Please note that this syllabus should be regarded as only a general guide to the course. The instructor may have changed
specific course content and requirements subsequent to posting this syllabus. Last Modified: 15:56:33 08/28/2013
SC 302 Gender and Popular Culture
Fall 2013
Mondays 12-2:30 pm, McGuinn 400
Instructor: Johanna Pabst
Office: McGuinn 410C
Office Hours: M 2:30-4pm and by appt
E-mail: pabstjo@bc.edu
or pabstjo.soc@gmail.com
Course Objectives
This upper-level course focuses a critical and
analytical lens on gender in popular culture in
terms of production, representation, and
audience interpretations. This semester, we
will study a variety of sociological theories and
methods used in contemporary gender and
popular culture scholarship, and we will
examine a number of popular media texts.
We’ll look at how popular culture operates as
a site for debates, change, and creative
expression around the powerful idea of
“gender”.
Source: HarkaVagrant.com
Rather than just taking popular culture, including books, TV, music, movies, and the
internet, as mindless entertainment, we will explore it as a medium whose stories and
images allow and encourage us to embody aspects of gender identity such as
masculinity, femininity, and sexuality. We will ask what popular culture is, who has the
power to make it, and how this power relates to gender. We will also look at
oppositional and alternative possibilities in popular culture. The course will also attend
to the intersection of race, class, and other identity markers with gender in popular
culture.
An Important Note
Throughout this course, you will be exposed to ideas which may challenge or question
your own beliefs and understandings of your own experiences. While it is understood
that at times you may feel discomfort, it is expected that you will complete the required
reading material and that you will voice your thoughts, opinions, and reactions to this
material in a thoughtful, mature, and respectful manner.
By the end of this course, it is anticipated that you will:
 Have a working understanding of both “popular culture” and “gender” as
sociological concepts
 Develop a critical and analytical framework to understand the intersection of
these concepts
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Be able to place these concepts within a historical context
Demonstrate your growing critical and analytical ability in this area through class
discussion and writing
Be able to apply the frameworks we encounter to other popular objects
Gain a greater understanding of why and how the study of popular culture is
important, especially with regard to understanding how our society currently
thinks about gender!
Required Readings
The following books are available in the BC Bookstore:
 Milestone, Katie and Anneke Meyer. Gender & Popular Culture. 2012. Polity
Press. (abbreviated as M&M in the syllabus)
 Zeisler, Andi. Feminism and Pop Culture. 2008. Sage. (abbreviated as FPC)
 Levy, Ariel. Female Chauvinist Pigs. 2005. Free Press.
 Ingraham, Chrys. White Weddings. 2nd ed. 2008. Routledge.
 Other readings will be available on the course’s Blackboard Vista site (marked as
Vista) or through the BC Library Course Reserve system. Please contact the
instructor if you have ANY trouble finding any readings!
Grading
Your grade will be based on the following elements:
1) Class Preparation, Attendance and Participation
2) Lead group discussion, with partner,
during one class period
3) Five 500-word Responses to Course Reading (6% each)
4) Term Paper
Total:
% of total
25%
10%
30%
35%
100 %
Course Environment
1. Please silence your cell phones before class!
2. No Laptops during class. Since this is a heavily participation and discussion-based
class, I request that students refrain from using laptops and other personal
electronic devices (iPad, iPhone, etc.) during the class period. Studies show that
such devices tend to be more of a distraction than a learning aid. Powerpoints
will be posted on Blackboard after the class for your convenience. If you have any
questions or concerns about this request, please let me know. If you have an ecopy of one of the textbooks, you must notify me at the beginning of the
semester.
3. Written work must be spell-checked, grammar-checked, and proofread: The
quality of your writing will affect your grade.
4. Feel free to bring snacks/drinks, but please don’t bring your entire lunch, or
anything very loud or smelly.
5. We will take a short break about halfway through class to stretch and use the
restroom.
Course Requirements
1) Class Attendance and Participation:
a. Everyone is expected to attend class and participate in discussions and
exercises. We only meet once a week, so missing class means you miss a
large chunk of this course that cannot be replicated, and missing chances
to participate.
b. Preparation is part of participation- it means coming to class prepared to
discuss readings and assignments on the days that they are due and to
regularly participate in class discussion with relevant and informed
contributions. It can also encompass other aspects such as emailing me
occasionally to share thoughts on course topics and readings or to share
relevant links and stories; and meeting with me during the semester to
discuss your progress, assignments, and thoughts on the course.
c. If I sense that students are not doing the assigned readings, I reserve the
right to assign additional quizzes and/or short writing assignments to
ensure the readings are completed.
d. I take attendance each time. It is very important to attend this class, as
we only meet once a week. Any unexcused absence will hurt your grade.
Excused absences, including approved athletic events, medical
appointments, and absences cleared by the dean will not lower your
grade as long as they are properly documented (i.e. a note from health
services, dean, etc.)- but it is urged that you make every effort to arrange
your schedule to attend every session of this class.
e. No matter the reason for an absence, you are expected to catch up on all
missed material on your own, i.e. checking Blackboard for materials and
getting notes/handouts from a classmate, accessing a missed film, etc.
f. Please arrive on time, and be prepared to stay from 12-2:30pm each
time.
2) Assigned Reading:
a. You must come to class having read all assigned material in ADVANCE of
the date it is listed and be prepared to discuss it.
b. The reading load is meant to be spread out throughout the week. DON’T
WAIT till the last minute to start it, or you will be overwhelmed.
c. This class provides an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills. In
order to be able to think critically about what we have read, we must
understand what we have read and be able to accurately explain the
text’s main points and its logic. Some of the material is demanding and
requires patience. Prepare yourself by taking notes as you read (as well
as in class). Look up words you don’t know. I expect you to come to class
having read and thought about the assigned reading so that you are
prepared to participate in discussion.
d. You must bring all readings to class each week.
3) Discussion Leading:
a. You will be responsible for leading discussion, with a partner, once during
the semester, starting the fourth week (Mon Sept 30). This discussion will
be expected to last at least 30 minutes. You will need to read further in
advance than usual to prepare for your discussion leading, so anticipate
this! Sign-ups will occur during the second class (Sept 16). You and your
partner will prepare discussion questions around the readings for the
week. You should also feel free and encouraged to bring in supplemental
materials and ideas to discuss, such as related events and images, videos,
and news stories. Try to come up with ideas for discussion that go
beyond asking a question of the entire group (think debates, small
groups, activities, etc.) You should send your prepared discussion
materials to the instructor by 8pm the night before class. You will be
graded on preparation, as well as stimulating and managing the
discussion.
4) Reading Responses:
a. This class deals with complex ideas that require regular completion of the
readings and regular attendance. To help you actively process the
readings, relate them to the world around you, and reflect on the class,
you are required to write five 400-500 word responses over the course of
the semester. Responses should explicitly references the readings and
themes for the week. They can be informal or unconventional in style,
but thoughtless, cursory or late pieces will not receive credit. You can
choose which 5 weeks you would like to respond to- but don’t wait till
the end of the semester! Try to spread them out.
b. These are meant to be written AFTER the class in which we discuss these
issues/readings, so each response is due by the end of the day (midnight)
on THURSDAY of that week.
c. While you can write around any theme/thoughts you have on the week, I
will provide the class with some potential questions to think about in
your responses, in case you’re not sure where to start. Once you have
discussion questions from your classmates, these may also spark your
responses.
d. Responses should be posted on Blackboard in the Assignments section.
e. You will receive a grade for each response based on your incorporation of
readings, thoughtfulness, grasp of the material, your critical and
analytical ability (your ability to apply and synthesize the material), and
your writing (grammar, punctuation, attribution, and college-level
writing).
5) Term Paper:
a. This paper will allow you to explore more deeply a specific area of gender
and popular culture of interest to you. This can be a standard research
paper, but it can also include an element of independent data collection,
such as interviews, field observation, focus groups, or content analysis.
b. Your term paper has three components.
i. A 300-400 proposal due Mon Nov 11 (5%)
ii. A 5-minute presentation on your paper and findings during our
last class session on Mon Dec 9. (5%)
iii. Final 3000-4500 word paper due Sat Dec 14, uploaded to
Blackboard. (90%)
c. Though it is not required, students are encouraged to meet with me early
in the semester to discuss topics and to informally research topics
throughout the semester. You will be provided with more information on
specifics of the paper, as well as potential topics and ways to think about
the paper.
d. This paper is intended to allow you to apply theories and themes from
class to another area of popular culture, and to demonstrate your ability
to do so. It is also meant to develop your sociological research skills and
writing. Students are encouraged to submit their papers to one of BC's
two relevant undergraduate publications, Elements and SocialEyes.
Grading Policies
Letter
A
A-
%
93+
90-92
B+
B
B-
87-89
83-86
80-82
C+
C
C-
77-79
73-76
70-72
D+
D
D-
67-69
63-66
60-62
Meaning
Outstanding performance. You have demonstrated very thorough
knowledge and understanding of all the material, truly superior critical
thinking, and expressed insightful and original thoughts clearly. You
have completed all required assignments and they have been among
the best in the class.
Good performance. You have demonstrated solid knowledge and
understanding of the material and good critical thinking. You have also
shown the ability to express your ideas clearly. You have completed all
required assignments and they have been of good quality.
Satisfactory performance. You have demonstrated basic knowledge
and understanding of the major concepts taught in the class and some
critical thinking. You have completed all or
most of the required assignments and they have routinely been free of
significant problems.
Deficient performance. You have only acquired a limited
understanding of the class material. You have failed to complete all
the required assignments and/or they have routinely had serious
problems.
F
59 and
below
Failure. You have failed to learn a sufficient proportion of the basic
concepts and ideas taught in the class. You have failed to complete
many required assignments and they have routinely had serious
problems.
Academic Honesty
You are responsible for adhering to the statement of academic honesty in your
Student Handbook and at http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/polisci/integrity.html .
I take plagiarism very seriously and the discovery of any violations will be
reported and will lead to failure of the class.
Disability Statement
If you have a disability, please let me know about it at the beginning of the semester so
that appropriate accommodations can be made.
Keeping in Touch with Me
I encourage you to drop by during my office hours if you have any questions about the
readings, assignments, or concepts in general. I am also happy to make appointments
outside of these hours. The best way to contact me is through my email listed at the
beginning of the syllabus. I check my email frequently and will get back to you as soon
as possible.
A note on email form: Please remember that these are professional communications
and should be treated as such. Include a subject, a greeting, sign your name, and use
punctuation.
Course Schedule GENDER AND POPULAR CULTURE, FALL 2013
Mon
Sept 9
Introduction
Please read/look at these in ADVANCE of the first meeting:
 The Bechdel Test: http://bechdeltest.com (read rules, scan
recent movies)
 Emily Nussbaum, “The Rebirth of the Feminist Manifesto: Come
for the Lady Gaga, Stay for the Empowerment,” New York
Magazine, 2011: http://nymag.com/news/features/feministblogs-2011-11/
 Philip Cohen, “The Banal, Insidious Sexism of Smurfette,” The
Atlantic, August 2013:
http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/08/the-banalinsidious-sexism-of-smurfette/278511/
 John Kass, “Bros filling the void — with 'My Little Pony'” The
Chicago Tribune, August 9 2013:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-09/news/ct-metkass-0809-20130809_1_bronies-little-pony-twilight-sparkle
 Zeisler and Jervis, Bitchfest, “Introduction,” p. xix-xxiii
 Zeisler and Jervis, Bitchfest, “Ladies and Gentlemen: Femininity,
Masculinity, and Identity,” p. 49-51
Mon
Sept 16
Gender & Popular Culture: Theories and Key Concepts
 Zeisler, Feminism and Pop Culture (FPC): Ch. 1, “Pop and
Circumstance: Why Pop Culture Matters,” p. 1-21
 Milestone & Meyer (M&M), Gender & Popular Culture: Ch. 1,
“Introduction,” p. 1-29
 Mulvey, Laura (1975): “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” p.
833-44.
 bell hooks, “The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators”
Reading Response #1 due THURSDAY
Mon
Sept 23
The Production of Gender & Popular Culture through History
 M&M: Chapters 2 and 3, (“Gender & Cultural Work: Post-War to
the Late 1970s” and “Gender & Cultural Work: Punk and
Beyond”) p. 35-81
 Zeisler, FPC: Chapters 2 and 3 (“American Dreams, Stifled
Realities” and “We Haven’t Come a Long Way and Don’t Call Me
Baby”) p. 23-87
Reading Response #2 due THURSDAY
Mon
Sept 30
Post-feminism/Third-wave Feminism
 Zeisler, FPC: Chapters 4 and 5 (“What Women Want: The 1990s”
and “Women Under the Influence”), p. 89-148
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Agirre, “‘Whenever a man takes you to lunch around here’:
Tracing post-feminist sensibility in Mad Men,” Catalan Journal of
Communication & Cultural Studies, 2012 4(2): p. 155-170.
Kate Daily, “Leslie Knope, Liz Lemon, and the Feminist Lessons of
NBC's 'Parks and Recreation,'” The Daily Beast, April 8, 2010:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/blogs/the-humancondition/2010/04/08/leslie-knope-liz-lemon-and-the-feministlessons-of-nbc-s-parks-and-recreation.html
Anne Helen Petersen, “Beyoncé, Feminism, Ambivalence,”
Celebrity Gossip, Academic Style, Feb 7 2013:
http://www.annehelenpetersen.com/?p=3177
Reading Response #3 due THURSDAY
Mon
Oct 7
Post-feminism and Sexuality; Porn/Raunch Culture
 Ariel Levy, Female Chauvinist Pigs: Intro, Ch. 1-3, 6, Conclusion
and Afterword, p. 1-117, 170-212
 Gail Dines, “From the Back Street to Wall Street: The Big
Business of Porn,” from Pornland (2010), p. 47-58
Reading Response #4 due THURSDAY
Mon
Oct 14
Mon
Oct 21
NO CLASS- COLUMBUS DAY
Representations of Women and Mixed Messages
 M&M: Ch. 4, “Representing Women,” p. 87-112
 Susan J. Douglas, “Warrior Women in Thongs,” from The Rise of
Enlightened Sexism (2010): p. 76-100
 Gill, “Rewriting the Romance: New Femininities in Chick Lit?”
Feminist Media Studies, 2006 6(4): p. 487-504
 Tharps, “The Black and the Beautiful,” from Bitchfest: p. 307-312
 Jazz Brice, “Why Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” Video Makes Me
Uncomfortable… and Kind of Makes Me Angry,” Blog Post:
http://jazzylittledrops.tumblr.com/post/48118645174/whydoves-real-beauty-sketches-video-makes-me
 Peggy Orenstein, “What’s Wrong with Cinderella?” The New York
Times, Dec 24, 2006:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/magazine/24princess.t.ht
ml?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Reading Response #5 due THURSDAY
Mon
Oct 28
White Weddings, Romance, and Heterosexuality
 Ingraham, White Weddings: Romancing Heterosexuality in
Popular Culture: Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5
Reading Response #6 due THURSDAY
Mon
Nov 4
Representations of Men & Masculinity
 M&M: Ch. 5, “Representing Men,” p. 113-145
 Ervin, “The Might of the Metrosexual” from Performing
American Masculinities (2011): p. 58-75
 Randolph, “’Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful’: Black
Masculinity and Alternative Embodiment in Rap Music,” Race,
Gender, and Class, 2006 13(3): p. 200-217
 Marcotte, “How to Make a Critically Acclaimed TV Show about
Masculinity,” Jezebel.com, Sept 7, 2001:
http://jezebel.com/5837945/how-to-make-a-criticallyacclaimed-tv-show-about-masculinity
 Romesburg, “Holy Fratrimony: Male Bonding and the New
Homosociality,” Bitchfest, p. 207-216
Reading Response #7 due THURSDAY
Mon
Nov 11
Queer Theory and GLBTQ Representations
 Dhaenens & Bauwel, “Queer Resistances in the Adult Animated
Sitcom,” Television & New Media 2012 13(2): p. 124-138
 Walters, “The Kids Are All Right But the Lesbians Aren't: Queer
Kinship in US Culture,” Sexualities 2012 15(8): p. 917-933
 Savoie, “Screen Butch Blues: The Celluloid Fate of Female
Masculinity,” Bitchfest: p. 96-100
 Miller, “Performing Glee: Gay Resistance to Gay Representations
and a New Slumpy Class,” FlowTV.org, July 6 2011:
http://flowtv.org/2011/07/performing-glee/
 Gamson, “Reality Queens” Contexts, Spring 2013: p. 52-54
Term Paper Proposal due TODAY
Reading Response #8 due THURSDAY
Mon
Nov 18
Popular Culture Consumption and Effects
 M&M: Ch. 6, “Consuming Popular Culture,” p. 151-171
 Cloud, “The Irony Bribe and Reality Television: Investment and
Detachment in The Bachelor,” Critical Studies in Media
Communication, 2010 27(5): p. 413-437
 Douglas, “Red Carpet Mania,” Ch. 9 from The Rise of Enlightened
Sexism, p. 242-266
 Taylor & Setters, “Watching Aggressive, Attractive, Female
Protagonists Shapes Gender Roles for Women Among Male and
Female Undergraduate Viewers,” Sex Roles 2011: p. 35-46
Reading Response #9 due THURSDAY
Mon
Nov 25
Gender, the Internet, and New Media
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M&M: Ch. 6, p. 172-183
Marwick, “’They're really profound women, they're
entrepreneurs’: Conceptions of Authenticity in Fashion
Blogging,” 2013: p. 1-8.
Shaw, “Do you identify as a gamer? Gender, race, sexuality, and
gamer identity,” New Media & Society 2011 14(1): p. 28-44
Williams, “Pinterests Gender Trouble?” Salon.com, May 2 2012:
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/02/pinterests_gender_trouble/
Lewis, “This is What Online Harassment Looks Like,” The New
Statesman, July 6 2012:
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/internet/2012/07/whatonline-harassment-looks
Chemaly, “The Digital Safety Gap and the Online Harassment of
Women,” Huffington Post, Jan 28 2013:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/womenonline-harassment_b_2567898.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
Chemaly, “The 12-Year-Old Slut Meme and Facebook's Misogyny
Problem,” Huffington Post, Sept 26, 2012:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/12-year-oldslut-meme-and_b_1911056.html
Women, Action & The Media, “Open Letter to Facebook”
http://www.womenactionmedia.org/facebookaction/openletter-to-facebook/
Reading Response #10 due THURSDAY
Mon
Dec 2
Subcultures, Resistance, and Cooptation; Activism and Change through
Pop Culture?
 M&M: Ch. 7, “Gender, Popular Culture and Space/Place,” p. 184209
 Ryalls, “Emo Angst, Masochism, and Masculinity in Crisis,” Text
and Performance Quarterly, 2013 33(2): p. 83-97
 Ferreday, “’Showing the Girl’: The New Burlesque,” Feminist
Theory, 2008 9(1): p. 47-65
 Barber & Kretschmer, “Walking Like a Man?” Contexts, Spring
2013: p. 40-45
Reading Response #11 due THURSDAY
Mon
Dec 9
Paper/Project Presentations
Sat
Dec 14
Final Paper/Project Due to Instructor by End of Day