Updates from my "professor blog"

A Professor Page- Blogging In College: The Gender & Pop Culture Blog Experiment: "Gender Ads.Com: An incredibly thorough examination of gender issues in advertising/marketing

I frequently use this blog for acumulating info for current and future sections of Gender and Pop Culture (sort of like my own social bookmarking service).

Because my 'real' social bookmark accounts (i.e. clipmarks.com and stumbleupon.com) resemble my blog, Defying Gravitas far more than the Women's & Gender Studies/Feminist content of the course for which I am trying to 'not forget' information I've found :o)...

Back to my original reason for posting...

I found GenderAds.com through XY.com (a site devoted to the study of men, masculinities, and gender from a feminist perspective) and because the paragraph that precedes the quoted material (see below, under link to GenderAds.com), specifically references the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA), I read through the site author's work and it's relevant to my course, quite comprehensive and well done (though hasn't been updated for over a year)."

Facebook evolves into mourning community - Features

Erin Duffy's article on Virginia Tech From The Signal:
Facebook evolves into mourning community - Features

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!

The Latest from the 27 bloggers

Final Blog Presentations

Final Blog Presentations
Gender & Pop Culture Spring 2007 (WGS 220-05)
April 26 (Alex A-Dan G) &
April 30 (Spencer H-Melissa Z)

· Above any other goal for these presentations, I want you to show off! You've worked hard all semester and here's your chance to show the class your awesome blogs!

· You should have any material needed to illustrate the ''focus'' of your presentation on your blog for the presentation.

· Plan to present for 5-10 minutes. If this length sounds long, don't worry, the blog as your visual aid will take up more time than you may think)

· For everyone's sake (maintaining interest & attention) don't write out your entire presentation word-for-word. 3X5 cards with key words and phrases, or an outline are ideal reference methods for presentations

· Make sure your blog is neat & tidy for your presentation. Don’t worry about your final post being on the blog if it’s due after the date of your presentation (i.e. if you’re presenting on Thursday). Because you will need to have your blog “cleaned up” and readable for your final review as well as your presentation, once you’ve done it for the presentation you’ll be ready for your final review too.

· Citations from course readings are not required for this presentation. However, you should create a separate ‘presentation post’ if any video dips, links to sites, etc are necessary for your presentation.

· Adding this post-element is up to your judgment (whether it’s necessary for the presentation & is completely optional

Notes:
The focus that’s probably most conducive to the presentation is the one that entails an explanation and analysis of the evolution of your understanding of your blog topic (i.e. shifting from watching a show for entertainment to the course’s analytical focus on gender).

You must be in class both days regardless of whether you’re presenting!

Monday is our last class (SOCS is wrong about the existence of a final exam and lists a time and date for this course) - there is no final!!! I’ve requested the exam to be removed several times over the last two months— so please disregard this date/time/location that’s listed for the course on SOCS

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).

MTV Real World 20 Casting Call -They're looking for people with aspirations AND goals!

For those of you with relevant reality tv blog topics and/or an interest, here's a challenge for your final blog assignment (or those of you in desperate need of extra credit - you know who you are!)...

As absurd as this one sounds...albeit much more challenging than it sounds too...here's your alternative to blogging in text for your final blog assignment related to gender and power/empowerment through representation:

Submit your audition tape to me and Bunim/Murray to audition for the Real World...
To make it count for your final blog post, you have to actually want to audition (eh hem...and it'll be obvious to me if you're not sincere) and you need to highlight you...not sensationalized...not stereotypical reality tv/real world [insert explicative here]:
1. Be yourself
2. Tell them about your actual goals and aspirations
3. They are (supposedly) looking for a new cast that isn't the norm---so bring gender, race, class, sexuality and your awareness of these issues into the forefront of your presentation of yourself...how can you make reality tv on the real world different from what it has been? Why has your study of gender and pop culture made you perfect to provide this different role?
4. I'm sure being at a top US college will help you too; however, what is it that makes you different from the celebrity-obsessed, fame seeking norm that this tv genre has come to depend for its cast?
5. Your tape must be sent as an audition tape and be clearly representative of the concepts you've learned this semester. You actually need to want to pursue this venue for social change for this to be a viable final assignment... we can talk if you're interested in doing this one :o)

Guess what? It's still related to power and empowerment through representation!

MTV Real World 20 Casting Call - May be the Last Season MTV Real World Road Rules News Blog: "Bunim-Murray has recently announced they are casting for the 20th and what may be the last MTV Real World season.

The on-site casting location schedule will be posted here but until that time you can submit a video with these Real World Audition Tape Tips.

Real World Sydney, being the 19th season, started filming in February 2007 and MTV is only contracted for 20 seasons which as of yet has not been extended further.

The details on what the producers are looking for from the applicants is listed below:

For Real World’s upcoming 20th season, we are searching for cast members with career and life goals that they want to pursue in a major metropolitan city.

Aspiring actors, models, dancers, filmmakers, musicians, athletes, artists, journalists, stylists, and fashion designers are particularly encouraged to apply, as well anyone else with interesting career goals and a passion to succeed."

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.

List of the Blog Buddies (aka blog partners)

	Blog URL	Blog Title	Screenname	Topic (Specific & General Categories)
1	http://alexalgarin.blogspot.com/	Gender Representation in Advertisments	Memoirs of Mi Mente	Advertising	Ads
	http://genpopculture.blogspot.com/	Michelle's Pop Culture Analysis	Michelle	Advertising	Ads
2	http://ihatethecword.blogspot.com/	Celebrities..... why are they so damn special!?	Tony Mojo	Celebrities	Celebs
	http://femalestardom.blogspot.com/	Female "Stardom" Presented by the Media	Katelyn	Hollywood Female Ideology	Celebs
3	http://bittersweetsym-phonies.blogspot.com/	Emerging Music (?) of the 21st Century	Amanda	Emo Music	Music
	http://agpopculture.blogspot.com/	"Idol"-ology: Gender and Reality Television	Amanda Ganza	American Idol	TV
	http://britneylikewoah.blogspot.com/	Britney Like Woah!	PRlNCESSJESSS's	Britney Spears	Music
4	http://noochnetnook.blogspot.com/	Nooch's Net Nook	Miss Nooch	Da Ali G Show	TV
	http://spencersfavoriteclass.blogspot.com/	Spencer's Blog	Spencer	The Office	TV
5	http://wgsgenderpopculture.blogspot.com/	Beauty and the Geek	Devon	Beauty and the Geek	TV
	http://eduff.blogspot.com/	Model Behavior	Erin	America's Next Top Model	TV
6	http://realpopculture.blogspot.com/	A Blurred Reality	Jen Mur	The Girls Next Door	TV
	http://genderpop.blogspot.com/	Gender and Race through Flavor of Love and Celebreality	Melissa	Flavor of Love	TV
7	http://dgolazeski.blogspot.com	Gender, Race, and Class in Scrubs	dgolazeski	Scrubs	TV
	http://nicolespopcultureblog.blogspot.com	Nicole's Grey's Anatomy Blog	Nicole	Grey's Anatomy	TV
8	http://kje-pop.blogspot.com/	Get Your Blog On	Kristian	Professional Sports (or not a topic)	Sports
	http://grindzmygearz.blogspot.com/	You know what really grinds my gears	Kyle	South Park (or not a topic)	TV
9	http://wgspopculture.blogspot.com/	What are we really laughing about?	Jess B	Family Guy	TV
	http://digioac2.blogspot.com/	Pat's Blog	Digioac2	Family Guy	TV
10	http://tarasthoughts-tara.blogspot.com/	Thoughts from Tara: South Park	Tara	South Park	TV
	http://astoldbyleo.blogspot.com/	More Than Just Cartoons	Mr. Leo Mahaga	Gender and Anime	TV
11	http://popcultureblogg.blogspot.com/	Pop Culture Blogging	jcb	24 Disney Girls Next Door (not clear what the topic is)	TV
	http://markpopculture.blogspot.com/	"These pretzels are making me thirsty"...	Mark	Seinfeld	TV
12	http://darlinggender.blogspot.com/	The Typical Woman in America: how women are portrayed in music, magazines, and reality t.v	Darling C.	Women in multiple forms of media	Media
	http://melisthoughtswgs.blogspot.com/	The Oprah Phenomenon	Meli	Oprah	TV
13	http://genderdesperatehousewives.blogspot.com/	Gender & Desperate Housewives	Kristin	Desperate Housewives	TV
	http://lizsiegel.blogspot.com/	Desperate for Desperate Housewives	Lizzaydizay	Desperate Housewives	TV

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

Blog Post #5 for Friday 4/6/07 Updated

Friday (4/6/07) Blog Post #5 Now with more options to choose from!

- How has your blog-topic made news? When it has been the subject of the news, how has it been depicted? Specifically, when your topic is the subject of the news/media, how do you see the news/media depict gender, race, class, etc in your topic in relation to the reason that it made the news? In other words, does race, class, gender, etc factor into the reason that the topic became "newsworthy?"

Use at least one class reading and read/watch at least one source of news/media that relates to your topic (when it made news) to analyze this portrayal of your topic by the news/media. Find an example of "mainstream" news for this assignment. Make sure you link to the news/media source if it can be found online or cite it w/ your citation of the course reading you used at the end of the blog post.

Another issue that at least one person brought up on the index cards* was the topics for the blog posts. I want to keep the topics linked to the course readings and class discussions; however, I also want you to pursue areas that are of interest to you (which, hopefully your topic is one already) and blog on those areas of interest as well.

Therefore, for blog post #5, in addition to the original topic of mainstream news issues/coverage of your topic, as currently listed on the SOCS welcome page, you can instead opt to pursue one of the following areas to analyze in relation to your topic:

-Motherhood (great for the topics on female celebrities- mother or not- and for topics on gender and advertising, as well as many of the TV shows chosen as topics for the blogs)
-Infamous Celebrity (as opposed to fame/famous- what constructs notoriety in pop culture?)
-The roles of violence as a technique of social control (we've covered so many- from "Hidden Politics,"
"Homophobia in Straight Men," "Wielding Masculinity Inside Abu Garib," to earlier pieces such as
"King Kong & the White Woman," "Lay theories of Media Effects," and also "The More You Subtract, The More
"You Add")
-Heterosexism (the notion that 2 sexes = 2 genders = marriage between 2 people of opposite sex/gender =
procreation)

Each of the topics above relates directly to recent readings and can (but doesn't have to) replace the topic of your blog-topic in the news.

The requirements remain the same (keep it under 5-6 paragraphs w/ one course reading cited, etc) as the original assignment.

Hope this gives everyone a bit more freedom to scrutinize popular culture :o)
-Jessie

*Yesterday in class, I handed everyone a blank index card and asked the class to alert me to ideas/issues to help me know what will benefit them the most from this class--on top of an adversion to the more technical side of the blog experiment, which I can totally understand, this issue appeared on a couple index cards...just to clarify the index cards for those who were absent yesterday or not in this course at all!

Blog News: We're popping up all over the web

Blog News

Hi Class!
You have quite a following with your collages (I haven't had time to publish links to all of the sites that are displaying them b/c there are more!) and these are just the first ones that you did in class!

They LOVE you...they really LOVE you!!!

(okay...yeah...bad sense of humor...I get it!)
Here's one place I found your collages (so random that I could find your work at any time and anywhere...or have a "hey, there's more of my students' work!" type of moment)

Photos: "Blogging in College: Self Portraits in Consumer Capitalism

This week in class...

♦ Before Monday (4/2/07): Click on the technorati link that you added to your blog to check to see if the page that appears on technorati lists your blog (see "IF IT DOESN'T SHOW YOUR BLOG ON TECHNORATI" below the week's agenda for more instructions).

♦ Monday (4/2/07): The first reading is one we didn't have time to get to last week (but was on the syllabus for last week's classes)

Ch 38, "Hidden Politics: Discursive and Institutional Policing of Rap Music," 396-405 (GRCM)

Ch 14, "Who(se) Am I? The Identity and Image of Women in Hip-Hop," 136-148 (GRCM)

Ragonese, "Riot Grrrrls Castrate 'Cock Rock' in New York," 27-31

♦ Before Thursday (4/5/07):Deadline for applying teamwork to blog is BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS (10 am) on this date! The readings for this class are included below the teamwork instructions/guidelines.

Choose one item from one team (just one element of one team's work needs to be completed for this assignment, which we discussed on Thursday, during class).

If you need help, contact the appropriate team's liaison for assistance.

Each team's work is on each team's blog (the links for the aforementioned blogs can be found on the big blog, on your team's blog, and on my "professor-blog")

Even if you don't need the liaison's assistance it's your responsibility to email the liaison from the group whose work you used for your own blog. The liaison will need to bring this list to class today (so be kind to her/him and email the liaison in advance of class-not at 1 am the night before class--or right before class--so get this work finished asap so you can email the team's liaison and everything will be fine for Thursday on your end and the liaison's).

Only 2 don'ts:

Don't use your own team's work

Don't state you used work from a team that you used for a previous blog assignment (i.e. research team & blog posts or collages, creative team and collages for post 3, etc).

This work must be evident on your blog as distinct from each of your other assignments--it doesn't need to be it's own post (but it can be--if you wanted to create an audio or video element, etc) b/c if you used Digg from the buzz team (for example) you wouldn't need to post something to your blog to do the "Digg" digging. You'd contact the liaison if you need help with digging (in this example), but if not, you'd digg the classes' work and related articles as the Buzz team showed you how to do on the day of presentations, and then you'd contact the liaison to let her/him know you used his/her team's work for this assignment.

♦Thursday (4/5/07):

Coates, “Moms Don’t Rock: The Popular Demonization of Courtney Love,” 319-333 (SOCS)
Satrapi, "Kim Wilde," 126-134 (SOCS)

IF IT DOESN'T SHOW YOUR BLOG ON TECHNORATI (when you click the technorati link that's on your blog):

(it may show Amanda's blog when you click the link due to the id in the code that was originally emailed to you-- when you inserted your URL where you were supposed to, it was still linked to her account based on this id)

1. You will need to click "claim blog" link on the left side of the screen (do it when you realize, "hey, this blog isn't mine!)

2. Go through the setup instructions to create a technorati account...sorry...but it's necessary!

3. Once the account is created, click on the "blogs" link (or tab) and enter your blog's URL address in the applicable field.

4. Select the embedded claim (one on the right side of the screen) After that's selected, you will be given some code- click on the code and make sure it's selected/highlighted (control and a = select all). Then copy (control and c).

5. Go back to your blog (it may help if you do this in two tabs or two windows) and click on the little icon next to the technorati button *that looks like some tools- hammer/wrench combo) you'll see the technorati code you pasted earlier in the semester. You can also do this in the "layouts" by clicking edit on the appropriate page section).

6. Delete all of the original technorati code (be careful that you don't delete the stat counter code if you placed it in the same "page element" as the technorati code).

7. Paste (control v) the new code in the page element and then click the "save changes" button (at the bottom of the editing window).

8. Go back to technorati and click "release the spiders" and it will check your blog for the unique id that you just added in the code automatically...then it will take you to the final screen...yay!

9. Make sure that you select the check boxes for "search this blog" and "blogs that link here." Whether you want to select the photo and profile check boxes are up to you. Then select all of the code (control a) below the check boxes. Copy this code (control c).

10. Go back to your blog (or the layouts page for your blog). Click the "edit" link where the page element for technorati is located (or the little icon w/ tools shown if you're viewing your blog's page normally and are logged in). Paste the code (control v) and save the changes. Finally, go to your blog's page (if you were on page elements from the layout link on the "dashboard" if you select the little tool button, then you'll be on the blog when you've saved your changes). Hold the shift key while you click the refresh button in your internet browser (this forces the page to really be reloaded - just pressing refresh rarely shows the updated page- especially if you use internet explorer--the blue "e" browser). If you see your new technorati button and the settings you chose, then you did it!

♦ After Thursday's class, the self-evaluations and the team member evaluation will be on SOCS for the liaison- this eval will be online from Thursday at 10 am until Sunday at Midnight.

♦I'm still contemplating the second round of group-work as well as the subject for this Friday's scheduled blog post...

Are you alright Spencer? It's 1:19, do you know where you're blogging?
If this is some kind of coded message and you're being held captive somewhere-- I guess I won't see you in class on Monday!?!?
Just kidding :o)

The 4th Blog Post (Collage) due on Friday 3/30/07

For the blog collage assignment; use images to analyze your topic. Your collage should have a "thesis" (i.e. it makes a statement/argument about your topic using images instead of written language) that makes a claim about your topic, which is grounded by an author's claim from any of the course readings so far this semester.

Therefore, the image collage will need to be titled appropriately for the argument it makes, include the source used for the basis of the "statement" your collage makes, include gender as a primary method for analysis, and should be followed by a 1 paragraph explanation of the collage's representation of your topic (include direct quotes from the source that you used to base your collage's "thesis" on in this paragraph).

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