Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Monday, September 8, 2014

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

"Trope Vs. Women": Violence against Women and Video Games

As we continue our discussion of representations of women in media, we turn to violence and exploitation perpetuated against women in video games.  To prepare for class on Thursday, September 4th, please view and take notes on the following video from Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency.  These videos are installments from her "Tropes vs. Women" series wherein she examines popular tropes or motifs centered around the representation of women in popular media.

I would like to note that these videos show graphic sexual and violent images which may be difficult to watch.  You will be viewing graphic scenes from various video games through these Feminist Frequency videos and you may, if you so choose, skip ahead in the videos so as not to see some of these potentially disturbing images. We are viewing these videos which contain these graphic scenes purely for critical academic inquiry, so please bear that in mind while you watch and take notes.







The video below is not required but is recommended for viewing:



Tuesday, September 2, 2014

The Bechdel Test and Representations of Women Onscreen

This week we will be exploring the ways in which women are represented onscreen in movies, televisions shows, video games, and advertising.  We this exploration with what is now known as the Bechdel Test, a "test" often used and cited when examining representations of women in media.  Named after graphic novelist Alison Bechdel, the Bechdel Test asks the following questions as a way to evaluate the quality of female representation in a film: does the movie have 1) more than two (named) women in it who 2)talk to each other 3)about something else other than a man?  This "test" evolved from a comic strip by Alison Bechdel published in 1985 and it was meant to be a joke about the female representation onscreen.

Alison Bechdel's "The Rule" (1985)


Today, for many media and cultural critics the test remains a gauge with which to measure the level of participation female characters in film.  One such media critic is Anita Sarkeesian, the creator of the website and video series Feminist Frequency.  Through a series of educational on-line videos, Sarkeesian examines the ways in which various media from film to video games depict women onscreen.  To prepare for the class discussion on Wednesday, September 3rd, please view the videos below and take notes on points the Sarkeesian makes women on film.  Please come to class prepared to discuss these videos.















Sunday, August 31, 2014

Gossip and Gender Norms

     In their article "Gossip as Cultural Learning," Roy F. Baumeister, Liqing Zhang, and Kathleen D. Vohs write:
[i]n our view, gossip is a potentially powerful and efficient means of transmitting information about the rules, norms, and other guidelines for living in a culture. On the surface, gossip consists of stories and anecdotes about particular other people, perhaps especially ones that reflect negatively on the target. We readily concede that some of the appeal of gossip is simply learning about other people. However, we think that a second, less obvious function of gossip is to convey information about social norms and other guidelines for behavior. Indeed, one might say that gossip goes beyond educating the hearer about social norms; it also affirms them. The very act of repeating a particular story implicitly signals that the teller regards it as significant, and this significance is often elaborated further insofar as the teller comments on the behavior as proper or improper. (RF Baumeister, L Zhang, and KD Vohs 2004:113)
Indeed, we can learn a lot about ourselves through kind of gossip we invent, repeat, and circulate. We can learn so much about the values of the communities in which we belong by examining how we talk about each other and what we condemn or celebrate in those conversations about other people.

     In preparation for our next class meeting, please read the articles (see links below) from the gossip site LaineyGossip.  As you read these articles about the famous people---movie stars, pop stars---whose lives we often find ourselves reading, watching, and talking about, think about the following questions: how do we as a community gossip about women and what does that say about us?  Be ready to discuss your thoughts on Tuesday, 9/2.

LaineyGossip:
1) http://www.laineygossip.com/Chris-Brown-arrested-for-allegedly-beating-Rihanna/12399
2) http://www.laineygossip.com/Chris-Brown-sentenced-for-abusing-Rihanna-and-claims-he-is-depressed/14362?celebrityId=20333
3) http://www.laineygossip.com/Robin-Thicke-sells-out-Miley-Cyrus-on-Oprah-like-Justin-Timberlake-with-Janet-Jackson/28301
4) http://www.laineygossip.com/Miley-Cyruss-performance-at-the-VMAs-2013/27854?celebrityId=20334
5) http://www.laineygossip.com/Tina-Fey-and-Amy-Poehler-respond-to-Taylor-Swifts-Vanity-Fair-comment/26180

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Monday, August 18, 2014

Race in the Blogosphere




In our conversations about race and representation during class are part of a larger dialogue about race dynamics which many bloggers have taken up over the years.  Much like traditional and mainstream news outlets---network news via ABC, NBC, and the like; cable news channels like CNN; print news in newspapers and magazines; and radio news courtesy of public talk radios---blogs discuss and report on current events and/or pop cultural preoccupations.  However many blogs, especially those with specific themes or topics of focus, provide more in-depth exploration of a given topic and re-evaluate, question or confront certain accepted ideas.

Below are some examples of post from blogs which explore racial dynamics in the United States. For this assignment, read the following blog posts Racialicious, Ill Doctrine, and Native Appropriations.  As you read, watch the embedded videos, and explore the links (if any) from these blog posts, make sure you take notes on the following: what is the topic of the blog post?  What are these posts saying about the topic?  What do you find interesting about the blog posts and why?

Once you are done with the blog posts below, feel free to explore the content offered by these sites.

Blog articles to read:
1) http://www.racialicious.com/2014/07/07/murrietas-anger-toward-immigrants-comes-from-the-top/#more-33023
2) http://www.racialicious.com/2014/07/02/quoted-white-teenagers-offended-world-stops/
3) http://www.racialicious.com/2014/06/10/jenny-yangs-if-asians-said-the-stuff-white-people-say-a-fast-online-hit/
4) http://www.racialicious.com/2014/01/28/whiteness-hip-hop-culture-invisible-backpacks/
5) http://www.racialicious.com/2013/03/06/race-hip-hop-lgbt-equality-on-macklemores-white-straight-privilege/
6) http://www.illdoctrine.com/2014/01/moving_the_race_conversaton_fo.html
7) http://www.illdoctrine.com/2014/07/11_reasons_we_still_need_to_ta.html
8) http://nativeappropriations.com/2010/04/but-why-cant-i-wear-a-hipster-headdress.html
9) http://nativeappropriations.com/2012/12/dear-defender-of-the-new-atlanta-braves-cap.html


Monday, August 11, 2014

bell hooks' "Cultural Criticism and Transformation"

In preparation for our class discussion tomorrow, please view the following videos of cultural critic and activist bell hooks speaking about the power of representation and racial dynamic in the United States.  Make sure you jot down notes as you watch, playing close attention to what her argument about the impact of representation on (mis)perceptions of people of color, specifically African Americans.  Be ready to write about and discuss these videos in class on Wednesday, August 13th.


Part One


Part Two


Part Three


Part Six




Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Sally Hemings and Jefferson


Although there are no known portraits of Sally Hemings, she has been described as "light colored and 
decidedly good looking."  This is an artist's rendering of how Hemings may have looked


Follow the link below for a brief history on Sally Hemings, the slave with whom Thomas Jefferson had at least six children in a relationship that lasted for more than 30 years.  Watch the video, take notes and be prepared to discuss if and how both Sally Hemings and the excerpt from the Notes on the State of Virginia have changed your perception of Jefferson, a ubiquitous figure in American history.

Link: Sally Hemings biography


For additional consideration: Sally Hemings in Pop Culture
Do you watch ABC's "Scandal?  In this Shonda Rhimes show, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), trapped in a tumultuous affair with Pres. Grant (Tony Goldwyn), compares herself to Sally Hemings.  Watch the video and think about how this dynamic between a fictional president and his mistress would differs from the dynamic between Jefferson and Hemings.