Summer 2008 Bloggers!

• Shadrac C- Shadrac's Gender and pop Culture Blog
• Bob D- Bob's Gender and Pop Culture Blog
• Linda E- Linda's World of Gender & Pop. Culture (My Blog)
• Stef H - Stef's Gender & Pop Culture Blog
• Brian H- Brian's Gender & Pop Culture Blog
• Maria H - Maria's Gender & Pop Culture Blog
• Colin J - Colin's Gender & Pop Culture Blog
• MaKaila K- Gender & Pop Culture Blogs
• Rebekah L.- Down with Prince Charming!
• Misbah M - missy mood info
• Ratika M - Ratika's Gender & Pop Culture Blog
• Ruthy T- Blue Jeans and Coca-Cola
• Ryan T. - Ryan's Gender and Pop Culture Blog
• Aneka W. - Aneka's Gender and Pop Culture Blog
• Barbara Z - Rebel with a Culture Blog

Spring 2008 Graffiti Project: P.S. Problem Solved? One Class's Approach To Revealing "The Beauty Myth"

Extending the principles and ideas discussed in their Gender and Popular Culture class, the students created a banner that questions and redefines the beauty myth.

Based on the Graffiti Women book by Nicholas Ganz, the banner began with a Victoria's Secret print advertisement with items on the side pointing to parts of a naked women's body that could be improved with those products.








To change the advertisement, the students of the class took items that could be purchased and tiled them across the naked women's body to uncover the beauty myth in a way that the class felt appropriate.


The project title was then chosen as “P.S. Problem Solved?: Beauty Myth (Un)Covered,” in order to show the ways in which the beauty industry tries to define the perfect women and the costs it takes to live up to that standard. The class hopes that it will be kept as a constant reminder of the chilling effects of the beauty industry and the imposing views that it places on the minds of US society.

Spring 2008 Graffiti Project: Taking an "Axe" to the "Campaign for Real Beauty"

In early April Professor Gamble approached her Gender and Pop Culture class with the option of designing a collaborative student-led project, based upon the book Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents by Nicholas Ganz. In an effort to apply this text, and the information studied concerning gender representation in advertising, the class developed a project in which they challenged the negative messages sent about women through a popular Axe Body Spray advertisement.



The Axe Body Spray advertisement objectified women by isolating their body parts and writing sexist remarks in relation to each of them, based on a chauvinistic perspective. The purpose of the ad was to make men think that the spray is linked to a man’s ability to attract women. The students developed a response to this ad by creating new remarks for each woman. For example, in the place of the remark, “Looks like it’s been a while,” is the remark, “Looks like it’s been a while since I’ve met a decent man.” The project began with the students developing their own idea for the project. As a class they worked together in teams to decide on everything from the design, to supplies, to college relations, to how the project would be managed. The students came together to create the final product of a banner displaying their reinvention of the original Axe Body Spray Ad. Now, the banner is on display in the Brower Student Center.

The class intends for the banner to inspire students and staff to think critically about gender representations in advertising that we unconsciously accept on a daily basis. The students of this Gender and Pop Culture class hope that the community will appreciate this reinvention as much as they enjoyed creating it.

Photos and write-up by:

Rachel Fetterman, Casey Eriksen, Christine Luettchau

Blog Post #3: Workout Option - Bodies for sale! Embodied Cultural-Material Products of Sexuality and Beauty (Due November 13th)

Blog Post #3: Workout Option
Bodies for sale! Embodied Cultural-Material Products of Sexuality and Beauty

Using the 4th episode of Season 2 of Workout, your objective is to analyze the links and fissures between gender and sexuality. Using one character of your choice (one person as focus; however, interactions with other characters are certainly great places for analysis) your job is to investigate the ways in which the character is portrayed in relation to gendered and sexual identity-based norms, ideals, and stereotypes. Focus your analysis on the multiple (often conflicting) ways an individual ‘character’ disseminates messages about gender and sexuality.

• Specifically, use the readings to locate and define concepts of gender and sexuality-based norms/ideals/stereotypes.
  
• How does the character "fit" the concepts related to normative definitions of masculinity and femininity?
  
• What traits are included and omitted when portraying an ideal or non-ideal/pathological masculine and/or feminine subject?
  
• How does your character disrupt the relationship between gender and sexuality vis-à-vis stereotypes/norms/ideals about sexuality and masculinity and femininity (i.e. when the "butch/femme" dichotomy is disrupted)?
  
• How do these categories of analysis illustrate media constructions of your chosen character and hegemonic norms and expectations when they intersect with gender?
  
• Although the show is labeled "reality," don’t get wrapped up in the fake/real issues or the potential ideas and issues of the scripting and editing of the show
  

Blog Post #2: Collage of Gendered Advert-tainment in Pop Culture

For the assignment, you have several options to choose from listed below (each numbered section is a separate assignment choice/route—just chose one). You also can perform this assignment without the glue, paper, and scanner by using digital pictures/images/etc to create your collage. Below those options are the basic requirements for the assessment of your work.

1. The “ideal” and the “self”—Using the collage that you developed in class as the first part of the assignment, create a collage that illustrates how you differ from this gendered ideal (the difference that you illustrate could be focused on any one of a number of areas from the way you actually live your life, your perception of yourself in relation to these ads, etc).

2. Conflict in media messages about gender—After creating your collage in class, look for conflicting messages sent by the images. You can use any source of media for this collage (so think about using your favorite/love to hate TV show, music genre, video game, movie, sport, etc—it’s not necessary to still use ads), in order to illustrate a few key strands of contradiction/conflict/paradoxical expectations. These “key strands” should help support an overall argument that is specific about the focus of the collage and illustrate the ways in which conflicting messages are powerful sources of information about hegemonic beliefs about gender and consumption, social ideals, and/or normative gendered behavior, actions, lifestyles, etc.

3. (Dis)embodied gendered objectification in images of masculinity and femininity—If “sex sells” is cliché and trite, so commonplace in the media that sexualized bodies appearing in advertisements barely merit notice, then it’s time to look at the concept and take notice of what it means when “sex” is “selling” something. How does this concept appear in the images of men and women when sex is being used to sell? It’ll help to remember that sex and related objectification is relevant for both men and women. Make sure you include both the masculine and feminine representations in your collage or, if you choose to focus on one, directly analyze the ramifications of the one you chose (i.e. femininity) on the other (i.e. masculinity). Additionally, sex is not always overtly sexual, so stay open to the many ways that a person can be commodified/objectified in the images you find while creating your collage.

See the notes blog for more from class...

http://gpcnotes.blogspot.com/2007/10/puffs-of-gendered-sort.html

The Students Have Submitted Their First Blog Posts: Online Toy Shopping Field Work: Gendered Consumers/Engendering Consumerism

For the students' blogs, choose from the links at the right (sidebar).

The students have posted their first blog post. The following is the
assignment they were given to focus their blog posts on the messages about
gender that are disseminated by toys. Although this specific assignment is
different from the "each student chose a topic" format for the previous
semester's blog project, the class has developed just as diverse a collection of
blogs and responses to this assignment as the previous class.

Online Toy Shopping Field Work: Gendered Consumers/Engendering Consumerism Assignment:

Analyze the role that toys (and products marketed for children) play in the gendered socialization of children using the products marketed to them.
In order to address the assignment, go “shopping” (online or in a store) as if you were purchasing toys/clothing/food/etc for the child, whose biography was created by one of your classmates, and then analyze what you find in relation to gender and children’s socialization.

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, Henley & Freeman, 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?

Semester has been over, yet I still need a way to archive the students' blogs!

Does anyone have any suggestions for storing 27 blogs (archival) that won't require massive copying and pasting? I know that google won't keep blogs without updates online once they've hit a certain number of days without new posts; therefore, I feel like the clock is ticking and I'd hate to lose their work! AHHH!

Please email me or post a comment here with suggestions. Any help would be super-appreciated!

Blogging in College: The Gender & Pop Culture Blog Experiment

Gender Representation in Advertisements
Memoirs of Mi Mente
Pop Culture Blogging
jcb
What are we really laughing about?
Jess B
`These pretzels are making me thirsty`...
Mark
Thoughts from Tara: South Park
Tara
Gender and Desperate Housewives
Kristin
The Typical Woman in America: how women are portrayed in music, magazines, and reality TV
Darling C.
Emerging Music (?) of the 21st Century
Amanda
Pat’s Blog
digioac2
Model Behavior
Erin
Get Your Blog On
Kristian
You know what really grinds my gears
Kyle
`Idol`-ology: Gender and Reality Television
Amanda Ganza
Gender Representation in Advertisements
Memoirs of Mi Mente
Pop Culture Blogging
jcb
What are we really laughing about?
Jess B
`These pretzels are making me thirsty`...
Mark
Thoughts from Tara: South Park
Tara
Gender and Desperate Housewives
Kristin
The Typical Woman in America: how women are portrayed in music, magazines, and reality TV
Darling C.
Emerging Music (?) of the 21st Century
Amanda
Pat’s Blog
digioac2
Model Behavior
Erin
Get Your Blog On
Kristian
You know what really grinds my gears
Kyle
`Idol`-ology: Gender and Reality Television
Amanda Ganza
Gender, Race, and Class in Scrubs
dgolazeski
Spencer’s Blog
Spencer
Michelle’s Pop Culture Analysis
Michelle
More than Just Cartoons
Mr. Leo Mahaga
The Oprah Phenomenon
Meli
Celebrities..... Why are they so damn special!?
Tony Mojo
Beauty and the Geek
Devon
A Blurred Reality
Jen Mur
Nooch’s Net Nook
Miss Nooch
Female `Stardom` Presented by the Media
Katelyn
Desperate for Desperate Housewives
Lizzaydizay
Britney Like Whoa!
PRlNCESSJESSS`s
Nicole’s Grey’s Anatomy Blog
Nicole
Gender and Race through Flavor of Love and Celebreality
Melissa

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)
-----------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------
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!

Final Blog Post Assignment

Final Blog Post Assignment
Gender & Pop Culture (WGS 220 05)
Spring 2007
Due Friday, April 27, 2007

See “Options for Final Blog Posts” to choose your focus before writing this final post assignment.

• Make sure that the focus you've chosen can be clearly analyzed in relation to your blogs topic
• Read the comments that your blog buddy wrote for you before beginning this assignment
• Your chosen focus should be conducive to a "final wrap up" for your blog and its topic
• Posts must cite a course reading that is from a source you haven't yet used in a previous blog post
• Posts can be a bit longer than previous posts; however, keep it focused on your thesis (your argument will be about your topic in relation to your focus) and keep the length at 8 paragraphs or less
• Each Paragraph must be related to your argument and support that argument (remember the 1st post when I gave you the simple guide to analysis via the SOCS assessment?)

• If you are concerned about how to make this assignment meet the requirements, please see the "Guide to the Blog Post" resource I created. It covers the thesis, relating paragraphs to the thesis, contextualizing quotes, using the appropriate quote/source, how to integrate them, and also includes a visual diagram for your post (helpful if you’re a more visual learner).
  
  Reminder: Office hours are after class in Bliss 117 on Monday from the end of class until 12:30 or 1:00 pm (set up an appointment if you have a class that meets directly after GPC if you’d like to meet with me at a different time/day)

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.

Locks of Love Marathon at TCNJ, April 16

Locks of Love Marathon at TCNJ, April 16

EWING, NJ … The College of New Jersey’s Women in Learning and Leadership (WILL) program will be hosting a Locks of Love Marathon in the Brower Student on Monday, April 16th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that collects human hair donations to provide young children with a vacuum fitted human hair piece, has supplied over 1,400 children with wigs since its inception in 1997.

Most of the children who benefit from this program suffer from an autoimmune condition known as alopecia areata, for which there is no known cause or cure.

On Monday, April 16, two professional hair stylists who have graciously donated their time and expertise will cut and style the hair of anyone, male or female, who is willing to donate 10 or more inches of their hair to the organization.

The Executive Chair of WILL, Ashley Reichelmann (’08, English/secondary education, women’s and gender studies major) says that people often take having hair for granted.

“As an organization, this is our way of redefining beauty,” she said. “It is often thought that one’s image is everything, but the glow that you see in a young man or woman’s eyes when they donate their hair is the true beauty of this event. This is my second time donating my hair, but it will grow back. Now it is time to give to those who do not have that chance.”

More information about Locks of Love can be found at the organization’s website (http://www.locksoflove.org). More information about WILL can be found at WILL’s website (http://www.tcnj.edu/~will).

Blog Buddies: The 2nd Part of the Assignment

Gender & Pop Culture

Blog Buddy Work

Part 2

Due: April 20, 2007

Follow-up (2^nd Part of Assignment) to Blog Buddy Handout

Do not complete this assignment until the handout from the first part has been finished. Remember to get the first part of the assignment back to your partner in time for your partner to have it for his/her own use.

Your partner will turn in your paper copy of the April 12^th (1^st part of the assignment) handout in class on April 19^th.

This assignment should be completed online and must be done by Friday April 20^th.

Directions:

• On your Blog, create a new post entitled “Blog buddy work with [your partner’s first name and last initial], author of [title of your Blog buddy’s Blog].” In the link field (below the title of the post) enter the address of your buddy’s Blog.

• You will be able to edit this post at any time by clicking on “customize” and then “edit posts” or click directly on “manage posts” from the dashboard. You can start out with simply copying and pasting the questions listed (the numbered list) below “for your buddy’s Blog” to the body of the post.

• Your partner will provide you with feedback in the comments section (“post a comment”) of this post, and you will do the same for your partner on her/his Blog in the post s/he created for the Blog buddy work.

• Create a “new comment” for each part of this assignment under the “For Your Blog Buddy” heading. The assignment doesn’t need to be completed in one sitting…the use of multiple comments will facilitate this process so that nothing you have to communicate to your Blog buddy gets inadvertently deleted.

• On April 20^th, make sure you copy and paste your buddy’s comments (from the comment section of the post you created on your Blog) and paste them into a new post entitled “Feedback from [your partner’s first name and last initial], author of [title of his/her Blog]” and include the address of the buddy’s Blog in the link field here too.

For Your Buddy’s Blog:

1. Where has your Blog buddy shown strong analytical work (be specific—is it a particular post, a type of analysis, a site for analysis that seemed to click more so than others, etc)?

2. How could your Blog buddy use this strength for the final Blog post and presentation?

3. Think about the following statements in relation to your Blog buddy’s Blog and then provide feedback on each area (constructive praise/criticism):

The Blog is on a topic that has been clearly evident in the Blog posts throughout the semester

The Blog is on a topic that seems to interest my Blog buddy

My Blog buddy’s topic is one that has produced a good set of posts that were analytical used gender as a primary category of analysis

The posts make analytical arguments. The posts are understandable and each post logically outlines and supports the argument presented. The posts were clear, provided insight, evidence, and analysis to connect the topic with the assignment for each of the posts

The sources cited in each post are relevant to the topic and help to aid the understanding of the argument and/or assisted in proving the argument.

The quotes used illustrate a broad range of course readings throughout the semester.

The quotes were clear and succinct; additionally, the material was presented so that I could differentiate the Blog buddy’s ideas from that of the author cited.

4. Finally, complete the following:

I thought it was great when you...

I found it confusing when you…

You’re really great at…

I wish you could focus (more) on/alter/edit/explain/expand on/etc these three things…

(Basically, when you read the Blog posts, what do you wish your buddy had done differently, more of, etc?)

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

In case you have trouble uploading the collage

If you need a photo editor (that's easy to use) for uploading your collages to your blogs (a student emailed me and asked about what to do b/c the collage isn't in a format (currently they're scanned and saved as TIF files, which I'm surprised Blogger isn't able to handle) that's compatable with the blog's image upload process, feel free to download from the link below. After installing, open "Picassa" or "Picassa 2" (they call it one or the other), then open the file for the photo based on where you originally saved it (from the upload instructions email). Once you've opened it, go to file, save as (or "save a copy"), and the file window will open. Save it as a yourimage'sname.jpg and make sure that the line below the file also lists .jpg or .jpeg (and not the .tif information still) or "all files, *.*" to avoid saving it as the same file type. If it asks you to export or "flatten" your image, okay it until you're done and have a file called yourimage'sname.jpg (picassa may not show the filename in the window of the main screen, if that's the case, you can go open the folder from the "my documents" or "My Computer" in Windows, look for the file where you saved it, and make sure it was saved as a .jpg file. Then you can upload away!
Download Here!

Email- Check your spam filter and make sure you accept invite

Hi Everyone-
Amanda has sent a requst that needs your attention and I realized that the invites sent for granting student-access to the big blog might have been intercepted by your spam filters!
Please check your spam filters for the invite and make sure you accept the request to become a blog author at http://genderpopculture.blogspot.com.
The next blog assignment has been sent via email too...
For Amanda's request, see the email w/ the .doc download and follow her great instructions for adding the needed elements to your blog (they're really clear and well done!) asap!
Thanks!

"Idol"-ology: Gender and Reality Television: American Idol Season 6 - Ian Benardo

Amanda got a response from Ian (on American Idol) using MySpace!

American Popular Culture

American Popular Culture

Popular Culture -- GENDER ISSUES info from a university's site

Popular Culture -- GENDER ISSUES