POPULAR CULTURE 394
WOMEN IN POPULAR CULTURE
INSTRUCTOR: JIMMIE MANNING
NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
Course Description
This seminar provides a beginning understanding of the role of women in popular culture. Through readings, writings, and discussions centered upon a sample of popular culture texts, students will develop analytical skills and cultivate a variety of perspectives about how women are represented in popular American texts. Film, television, music, literature, and infotainment serve as outlets of exploration.
Texts
1. Blume, J. (1970). Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret. New York: Dell.
2. Douglas, S. J. (1994). Where the girls are: Growing up female with the mass media. New York: Three Rivers Press.
3. hooks, b. (1996). Reel to reel: Race, sex, and class at the movies. London: Routledge.
4. Various outside readings as dictated by course path.
Course Goals
Grading - Final grades will be
assessed from the 500 point total on the following scale:
450-500 A
400-449 B
350-399 C
300-349 D
Less than 300 points will result in a failing grade for the course. The instructor does not adjust grades at the end of the semester (in other words, points will not change for people who are one or more points away for a higher grade). Semester grades are non-negotiable. If you have a question about how an assignment is graded, the instructor will set up an appointment with you to talk about the grading procedure. You must, however, do this soon after the graded assignment is returned.
Individual assignment details are as follow:
WHERE THE GIRLS ARE EXAM (100 points, or 20%)
In order to ascertain the history of women in popular culture and to add a level of complexity to classroom discussion, students will read and complete a take home examination over the text Where the Girls Are.
IN-CLASS PRESENTATION (100 points total, or 20%)
Throughout the semester, students will be expected to deliver a presentation related to women in popular culture. These presentations will include visual and audio examples, a brief containing relevant information to the topic, and a twenty to thirty minute overview of the topic shared with the class. Questions for discussion should also be provided. More details will be shared as the assignment approaches.
TWO SHORT PAPERS (50 points each for a total of 20%)
Students will be assigned to write two three to five page papers reviewing a topic assigned by the instructor. These papers should incorporate an informed opinion supplemented by thorough and relevant research. The papers should be completed in APA style and must include at least five relevant resources each that are specific to the respective topic. More details will be shared as the assignment approaches.
FINAL PAPER (200 points total, or 40%)
Each student will choose a topic of his/her choice and create a final paper that explores the topic in-depth. The paper must present a deeply considered and well-thought argument regarding women in popular culture. The final product should look similar to an essay that appears in Reel to Real, although the essay written for the course should reflect the student’s own voice and opinion, should include fifteen relevant resources, and should be written in APA style. Fifty of the assignment points will be determined from the first draft (unless waived by the student), 50 from a classroom presentation of the final paper, and 100 points will come from the final paper itself (150 if first draft is waived).
Tentative Class Schedule
CLASS ONE: Introductions and Waiting to Exhale (October 19)
The syllabus is distributed and discussed, class members introduce themselves, and then the movie Waiting to Exhale is viewed. Following the film the class will discuss their reactions.
CLASS TWO: Women, Color, and Girl 6 (October 24)
What should I have read?
hooks, pp. 1-9; 52-59
What assignments are due?
None.
What are we going to do?
We will discuss reactions to the hooks readings, watch Girl 6, and discuss that movie.
CLASS THREE: Sexual Expression and Ownership (October 26)
What should I have read?
hooks, pp. 10-26
What assignments are due?
None.
What are we going to do?
We will discuss the hooks reading over Girl 6, watch the movie Leaving Las Vegas, and then discuss that movie. At the close of class the Where the Girls Are exam will be distributed as well as a sheet that allows you to choose your presentation topics.
CLASS FOUR: Exoticness and Exotica (October 31)
What should I have read?
hooks, pp. 197-213
What assignments are due?
The sheet where you choose your presentation topics.
What are we going to do?
First we will discuss the hooks reading. Next we will view the movie Exotica and discuss initial reactions. Finally, you will all receive your presentation topics.
CLASS FIVE: Commodifying Love through Reality Television (November 2)
What should I have read?
Where the Girls Are
hooks, pp. 27-33.
What assignments are due?
The Where the Girls Are take home exam.
What all are we going to do?
We will watch and discuss scenes from The Bachelor and The Flavor of Love television series. We will also have a brief discussion about Where the Girls Are and twelve students will randomly be selected to write on the first paper topic.
CLASS SIX: The CW and the Representation of Women (November 7)
What should I have read?
Nothing.
What assignments are due?
The two students who speak on soap operas should have their presentation ready.
What all are we going to do?
We will hear about soap operas and their impact on women and popular culture, then we will watch segments from The Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. Finally, the twelve students who have not received their first paper topics yet will receive theirs.
CLASS SEVEN: Funny Ladies (November 9)
What should I have read?
Nothing.
What assignments are due?
The two students who speak on Susan Harris should have their presentation ready.
What all are we going to do?
We will hear about Susan Harris, then watch and discuss segments of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Roseanne. We will also discuss some of our favorite women-centered comedy programs and discuss why we like them. The final paper project will also be distributed and discussed.
CLASS EIGHT: Those Crazy Women Singers (November 14)
What should I have read?
hooks, pp. 109-123
What assignments are due?
The two students who speak on Janis Joplin should have their presentation ready, and the first group of paper writers should have their first short paper ready to turn in to me.
What all are we going to do?
We will hear about Janis Joplin, and then discuss what we have cultivated about Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. We will then watch Lady Sings the Blues and discuss any connections between that movie and how we perceive female singers.
CLASS NINE: Teen Idols (November 16)
What should I have read?
Nothing.
What assignments are due?
The second group of paper writers should have their first short paper ready to turn in to me.
What all are we going to do?
We will watch videos from and discuss a variety of teen idols and explore what they mean to women in popular culture. The first group of paper writers will receive their second short paper topic.
CLASS TEN: Musical Legacies (November 21)
What should I have read?
“Madonna, Pepsi, and the American Family Association” (available via Blackboard)
What assignments are due?
The students who are presenting on Aretha Franklin and Lilith Fair should have their presentations ready.
What all are we going to do?
First we will hear about Aretha Franklin. Then we will watch and discuss the music videos of Madonna. Finally, we will hear about Lilith Fair. The second group of paper writers will also receive their second short paper topic.
CLASS ELEVEN: Women and Infotainment (November 23)
What should I have read?
“If Men Could Menstruate” (available via Blackboard)
What assignments are due?
The students who are speaking on Barbara Walters and Gloria Steinem should have their presentations ready.
What all are we going to do?
We will first hear about Barbara Walters, then discuss our perceptions of The View. Next we will explore the legacy of The Oprah Winfrey Show and then hear about Gloria Steinem. Finally, we will discuss “If Men Could Menstruate.”
CLASS TWELVE: Women and Politics (November 28)
What should I have read?
Nothing.
What assignments are due?
The first group of paper writers should have their second short paper ready. The students who present on Anne Coulter and Hillary Clinton should also have their presentations prepared.
What all are we going to do?
We will first hear about Anne Coulter and Hillary Clinton. Then we will discuss the role of women in politics and discuss representations in programs such as Commander-in-Chief. Finally, we will draw titles of magazines to purchase and read for next week.
CLASS THIRTEEN: Magazine Culture (November 30)
What should I have read?
Your magazine (assigned the previous week).
What assignments are due?
The second group of paper writers should have their second short paper ready. The students who speak about Bust and Susan Sontag should have their presentation ready.
What all are we going to do?
First we will hear about Bust. Then we will discuss magazines and the roles they play in the lives of women. Finally, we will hear about cultural critic Susan Sontag.
CLASS FOURTEEN: Judy Blume and Shaping Women’s Lives (December 5)
What should I have read?
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
What assignments are due?
The students who speak on Judy Blume should have their presentation ready. This is also the last day to turn in the draft of the final paper (if not submitted, then a waiver must be submitted in its place).
What all are we going to do?
We will first hear about Judy Blume. Then we will discuss the book Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Finally, course evaluations will be completed.
CLASS FIFTEEN: Conferencing (December 7)
What should I have read?
Nothing.
What assignments are due?
None.
What all are we going to do?
Use this day to work on your final paper unless you have turned in a draft. Those students who did turn in the draft will meet to conference about the results of the first draft and will talk about what changes should be considered for the final essay.
CLASS SIXTEEN: Final Examination (December 12)
What all are we going to do?
The final examination will consist of giving a five minute talk highlighting essential elements from your paper and then submitting your paper to the instructor for grading.