Feminism, Gender, and Popular Culture
Department of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Feminism, Gender, and Popular Culture (15WGS276701)
Autumn 2010
Instructor: Adj. Asst. Prof. Holly L. McEntyre
Office: Online/Blackboard (Bbd)
Email:
Phone: (513) 293-8423
SYLLABUS
· “Sexuality here in America remains a confusing entity. A ‘just say no’ mentality thrives in a culture that uses sex to advertise and sell everything from soap to beer.” ~ Paul Joannides
· “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
· “We use the term ‘opposite sex’ when comparing men and women, yet there is not a single psychological test battery that can distinguish male from female test takers.” ~ P. Joannides
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course focuses a critical lens on representations of sex, gender, and sexuality in popular cultural media including film, TV, music, radio, blogs, zines, magazines, poetry, spoken word, and literature, as well as multiple genres including fiction, nonfiction, comedy, documentary, news, and advertising. Students attend critically to cultural representations of social identity markers including (but not limited to) sex, gender, race, dis/ability, nationality, religion, and economic status. Students are responsible to expand their knowledge of critical feminist, race, and gender theories, to complicate their experiences and understandings of identities and popular media, to read/view/listen, discuss, and critique both mainstream and alternative media, and to become discerning consumers and creators of pop culture.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Ø By the end of this course, you should:
· Recognize feminism as multiple socio-political movements and responses to patriarchy and other systems of oppression;
· Understand some of the history of women’s movements (primarily in the United States), especially in relation to popular culture, mass media, and advertising;
· Identify and comment upon common techniques of (re)producing race, sex, and gender stereotypes, challenge their validity, and produce alternative views; and
· Provide critical commentary as a “conscious consumer” and creator of popular and alternative media, by articulating what feminism means to you and using your understanding of feminisms to provide meaningful critiques.
Ø You will also gain proficiency in using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint (PPT), and so forth, and using Internet resources such as Bbd, Google, YouTube, Prezi, email, and blogs.
COURSE MATERIALS & REQUIRED TEXTS & SUPPLIES
Ø There are three required texts for this course:
· Feminism and Pop Culture (Zeisler) 9781580052375
· American Born Chinese (Yang) 9780312384487
· The Complete Persepolis (Satrapi) 9780375714832
Ø We will read and discuss the “textbook” (Feminism and Pop Culture) and other resources to be provided throughout the quarter – including (but not limited to) the film Iron Jawed Angels, the documentary Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising’s Image of Women, various TV and radio shows, music and poetry, and Internet resources ranging from YouTube vids to blogs like Feministing to site segments on Racialicious or TEDTalks. These multi-media “texts” or “artifacts” will ground our discussions, but you are asked and encouraged to contribute your own knowledge, experience, and perspective – bearing in mind that, while our individual experiences are valid, our perspectives, although rarely unique, are also rarely shared by everyone else. Our class is a collaborative environment, where each person is respected and everyone’s contributions are valued.
Ø To successfully participate in and complete the course, you also need:
· Computer access with audio/video playback capacity and speakers or headphones;
· A hard drive and/or travel/flash/thumb-drive for storing relevant course documents, assignments, and back-up copies of assignments; and
· Microsoft Office 2007 software (for PC or Mac), which can be purchased at a great discount with your UCID from the U.C. Bookstores (see our Bbd for details).
PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
Ø The best way to do well in an online/Distance Learning course is to stay engaged by keeping an active online presence and participating in all aspects of the course. Your consistent participation is essential to your successful performance in this course. New materials will be presented by the Instructor and the students on a weekly basis, and you are responsible to complete activities and assignments, in addition to posting to the Discussion Board (DB) or to a group blog, during every week of the quarter.
· Students should treat their presence on the course Bbd site as their “attendance.” All assignments are completed and submitted electronically. Students are responsible to make and keep a back-up copy of all assignments.
· You must ensure that your e-mail address and any other contact information are correct on Bbd. You must keep a copy of the Syllabus and Course Schedule. You are responsible to check your email and course Announcements on Bbd DAILY.
· Students will “meet” asynchronously online at least one time per week for discussion of Course Materials and completion of assignments detailed on the Course Schedule.
· Each student is responsible to manage his/her own schedule and to complete and submit assignments on time in accordance with the Course Schedule.
· Each Group of approximately 5 students (to be assigned) is responsible to compose one presentation designed to promote discussion and learning during the term.
· The Instructor is not responsible for any missed communications or delays caused by individual or collective computer failure or other complications.
Ø Grades will be based upon:
Weekly Discussions and other Interactive Assignments up to 50 points (25%)
Weekly Quizzes, Surveys, Tests and other Individual Activities up to 50 points (25%)
Individual Research and Presentation (Blog) up to 50 points (25%)
Group Research and Presentation (Prezi) up to 50 points (25%)
Ø Grading Schema:
The standard UC grading schema is based on a 100% scale with 100 or “A” being the top score. This course will rely upon an identical schema applied to a 200-point scale. Any student compiling fewer than 140 points (70%) by the end of the quarter fails the course and receives a non-negotiable “F” grade.
A 186 to 200 points 93-100% A- 180 to <186 points 90-93%
B+ 174 to <180 points 87-93% B 166 to <174 points 83-87%
B- 160 to <166 point 80-83% C+ 154 to <160 points 77-80%
C 146 to <154 points 73-77% C- 140 to <146 points 70-73%
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, lying, and plagiarism. I ENFORCE A ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY FOR ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: Any student caught cheating, plagiarizing, or in other such misconduct will automatically FAIL this course (receiving a non-negotiable “F”) and may be subject to further disciplinary action by McMicken College and/or the university. This means, among other things, that students may not merely copy and paste materials from the Internet or any other sources into their DB posts, blog posts, or any other assignments.
Ø ALWAYS GIVE CREDIT BY CITATION OR OTHER NOTATION OF OTHERS’ IDEAS, WHETHER OR NOT YOU QUOTE THEM EXACTLY.
Ø NEVER ATTRIBUTE YOUR IDEAS OR ACTIONS TO OTHER PEOPLE.
Assignments, Due Dates & Late/Incomplete Assignments Policy
Ø The course content on Bbd is divided into weekly Learning Modules. These modules direct you to work through the material for the class in order. To access course content and to submit work for this course, click on the appropriate week’s button on the left-hand side of the course Bbd screen and review the Course Schedule for that week. This schedule tells you what readings/viewings and other items, activities, and assignments are due that week. Beneath each table, in the same Bbd window, are links to online content, relevant handouts or instructions, and links for submitting your assignments for the week.
Ø Reading/Viewing/Listening should be done before attempting the Assignments, DB or Blog Postings, Quizzes, Surveys, or other Activities assigned each week. Users of prior versions of Bbd should note that the “Digital Dropbox” is gone. I will provide detailed instructions on Bbd for using the new “Assignment Manager” function.
Ø Assignments and activities are due by 11:30 p.m. on the Sunday night of the week they are due. If your weekends are busy, you will have to complete/submit work early.
Ø Each student is responsible to participate in weekly Guided Discussions in response to prompts provided by the Instructor and/or the Groups (see below) presenting that week. Participating means writing a thoughtful response to the prompt as well as commenting thoughtfully on one or more peers’ posts. To get full credit each week, you must post an original answer to the prompt and post a responsive comment on another student’s posting. Writing “I agree with [so-and-so]” does not constitute a thoughtful comment. Merely summarizing the readings also does not constitute a thoughtful post. An ideal posting (original or responsive) will clearly address the prompt, be between 100-300 words long, and will inspire further discussion from your peers. Postings will be graded on two levels: first, posting each week, regardless of quality, earns 2 participation points; second, the content and quality of each week’s posts will be graded on a scale from “0” (poor) to “3” (excellent), earning each participant 2-5 total points per topic/week. Posts should be well thought out, based on the text, film, or other “artifact” under discussion, and written with proper mechanics (e.g., grammar, spelling), not texting language (i.e., ROTFLMAO). Because we are not meeting in person, our weekly discussions are your best chance to interact with, debate with, and learn from your peers and the Instructor in vigorous discussions of course content and related materials.
Ø Each student also will participate in a Group (assigned randomly in 2nd week of quarter) that will create a themed Prezi presentation (assigned), providing relevant materials to promote learning and discussion during one week of the quarter. Additionally, your Group section on Bbd and your group blog (to be assigned) will serve as your primary locations for Guided Discussions and other interactive work throughout the term.
Ø THE INSTRUCTOR WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE OR INCOMPLETE WORK EXCEPT IN CASE OF ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS DOCUMENTED IN ADVANCE. NO EXTENSIONS, NO MAKE-UPS, NO EXCEPTIONS.
Ø The nature of the online/Distance Learning course is such that you can manage your schedule adequately to complete most, if not all, assignments in a thoughtful and timely manner; you will earn a decent grade if you do so. If you are not passing the class at any point due to missing or late work, you may be asked to drop or withdraw from the class, or you may receive an automatic “F” for the course.
Ø All work will generally be graded within 7 calendar days; grades and comments will appear in your My Grades grading center. I will notify you when these are ready.
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS, RESOURCES & SUPPORT
If you need specialized academic support and/or reasonable accommodations relating to any condition, such as an identified visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical impairment, communication disorder, and/or specific learning disability, that may influence your performance in this course and/or other courses, be sure to contact U.C. Disability Services (use this hyperlink or visit http://www.uc.edu/aess/programs_services/disability.html) at or before the start of each academic quarter to obtain the proper authorization for each of your instructors. You must provide documentation to the Instructor before you can receive any accommodations.
Ø U.C. Disability Services and Learning Assistance Center offer resources to help students at all levels of dis/ability. The various U.C. colleges also offer academic support in Math and Writing Centers (see course Bbd for Writing Center links and more Resources).
Feminism & Pop Culture – Autumn 2010 4 09/20/2010 – Subject to Change