course syllabus

course schedule

project #1

extra credit

links and resources

course blog

project #2

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Final announcements:

1. Resources for writing your final: Here is a review guide with an example intro, thesis, and outline, based on an answer to a question from the midterm essay section, and here is Maegen's rhetorical analysis, with a few of my comments -- it's a really useful example of how to set up a clear and focused argument, how to successfully make connections between texts, and how to prove your points with specific examples without relying on lengthy plot summary. (Thanks, Maegen, for sharing it with us).
2. If you're interested in Adrienne Rich's address to a women's college (in 1979) and don't have a course packet: here it is. 
   
3. Summer Book Club! If you are planning to be in Baton Rouge over the summer and are interested in joining me and a few of your classmates for a lively discussion of Twilight, please email me and let me know. 
4. Final exam is due NO LATER (and preferably earlier) than 5 pm on Thursday, May 6. Email attachments as .doc, .docx, or .pdf, or bring hard copies to my office (Allen 43).

Tuesday, April 28
For Thursday, we'll pick up with motherhood first (Waitress and "The New Momism" particularly), and then we'll finish up with a discussion of where we are now, in terms of our understanding of feminism and representations of women. For that discussion, please read the final two articles for the semester: "Fear of Feminism: Why Young Women Get the Willies," and "Real Men Join the Movement." (cp 185-92). The last article in your packet, "Claiming an Education," will be a possible source for your exam, but not necessary to read for Thursday.


Thursday, April 23

For Tuesday, please read "The New Momism" by Susan Douglas and Meredith Michaels and make sure you've watched Waitress. We'll start by discussing the physical act of birth and The Business of Being Born, and move to discussing the cultural construction of motherhood.

Tuesday, April 21

Please read "Double Life" by Lisa Morocoli Latham and "Mother Inferior" by Monica Nolan. Also, here is the editorial by Jennifer Block proposing changes to the current maternity care system.

Thursday, April 16

For Tuesday, please read Emily Martin's "The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles." *This reading is not in your course packet.* Reminder: you need to watch Waitress by next Thursday; it should be available to rent at most online rental sources, as well as at Blockbuster.

Tuesday, April 14

For Thursday, please read the introduction to Rickie Solinger's Pregnancy and Power: A Short History of Reproductive Politics.

Thursday, April 2

Before you return to class on Tuesday, please read two short articles: "What Are Little Boys Made Of?" by Michael Kimmel and "Hot and Bothered: Unmasking Male Lust" by Lisa Jervis (cp 121-26) Also, at some point next week, we'll talk a little bit about Grey's Anatomy and the construction of identity (especially in reference to masculinity, but also race and sexuality); if you don't regularly watch the show, you might want to check out Episode 19 from this season ("Elevator Love Letter"). It's available on the ABC site and should be for the next couple of weeks. Otherwise, Happy Spring Break! Get some rest and have some fun.

Tuesday, March 31
For Thursday, be prepared to talk about Something New, and to turn in Writing Project #2.


Thursday, March 26

For Tuesday: Please read "In Search of Our Mother's Gardens," by Alice Walker (not in course packet), and "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power" by Audre Lorde (cp 148-51). **Reminder: Writing Project #2 is due next Thursday, and you should also make sure you've watched Something New by that day.

Tuesday, March 24

For Thursday, read "From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hos" by Joan Morgan (also available in your course packet) AND prepare for your group's presentation of the female hip hop artist you've been assigned by reading the artist's profile and watching at least one music video (feel free to choose your own; I've posted suggestions below). The profiles are not in your course packet, so you'll have to print them out in PDF (all except the Alicia Keys profile come from Hip Hop Divas, a collection published by Vibe magazine in 2001).

• Salt-N-Pepa; Video, "Let's Talk About Sex"

• Queen Latifah; Video, "U.N.I.T.Y."

• Lauryn Hill; Video, "That Thing"

• Erykah Badu; Video, Live performance of "Call Tyrone"

• Mary J. Blige; Video, "No More Drama"

• Missy; Video, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)"

• Eve; Video, "Love Is Blind"

• Alicia Keys; Video, "Superwoman"

Thursday, March 19

For Tuesday, please read Douglas, "Why the Shirelles Mattered," (83-99).

Tuesday, March 17

For Thursday, instead of reading, I'd like for you to do some writing, both to explore what television shows were influential on you growing up, and to start to practice some of the analytical skills that will be useful for the second writing project. Here's what I'd like you to do: compose an informal reflection on the television you grew up watching. You can focus on a particular age (gradeschool, junior high, high school) or on a few particular shows you remember, but your first job is to give me an overview of what you remember watching. Next, I'd like for you to choose a show, and reflect on what you remember about it. What did you like? What kinds of characters were there? Did you identify with any of them? Why was the show appealing to you? What do you remember about the way the show represented gender? Lastly, I'd like for you to try to find a clip or an episode of the show (a series of clips is fine too) to watch -- YouTube is a great resource for 90s/early 2000s television -- and carefully analyze what you see happening in terms of maintaining or challenging the "status quo." Gender is certainly a part of that, but you can also look at race, sexuality, class, etc. Bring this response to class on Thursday and be prepared to talk a little bit about it. We'll take a selected tour through 90s television and work our way up to the present, using some of your examples to fill in the gaps.

Thursday, March 12

For Tuesday, please read Conners, “Color TV?”; Tharpe, “The Black and the Beautiful” (cp 113-120); and Sapiro, “The Plurality of Gender-Based Realities” (cp 23-25). (all 3 articles are contained in one PDF).

Tuesday, March 10

For Thursday, please read Douglas, "Genies and Witches," (123-38).

Thursday, March 5

For Tuesday, please read Douglas, chapter 2, "Mama Said," (pages 43-61).

Tuesday, March 3

Midterm Week: As outlined in the email you got last week, today's class is a voluntary review session. On Thursday, bring your printed response to the take-home part of the exam and blank paper (a blue book is fine if that's what you prefer, but not necessary) to take the in-class portion.

Thursday, February 19

You have two main concerns over Mardi Gras Break: the first is to finish your first writing project. It's due at the beginning of class time next Thursday (February 26). If you're looking for help, on the Links and Resources page, I've posted some examples, guides, and links to online documentation tools. Your second responsibility is to watch Nancy Meyer's 2000 film, What Women Want, available to rent as a download on Blockbuster's website and on Amazon (I didn't check iTunes, but that's another possibility). Or at the physical store, of course, but I think they only have one copy. Pay particular attention to the issues of women in the workplace, the representation of the ad industry, and to the construction of masculinity. When we reconvene after the break, we'll also talk about what to expect for the midterm exam. Good luck writing; have a safe and fun Mardi Gras!

Tuesday, February 17

For Thursday, read, “Beauty Myths and Body Projects” by Andi Zeisler (cp 105-106), and Douglas's chapter, “Narcissism as Liberation” (245-68).

Tuesday, February 10

Schedule change: Due to the situation with my grandmother, we will not hold a regular class meeting on Thursday. I've adjusted the course schedule to reflect the changes we discussed in class, but, to recap: On Thursday, your responsibility for class time is to watch the pilot episode of Ugly Betty (available for download on Itunes), read Marisa Seltzer's "Are Fat Suits the New Black Face?" and Rebecca Traister's "Class Act," (CP pages 107-112) and to post a response to questions I've posted on the blog, which will earn you your participation points for the day. For next Tuesday (Feb. 17), please read pages 91-104 in your course packet,  Jhally, “Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture”; Bordo, “Never Just Pictures”; Dove et al, “Only Two Percent of Women Describe Themselves as Beautiful.” (FYI: the Dove pdf also contains an article about Victoria's Secret that you aren't responsible for).

Thursday, February 5

For Tuesday, please read the following sections of Ann duCille's "Toy Theory: Black Barbie and the Deep Play of Difference" (17-30 and 41-59; course packet pages 69-76 and 81-90).

Tuesday, February 3

For Thursday, you have three assignments:

1. First, I'd like for you to spend some time thinking about your topic for the historical report (due 3 weeks from Thursday). Type up a brief description of what you're thinking about researching, telling me what your research questions are and why you're interested in this topic. When you've finalized your topic, please leave a comment on the blog (link on your left), telling us what you've decided.
2. Second, review the statement of respect, also posted on the blog, and leave a comment, telling us what you think of the statement, and either, make suggestions for revision, or indicate your agreement with the guidelines.
3. We'll spend class time on Thursday talking through Disney fairy tales, from Cinderella to Mulan, so make sure you've read the readings assigned for today (Orenstein and Douglas), as well as Bartnett, “Destructive and Constructive Characterizations of Women in Disney’s Mulan” (cp 60-63).

Thursday, January 29

For Tuesday, start brainstorming ideas for Project 1. We'll spend part of class on Tuesday making a list of topics; come prepared to add your ideas. I'll ask for an email of your research question by Thursday. Also, please read Douglas, chapter 1, "Fractured Fairy Tales," (21-42) and Peggy Orenstein, "What's Wrong with Cinderella?" (cp, 52-59). And, I added an Extra Credit page and a page for Links and Resources (on your left). Check them out! If you come across something I should add, please let me know.

Tuesday, January 27

For Thursday, please read Peril, Pink Think: Becoming a Woman in Many Uneasy Lessons, “An Introduction"; and Friedan, “The Problem that Has No Name." (pages 39-51 in your course packet.) If you're interested in all of the first chapter of Friedan's influential book, The Feminine Mystique, you can find it online here.

Thursday, January 22

For Tuesday, please print out the assignment sheet for Project #1 and bring it with you to class; we'll talk about the assignment on Tuesday. Also, please read the introduction to your book, Where the Girls Are, by Susan Douglas (pages 1-20), as well as "Women, Representation and Culture," by Judith Mayne, the "Introduction" to Bitchfest by Lisa Jervis and Andi Zeisler, and "The F Word," also by Jervis (the readings are in two PDFs -- sorry, I had problems with the scanner -- and they are both in the course packet too.)

Tuesday, January 20

For Thursday, please read "The Gender Blur" by Deborah Blum, "The Social Construction of Gender" by Judith Lorber, and "Ladies and Gentelmen" by Lisa Jervis.

*Extra credit opportunity: Go hear Angela Davis, famous African American feminist scholar and activist on Friday afternoon. She's the keynote speaker for LSU's commemorative celebration of Dr. King. Details can be found here. To earn your extra credit, write about a page in response to Davis's speech, telling me what she said, what you thought about what she said, and any ways that her speech might connect to things we'll talk about in this course.

Thursday, January 15

For Tuesday, please read "Laying a Foundation for Studying Race, Gender, and the Media" by Rebecca Ann Lind and "The Social Psychology of Stereotypes: Implications for Media Audiences" by Bradley Gorham.

Tuesday, January 13

Welcome to English 2593. Here is the place where you will find most everything you need for the course, so take some time to look around. Links to our class information are listed on the left; I'll add to them frequently. I will post announcements and due dates here in this column, so you should get used to checking this page frequently.

For Thursday: Please print and bring the course syllabus (link is posted on your left) and come prepared to talk about your expectations for the course.