotes, clips, images, etc from the aspect of popular culture you have chosen to analyze, include them in your works cited list (and when appropriate for the source, in text citations as well). 

 
Comments will be posted to your blog in the “comments” section by me
Grades (alpha-numeric) will be posted to the SOCS gradebook.

Statcounter reports to show the new group of bloggers! Maymester 2010! We have an amazing number of readers from all over the world!

Map of Recent Visitors

Visitors from the last week

Yearly Visitors

All images are reports on this group of blogs from Statcounter.com

Final Project -- Reinventing a Piece of Pop Culture - Summer Session B 2009

Your final project will be due by Monday, August 10 at 9 pm.

Unlike the written assignments posted to your blogs, you'll have the option to work with as many of your classmates as you'd like.

If you choose this option, I'll need the names of the students working on each project during the final class on August 7th (due to the extended due date and the Records and Registration grade-deadline of Monday the 11th for Summer Session B, I need to know which blog posts will have written assignments so I can grade them on Friday :o).

The format will need to be in the form of a video (a slide show set to music would also work...but you'll need to be able to upload it in a format that is compatible with YouTube. Each group member will then post the project to his/her individual blogs using the instructions from YouTube (it's just a copy and paste maneuver).

You will need to narrow your scope of popular culture:

Choose a media format/genre (some examples):

* TV Program
* Radio Show
* Film
* Music Video
* Magazine
* Video Game
* (Aspect of) Athletic Event
* Fashion
* Public Education & Corporation

Choose a subject/audience:

For example, create a satirical cartoon, cable news program, reality show, televised sporting event, parenting magazine, a game show, children’s entertainment (from Scooby Doo to High School Musical), part of the fashion world (runway modeling or the next season’s "Look Book"); if corporate-edu-consumer-training is your interest, think of a revised Chanel One, corporate sponsored events, curriculum, or major capital project-funding , such as the construction of stadiums and theaters, perhaps target one of these areas in a Colbert-Styled "The WØrd" or a set of segments from The Soup.

If you choose to work within movies/films, a "trailer" would be the right length and format
for envisioning this assignment.

Based on your chosen genre/format:

* Give your production/publication a name— be original and creative!
* Identity the assumptions that underlie the messages you want to send.
* Specifically, identify the messages that you see being disseminated by an analogous/similar form of media that relate to gender, sexuality, race, class, etc. (i.e. current fashion magazines send the message that being female involves striving for ‘ideal’ physical beauty.)
* Create visual images and text (whether written or spoken) that accurately work off these assumptions. (What message(s) do you want to send about, sexuality, racism, sexism, and/or classism?)

Use images from other texts/videos/images/audio to create a commentary on a preexisting element of popular culture. Make sure you cite these external sources in your video in the "credits" using MLA citations at the end.


* Write, enact, portray (in the format suited for the genre you’ve chosen- video, image, etc) that address existing norms, ideals, and messages about gender, either directly or indirectly. (i.e. an article about males and eating disorders addresses gender directly while an article about the CEO of a Fortune 500 company who happens to be a woman addresses it indirectly.)

Remember that you need to make it clear that your production is a critique of gender (and other categories and biases too, where applicable) and ensure your project is inspired by a particular author's (or multiple authors) points. For example, a video montage of reality TV show-clips with text/voice-overs illustrating Ouellette and Hay's argument about Reality TV would clearly be linkable to their piece as the basis of your critique.

There is no write-up for this project; however, you must have a title and all group members must be cited in the credits along with all sources of information and inspiration.
Your final project will be due by Saturday at 5pm if you choose this option.

Unlike the written assignments posted to your blogs, you'll have the option to work with as many of your classmates as you'd like.

If you choose this option, I'll need the names of the students working on each project during the final class on August 7th (due to the extended due date and the Records and Registration grade-deadline of Monday the 11th for Summer Session B, I need to know which blog posts will have written assignments so I can grade them on Friday :o).

The format will need to be in the form of a video (a slide show set to music would also work...but you'll need to be able to upload it in a format that is compatible with YouTube. Each group member will then post the project to his/her individual blogs using the instructions from YouTube (it's just a copy and paste maneuver).

You will need to narrow your scope of popular culture:

Choose a media format/genre (some examples):

* TV Program
* Radio Show
* Film
* Music Video
* Magazine
* Video Game
* (Aspect of) Athletic Event
* Fashion
* Public Education & Corporation

Choose a subject/audience:

For example, create a satirical cartoon, cable news program, reality show, televised sporting event, parenting magazine, a game show, children’s entertainment (from Scooby Doo to High School Musical), part of the fashion world (runway modeling or the next season’s "Look Book"); if corporate-edu-consumer-training is your interest, think of a revised Chanel One, corporate sponsored events, curriculum, or major capital project-funding , such as the construction of stadiums and theaters, perhaps target one of these areas in a Colbert-Styled "The WØrd" or a set of segments from The Soup.

If you choose to work within movies/films, a "trailer" would be the right length and format
for envisioning this assignment.

Based on your chosen genre/format:

* Give your production/publication a name— be original and creative!
* Identity the assumptions that underlie the messages you want to send.
* Specifically, identify the messages that you see being disseminated by an analogous/similar form of media that relate to gender, sexuality, race, class, etc. (i.e. current fashion magazines send the message that being female involves striving for ‘ideal’ physical beauty.)
* Create visual images and text (whether written or spoken) that accurately work off these assumptions. (What message(s) do you want to send about, sexuality, racism, sexism, and/or classism?)

Use images from other texts/videos/images/audio to create a commentary on a preexisting element of popular culture. Make sure you cite these external sources in your video in the "credits" using MLA citations at the end.


* Write, enact, portray (in the format suited for the genre you’ve chosen- video, image, etc) that address existing norms, ideals, and messages about gender, either directly or indirectly. (i.e. an article about males and eating disorders addresses gender directly while an article about the CEO of a Fortune 500 company who happens to be a woman addresses it indirectly.)

Remember that you need to make it clear that your production is a critique of gender (and other categories and biases too, where applicable) and ensure your project is inspired by a particular author's (or multiple authors) points. For example, a video montage of reality TV show-clips with text/voice-overs illustrating Ouellette and Hay's argument about Reality TV would clearly be linkable to their piece as the basis of your critique.

There is no write-up for this project; however, you must have a title and all group members must be cited in the credits along with all sources of information and inspiration.

(Counter)Hegemonic Representations of Femininity and Masculinity In an Aspect of Pop Culture

Gender & Popular Culture
Summer 2009
Blog Post #1
(Counter)Hegemonic Representations of Femininity and Masculinity In an Aspect of Pop Culture


Choose a very narrow aspect of popular culture to analyze (an episode of a TV show/music video/etc). Analyze how your chosen piece of pop culture both (re)creates/enforces hegemonic representations and understandings of masculinity and femininity and how this same piece simultaneously disrupts these messages (counter-hegemonic representations).

Use at least 2 course readings (direct quotes) to support your argument that support your thesis (located in the last sentence of the first paragraph, aka your intro)

Avoid including too much narration of the show, instead write in a clear analytical manner that targets a aspect of pop culture, which both reinforces and disrupts hegemonic masculinity and femininity in US pop culture. Note: Most elements of popular culture do both reinforcement and disruption of these constructs; therefore, don’t focus on just hegemony or just counter-hegemony.

You may choose to focus on a specific character if your find yourself with too many examples from the show (in order to keep the length manageable and close to the equivalent of a 3 page paper).

Cite in text citations using MLA format and include a Works Cited List at the end of your post (also in MLA format). Avoid paraphrasing the texts you include and choose only the most relevant quotes to support your points (you may use more than 2 sources; however, I expect that you’ll need at least 2 short quotes from each of the 2 sources to adequately support your thesis).

Remember, your goal is to analyze this piece of pop culture (analysis and judgment are not the same and if anything, judgment in place of analysis is counterproductive).
Remember to look at both masculinity and femininity in both male and female-appearing characters

The post is due on Friday by 12 pm
Comments will be posted to your blog in the “comments” section by me
Grades (alpha-numeric) will be posted to the SOCS gradebook.