Gender in the News: 12.01.12

Indians commemorate World AIDS Day 2012

• December 1st is World AIDS Day BALTIMORE SUN
• Rihanna and Chris Brown get comfy on Instagram ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
• ...Earlier: Chris Brown in vulgar Twitter war with comedy writer HUFFINGTON POST (NSFW)
• West Point's chapel has its first same-sex wedding NAVY TIMES
  
• Push back on Fox News' "War on Men" CNN
• ...Also on Fox: Doctor call mom "nuts" for giving her son a doll  MEDIA MATTERS

Reflection 08-B: Crowning Achievements—The Cult of the Princess

Do Disney's princess help or hurt young girls' self-esteem?

Though America has no history of royalty, we are currently overrun with princesses. Specifically, we have been invaded by a pint-sized army of pink-clad and bejeweled little girls. Led by Disney's iconic female characters, young girls across the country are currently eating up all things princess. But along with this craze has come new concerns that this fascination with princesses, with its emphasis of appearance and passivity, is actually undermining girls. Some argue that girls are getting the message that fantasy, even romance, are more important that self-sufficiency and personal growth. Is princess play harmless fun or can it negatively impact a girl's self-esteem? Is there a middle ground? Can the princess motif be modified to better empower girls? Finally, if princesses are, indeed, harmful to girls in the long run, what would be a more suitable interest for them to pursue? 

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "Disney Princesses and the Battle for Your Daughter’s Soul" (Daily Beast) 
• "Bonfire of the Disney Princesses" (The Nation) 
• "When Princess and Non-Princess Worlds Collide" (Princess-Free Zone) 
• "Disney's Royally Twisted Message to Girls" (Utne Reader) 
• "In Defense of Disney Princesses" (Religion Today) 
• "The Princess Effect: Self-Esteem Builder or Self-Image Destroyer?" (KSMU Radio) 

 Requirements:

•  Must be in MLA Style 
• Must be two full pages in length 
• Must include a works cited page 

Due: Thursday, Dec. 6th

Reflection 08-A: Dirty Pictures—The Practice of "Sexting"

Is sexting just sexy fun or are you playing with fire?

As with all new technologies, people have quickly adapted cell phone cameras to a variety of sexual applications. In this case, "sexting" is the practice of exchanging sexually explicit images of oneself or messages via texts or emails. And if some surveys are to be believed, it is becoming increasingly prevalent in America, especially amongst the young. Law enforcement, educators, and parents are increasingly alarmed by the sexting "epidemic" and the actions of, often under-age, teens who engage in this practice without fully considering the consequences. Some authorities have even gone so far as to charge some under-age teens with possession of child pornography. But is sexting truly an epidemic or simply the 21st century equivalent of explicit love letters? What are the long term ramifications of this practice? Decades from now, are we likely to see political candidates defending photos they took in their youth? Will anyone still care? Or could provocative pictures you take now cost you a job in the future? Finally, is there such a thing as a "smart" way to sext photos of yourself?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion: 

• "The Urge to Sext Naked Self-Portraits is Primal" (Wired)
• "Which is Epidemic—Sexting or Worrying about It? (Wall Street Journal)
• "'Sexting' Common Among Teens: Survey" (Yahoo! News)
• "Sexting Among Teens Means Risk" (Mashable)
• "Teen Sexting No One's Business?" (Philadelphia Inquirer) 
• "Practice Safe Sexting: 8 Ways to Hit 'Send' Without Regret" (GirlsGuideTo)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be two full pages in length
• Must include a works cited page

Due: Thursday, Dec. 6th

Week 15

 

 “Dude, I don’t want to talk about Lacey’s prom shoes. 

And I’ll tell you why: I have this thing that makes me 

really uninterested in prom shoes. It’s called a penis.”
 

―John Green, Paper Towns

 

Week 15
Tu 11.27
Class: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Th 11.29
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Prompts”

Week 16
Tu12.04
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Thesis Statements”

Th 12.06
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Essay Outlines”
Due: REFLECTION 8-A or 8-B

Sa 12.08
FINAL EXAM: 8 AM, LOCATION TBD

Week 17
Tu 12.11 Class: Course review 

 

 

Gender in the News: 11.24.12

A Chinese grandfather modeling his teen granddaughter's fashions has become a hit

• The new Chinese sensation: The teen fashion-wearing grandpa AMERICABLOG 
• US Preventive Services Task Force: Make HIV tests as common as cholesterol checks for everyone 15 - 64 WASHINGTON POST
• Meet the "female" male model TIME
• American teen boys increasingly concerned about body image NEW YORK TIMES
• Saudi Arabia now tracking female citizens electronically RAWSTORY
• US abortions down 5%, biggest decline in a decade USA TODAY 

 

Week 14

“Why is it," he said, one time, at the subway entrance,

"I feel I've known you so many years?"

"Because I like you," she said,

"and I don't want anything from you.”

—Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Week 14
Tu 11.20 Class: Watch—Miss Representation (2011)
Due: REFLECTION 7

Th 11.22 NO CLASS—THANKSGIVING

Week 15
Tu 11.27
Class: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Th 11.29
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Prompts”

Week 16
Tu12.04
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Thesis Statements”

Th 12.06
Class: Final exam prep; Lecture—“The Mad Dash: Essay Outlines”
Due: REFLECTION 8-A or 8-B

Sa 12.08
FINAL EXAM: 8 AM, LOCATION TBD

Week 17
Tu 12.11 Class: Course review

Gender News: 11.17.12

Getting into the act: Men are now embracing burlesque performance

• Introducing Boylesque, burlesque for men NEW YORK TIMES
• But everyone else is doing it: American culture and adultery NPR
• Modern Family's Justin Tyler Furgeson launches Tie the Knot to benefit marriage equality JUSTJARED
• Can a home pregnancy test detect testicular cancer in men? TIME
• Ohio Fox anchor briefly suspended for calling Rachel Maddow an "angry young man" NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
• Getting theirs, too: Porn sites amongst the most visited in Islamic countries AL ARABIYA