The Birds and the Bees (But Mostly the Birds)

The Birds and the Bees (but Mostly the Birds)

Overview / For your second assignment, we turn our (potentially male) gaze to winning losers in the fields of gender and sexuality. Like the first assignment, you will close read a literary text, and use a theoretical term to explore the cultural implications of the text. In this assignment, however, you will have a variety of terms to choose from (i.e. not just “historical progress” as in A1). The terms you find useful (or problematic), that adhere most closely to your interpretation of the text, should determine the direction of your essay.
Text / ·  Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky
Theoretical Terms / ·  Judith Butler’s “performativity”
·  Laura Mulvey’s “male gaze”
Task / Once you’ve chosen a character and a term, proceed in one of the following ways to craft a 4-5 page essay:
·  Analyze the character who, in your opinion, disproves a term;
·  Analyze the character who, in your opinion, exemplifies a term.
No matter which option you choose, you should concentrate on close reading the character when examined in the light of the selected term. Rather than aiming to prove the cultural theory “right” or “wrong,” your essay should foster a sense of conversation between your ideas and the theorist’s. And, of course, don’t forget all the basic elements of a good essay: strong thesis, relevant support, logical organization, a sense of style purpose, etc.
Objectives & Evaluation / Although you will focus on one character in the film, resist the impulse to psychoanalyze that character and his/her motives. Instead, you should look for the ways in which your term shapes the message you take away from the text.
Some helpful questions may include:
·  What was your sense of the film before learning the cultural term? Was it different afterwards? How?
·  What about Butler or Mulvey’s terms do you agree with? What do you disagree with? What do you partly agree with?
·  Does the term clarify or obscure your grasp of the text?
A strong essay for this prompt will:
1.  Exhibit excellent close-reading skills of the film.
2.  Form a debatable claim on the text, but accept gaps or shortcomings in your argument where necessary.
3.  Use specific passages, techniques, or scenes, rather than vague summaries, of the film.
4.  Engage with the larger cultural implications of your chosen term.
Schedule
Week III
Sunday
Monday
Sunday / February 2: Blog on Black Swan due by 8 p.m.
February 3: Black Swan, psychosexual development (readings from Butler & Mulvey)
Anna brings snacks
Introduction to A3
Homework: Read Sweet Bird of Youth
Blog on Tennessee Williams
February 9: Blog on Tennessee Williams due by 8 p.m.
Week IV
Monday
Tuesday/Wednesday
Friday /
February 10: Sexy Beasts, Rare Birds
Becca brings snacks
Homework: Full draft for tutorials (3-4 pages)
Feb. 11-12: Tutorials
Homework: Revise draft based on feedback from tutorials
February 14: A2 DUE by 10 a.m. on Dropbox.
Homework: Read The Virgin Suicides during week off
Blog on first half of The Virgin Suicides
Week V
Sunday
Monday
Sunday / February 16: Blog on first half of TVS due by 8 p.m.
February 17: NO CLASS MEETING, Presidents’ Day
Homework: Complete reading of The Virgin Suicides
OPTIONAL / MAKEUP Blog on TVS (second-half)
February 23: Makeup blog on TVS due by 8 p.m.