Update for Monday's Last Class

Monday's (Last!) Class -

Here's the update based on emails received in the last 12 hours (As of 12:35am on Sunday 4/29/07)!

1. Course Evaluations
2. Presentations
3. After-Class Presentations
   

• Course Evaluations

1st 15 Minutes

• Presentation Order (for during class):

Amanda D
Pat D.
Kyle E
Amanda G
Michelle L
Leo M
Jess T
Nicole U

• After Class Presentations (Extra Credit):

Kristin C (must be the 1st presenter to get to next class in time)
Katelyn R (needs to be out by 12:20)
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If you have a class at 12:30, the after class option will not be feasible anymore b/c Kristin and Katelyn were the 1st 2 students who responded w/ the "before 12:30" request.
Because they have to leave before 12:30 to get to their classes on time, I don't want to push it and schedule any other presenters after class that need to leave at 12:30.
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Liz S (needs to be at a mtg by 1:00pm)
Jennifer M
Melissa Z
Spencer H
Dan G
Anthony M (?)
Melissa M
Devon M

• Via Video (Extra Credit & Due Friday, May 4th):

Lauren P
Anthony M (?)
Kristian E

• Video Helpers (Extra Credit): If you can video someone else, let me know- bring video camera if you have it, and I'll bring one (possibly 2- if I can find it) cameras to class on Monday:
  

Dan G (has a camera too!)
Anthony M
(possibly Tara B.)

• Requests Received for Final Post on May 4th (instead of April 27th):

Alex A
Jess Bas
Mark B
Darling C
Amanda D
Erin D
Amanda G
Dan G
Spencer H
Leo M
Melissa M
Anthony M
Devon M
Jenn M
Lauren P
Liz S
Jess T

• Reminders

No Late work may be submitted after Wednesday May, 2nd.

If you ask for an extension on the final blog post, you shall receive an extension...but that extended deadline is May 4th :o)

The list here will be updated on the "Big Blog" as I receive emails (if I get additional responses) .

The final list of presenters and requests for deadline extensions will be emailed to you on Sunday.

The plan that's gotta work (because we don't have any other options)

Monday's (Last!) Class - It's down to the wire!

• 15 minutes for course evaluations

• Presentations:
  

The order for the presentations is listed below; however, if you can stay later than 11:50 on Monday, or if you would like to do your presentation via video- I would be very happy to take your name off the lineup so that we're not trying to cram 20 presentations (plus evaluations) into a period of under 2 hours--

(our alternative is to use the time scheduled for the exam on Thursday, 5/10/07 8:00 am - 10:50 am in our usual room if the final presentations aren't finished and/or on video on Monday)

Kristin C
Amanda D
Pat D.
Kristian E
Kyle E
Amanda G
Dan G

Spencer H

Michelle L

Leo M

Melissa M

Anthony M

Devon M

Jennifer M

Lauren P

Katelyn R

Elizabeth S

Jessica T

Nicole U

Melissa Z

If you contact me b/c you can help alleviate the time crunch (no one wants to be in Forcina at 8 am on the 10th of May, um...right?)
BEFORE SATURDAY NIGHT @ MIDNIGHT, I will give you extra credit for the following:

• video presentation (must be completed and on your blog by Friday, May 4th)
• Presenting on Monday (if necessary) after 11:50am (staying late to present)

• You can also earn extra credit (if you're a knowledgeable video-person) and you offer your assistance (same deadline to submit your offer of assistance w/ videos as the presentation deadlines above) and help 1 or more of your classmates.
  

Reward:

• You will receive 20 extra credit points for volunteering to present after class or for submitting it on video to your blog (you also get an extension via video)
  

• For EACH student you help tape (and get help him/her get the video on the blog by the 4th of May,) you will receive 20 points (per classmate).
• I'll let the interested videography-assistants know which students will be video blogging their final presentations on Sunday and you can coordinate directly with them.

EXTRA CREDIT IS CONTINGENT ON COMMITTING TO THE ABOVE BY SATURDAY NIGHT AT MIDNIGHT- NO EXTRA CREDIT IF YOU CONTACT ME AFTER THAT DEADLINE!

Options for Final Blog Posts & Presentations

Options for Final Blog Posts & Presentations
Gender & Popular Culture Spring 2007 (WGS220 05)
Final Blog Post due April 27, 2007
Presentations April 26th & 30th

1. Audiences & Understandings
Examine audience interpretations of your topic. Because, varying contexts (as in varying groups of people as audiences in different times/places/groups/etc) frequently produce conflicting understandings of the same topic. Your goal is to identify audience consistency and inconsistency (how to obtain this information is up to you) and analyze the reactions (consistent and inconsistent) in relation to the topic and the factors that might be affecting audience responses to your topic (or a specific example of the topic- i.e. episode of a show).
2. Power & Empowerment
For this focus, your goal is to identify and analyze the images that are present in your blog's topic. Which images are empowering, which are less empowering (power over)? Analyze the messages sent by the images you've chosen (these images may not literally be pictures, they can be, but you can also think of it as imagery). Why do certain messages seem more empowering than others?
Be careful if your topic is a fictional one. When dealing with fictitious characters, don't analyze an image in the context of your topic (i.e. a character in relation to other characters or in relation to the plot on a TV show). You may need to provide the context of the character in relation to the show or other characters; however, analyze the messages sent by this character (or whatever the image from the fictional show is that you're analyzing) in relation to social norms, hegemonic belief systems, etc in the world/society that views this topic (in the example it would be the society/culture/socioeconomic environment of the viewers of the show).

3. Autobiographical
If your topic was initially chosen based on a personal identification with the subject-matter, this option allows you to analyze yourself in relation to your topic. This option could get messy (and long) if you provide too much detail about your life or your topic. Therefore, choose the specific moment to relate yourself to initial attraction to topic. Analyze the social norms and hegemonic messages that may have facilitated your interest in this topic/person/show/genre/etc.
Then analyze how your perception of this topic has changed/shifted by virtue of analyzing it all semester. How might you understand yourself differently today (compared to the understanding you articulated about yourself when you first "found" your topic) based on this difference in understanding your topic.

4. Evolution of understanding of your topic over the semester
How has your topic shifted over the course of the semester? What social norms and hegemonic values were you unaware existed in your topic at the beginning of the semester? Were these norms and values explicit or implicit? Are they disseminated on the covert/subconscious level? Do you see the potential for positive change in changing the less empowering/oppressive messages/images that your topic disseminates? Does identifying them and making the invisible (or not immediately obvious, less than overt, etc) visible (perhaps as you've done in your blog this semester?) transform these messages from having insidious power (because they're covertly disseminated) to disempowering the messages by simply illustrating the existence of them (think of the impassioned responses to your blogs--"It's only a TV show!!!" "Get a life!" "Don’t you have something better to do?"---the individuals who left such comments obviously care a great deal about the issues they are trying to diminish when analyzed by your blog--otherwise they wouldn't have left comments telling your not to bother). How do you understand your topic differently today as a result of the analyses and responses over the course of the semester, than you did at the beginning of the semester?

5 & 6 The Real World Casting Tape & Viewing yourself as a “Modest Witness”
For both of these foci, see me for specific instructions, ideas, etc for proceeding (particularly if you’re considering the Modest Witness one).
If you opt to submit the casting tape, the instructions for the assignment were posted to the “big blog” and include the details for my requirements if you chose this option for your assignment.

Blog Buddies: The 1st part of the buddy work from April 12th

Blog Buddy Work

April 12, 2007

During Class on Thursday

Your name__________________________

Your Blog Topic__________________________

Your Blog Buddy’s Name__________________________

Your Blog Buddy’s Topic__________________________

For Your “Buddy’s Blog”

What are the first 4 ideas that you think of in relation to your partner’s topic?

(Just the first 4 images, concepts, words, phrases, etc)

1. ____________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________

What areas of your buddy’s topic are you still in need of further information?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

What can your buddy tell you about his/her topic that you need to know?

(Now would be a great time to ask him/her)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Depending on how familiar you are with your partners’ topic, you may need to visit the Research Team’s Blog to get more information on his/her topic and/or for examples of analysis of the topic.

1. What social norms and ideals about gender and sexuality are produced in this site of popular culture? How are they produced?

2. What gendered identities are produced through this topic (both male and female) and what factors are producing them? Feel free to list, outline, etc.

3. What identities are privileged and which are disadvantaged (some may be considered both depending on the context)? What hierarchies do you see being produced? Feel free to list, outline, etc.

4. How does this site within popular culture have power in society to create, reinforce, and/or destroy norms and hierarchies?

5. What images and messages are produced that are empowering (or more empowering than others)?

For Your Blog Topic

What have you been the most comfortable/confident (related to content, not technology) when writing about your topic?

What has been your greatest difficulty?

Reread the questions that were asked about your Blog buddy’s topic. On a separate sheet of paper, answer these questions about your topic?

Ideally, what would you like to see your Blog Buddy Help you with the most?

Return to the sheet of paper where you addressed your topic. Put a star next to the responses that you don’t feel (or didn’t feel when responding) confident with the response you gave.

For the responses you marked, how can your buddy specifically help (or try to help) you?

Give your Blog buddy has this sheet and your responses on the other sheet of paper to bring home at the end of class.

*Make sure you give your buddy this information as soon as possible, so s/he has it for his/her own information and because this part must be completed before proceeding to the second part of the blog buddy work (sending via email).

*Your partner will turn this sheet in to me on April 19th (in class), and the second part will be completed on the blogs (instructions about this are included in the second part of the assignment) by Friday, April 20th.

The next step will be sent to you via email & will ask you to evaluate your buddy’s Blog by giving her/him constructive advice/critiques.

The semester is quickly coming to an end!

The agenda for the remainder of the big blog experiment is on the class notes page.
The website home for the class has also been updated recently & I've divided the class into partners (or "blog buddies" as they've been coined) to give content related feedback on their blogs. The list of blog buddies has been emailed to the class, but will also be posted here too (shortly!).

Agenda for the rest of the semester:
Monday, April 9	Ch 39, “The Pornography Debates: Beyond Cause and Effect,” 406-416
Blog Buddies will be assigned via email w/ time for work w/ Blog buddy during Thursday's Class
Thursday, April 12	Read through your blog buddy's blog before class today
	Zia, “Where Race and Gender Meet: Racism, Hate Crimes, and Pornography,” 496-498
Friday, April 13	No Blog post this week- just work with your blog-partner to give feedback and apply feedback from partner
Monday, April 16	Lee, “The New Girls Network: Women, Technology, and Feminism,” 248-251
Thursday, April 19	Haraway, Ch 7, "Facts, Witnesses, & Consequences," 267-271
Friday, April 20	Blog Buddy Work
Monday, April 23	Workshop in Class Important! Preparing for the final presentations & final Blog post.
Thursday, April 26	Final Presentation of Blog Project – Individual Presentations (4-26 & 4-30) Alphabetically: Alex A- Dan G
Friday, April 27	Final Blog Post: Wrapping up the analysis (further details will be posted to SOCS & the main Blog)
Monday, April 30	Final Presentation of Blog Project – Individual Presentations (4-26 & 4-30) Alphabetically: Spencer H- Melissa Z