Feminism, Gender, and Popular Culture

Feminism, Gender, and Popular Culture

15 WMST 276 001

Spring 2010

Class Meetings: 816 Swift/Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2:00-3:15 p.m.

Instructor: Adj. Asst. Prof. Holly L. McEntyre

Email:

Phone: (513) 293-8423

Office/Hours: 009 McMicken/Monday-Friday, 9:45-10:45 a.m. (office phone: 556-3953)

SYLLABUS

(subject to change)

“Consumer and popular culture encroach on the terrain of so-called female freedom, appearing supportive of female success and yet tying women into new post-feminist neurotic dependencies.” ~ Angela McRobbie, The Aftermath of Feminism (back cover)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will focus a critical lens on the representation of gender in popular cultural mediums including film, TV, music, radio, the Internet, magazines, and literature. Students also will attend critically to pop culture representations of other identity markers including (but not limited to) race, dis/ability, and economic status. Students will be responsible to expand their knowledge of critical feminist, race, and gender theories, to complicate their experience and understandings of identities and popular cultural mediums, to read/view, discuss, and critique both mainstream and alternative media and genres, and to become discerning consumers and creators of pop culture.

ATTENDANCE POLICY & PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

REGULAR IN- AND OUT-OF-CLASS VIEWING/PREPARATION ARE REQUIRED. Regular attendance and discussion/participation in class meetings are essential for adequate performance in this course. Although the instructor will make as many materials as possible available outside of class, this is a classroom- and discussion-based course and absences or tardiness will detract from a student’s final grade.

New materials will be presented by the professor and students in class on a daily basis; therefore, students who miss more than two classes (the equivalent of one week) and/or do not actively participate in class during the quarter may be asked to withdraw.

Grades will be based upon:

In-class Attendance/Discussion/Participation (incl. Midterm & Final) 25%

Short papers on theme-based readings/viewings (2 @ 15% each) 30%

Team report/presentation (multi-media) 20%

Individual project/presentation (feminist/anti-racist analysis or creation) 25%

Assignments & Classroom Conduct

Each student is responsible for producing two (2) short papers on the major readings/viewings included in the Course Schedule, one (1) team multi-media report/presentation, and one (1) individual final project (paper and in-class presentation) consisting of a feminist and anti-racist analysis of an item of popular culture OR your own feminist and anti-racist creation in a popular culture medium (e.g., poetry, music, blog, video, etc.). You will earn full credit for the course only if you attend and participate in class meetings regularly and complete every assignment by the due date. If you find that you must have an extension for an assignment, you must request an extension in advance (and your grade for that assignment may be lowered).

Unless otherwise provided by the Instructor, all papers for this course should be:

• Two to three pages (1000-1500 words),

• Typed in Times New Roman 12 pt or comparable font,

• On standard 8½” X 11” size paper, with 1” margins,

• Responsive to the guidelines outlined in the syllabus and/or discussed in class.

There will also be Midterm and Final exams as noted on the Course Schedule below.

There are several required texts for this course (see below). We will read and discuss a great textbook (Feminism and Pop Culture by Andi Zeisler) and other required books – including the cult-classic Catcher in the Rye and the occult-pop hit Twilight – as well as other resources to be provided throughout the quarter – including classic and popular TV shows such as Cagney and Lacey, The Simpsons, The Daily Show, and TMZ; radio hosts like Ira Glass and Tavis Smiley; and Internet resources ranging from YouTube videos to Racialicious and TEDTalks. These multi-media “texts” will ground our discussions, but you are also asked to contribute your own knowledge, experience, and perspectives, and you are expected to come to each class fully prepared to participate in individual, group, and/or all-class activities. Our class is a collaborative environment, where everyone’s contributions are valued and every person is respected.

Please note that personal use of technology (such as laptops/Internet, mobile phones/Tweet, etc.) in class is discouraged and that anyone found abusing this policy may be asked to leave.

Required Texts*

· Feminism and Pop Culture (Zeisler) 9781580052375 - REQUIRED

· Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) 9780553250251 - REQUIRED

· Good Moon Rising (Garden) 9780374327460 - REQUIRED

· Twilight (Meyer) 9780316015844 - REQUIRED

· Squire (Pierce) 9780679889199 - REQUIRED

· The Talking Earth (George) 9780064402125 - REQUIRED

· Betsey Brown: A Novel (Shange) 9780312134341 - SUGGESTED

* Some of these texts have been republished in different versions; please purchase the version with the correct ISBN to avoid differences in pagination/layout. With the exception of Feminism and Pop Culture, these books are older and you should be able to purchase them used/second-hand from UC’s or other bookstores and/or online.

Academic Integrity

You should be familiar with the University of Cincinnati (UC) Student Code of Conduct (use this hyperlink or visit http://www.uc.edu/conduct/Code_of_Conduct.html). Among the policies in the Student Code of Conduct that are applicable to this course are those regarding Academic Misconduct including cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism. I enforce a zero-tolerance policy for Academic Misconduct: Any student caught cheating, fabricating, plagiarizing, or in other such misconduct will automatically fail this course (receiving a non-negotiable “F” grade) and may be subject to further disciplinary action by McMicken College and/or the university. Contact the Instructor in advance with any questions that you have regarding these policies.

UC Blackboard & E-Mail Communications

Please ensure that your e-mail address and other contact information are up-to-date and correct on Blackboard. In addition to attending class and participating in classwork and homework, you are also responsible for checking the Course Announcements on Blackboard and your e-mail regularly. The Instructor is not responsible for any course communications that you miss due to your lack of attendance, technical problems, inattention to Blackboard or to e-mail, and so forth.

COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change)

March 30: Read/discuss first half of Feminism and Pop Culture and magazine/marketing images

April 1: Read/discuss second half of Feminism and Pop Culture (final lecture to come)