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8/18/2015
AMST 127B
Women in American Popular Culture
Tuesdays & Thursdays 5:00 – 6:20
Instructor: Dr. Jillian Powers
jpowers@brandeis.edu
Office: Brown 326
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 – 2:30
This course provides an introduction to critical issues and approaches in the study of
popular culture with a specific focus on the role and representations of women. Popular
culture is never simply entertainment or a diversion. Instead, “pop” culture provides us
with stories, images and scripts through which we imagine and practice femininities,
masculinities, and sexualities. These images and stories are also infused with class and
racial characteristics. The norms perpetuated and contested through popular culture are
evident in our constructions or ourselves and society – from the look we aspire to and the
clothes we buy to the ways we understand sex, love, and romance. This course allows us to
critically analyze images, practices, and narratives that perpetuate and/or disrupt these
norms. In this course we will look at television, film, popular music, comics, gaming, and
advertising.
Through primary and secondary materials, we’ll examine popular portrayals of
women (created by women and men), their sources and impacts, and what they tell us
about women’s roles and other gendered themes, tensions, and anxieties played out in
popular culture. Our investigation of Women in Popular Culture is far from comprehensive.
Instead we’ll focus on contemporary American culture and developing a range of critical
skills, questions, and frameworks through which we’ll be able to analyze the messages of
popular culture surrounding us everyday.
Some questions we will tackle:
How does popular culture shape our commons sense notions?
Why are forms of popular culture loved, feared, revered, and reviled?
What are the images we see in popular culture and how do we read them?
Who creates and disseminates these images? Who benefits from them?
These questions will serve as the basis for our conversations regarding the forms and
function of popular culture.
Designed around the interdisciplinary field of cultural studies, this course will
expose students to key concepts and theories from a number of different fields including
Sociology, Anthropology, Communications, History, Cultural Studies, English, Women’s
Studies, Ethnic Studies, and American Studies. We will study a variety of theories and
methods used in contemporary feminist/cultural studies on popular culture, as well as
examine a number of popular media texts. As we move from topic to topic, students will
develop the skills to analyze the reciprocal relationship between culture and key
stratification factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, region and sexuality.
Through course assignments and classroom discussions students will learn to situate
popular culture within its social, historical, political, and economic contexts and their
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personal lives. By the end of the course, you should have the skills and tools to perform
such analyses on your own.
Course Objectives:
- Transform traditional ways of knowing—in and out of the classroom—by reaching
across epistemological and methodological divisions to foster interdisciplinary
perspectives on social life
- Recognize that gender, race, class, ethnicity, age, sexuality, and nationality are
crucial aspects of identity and can be understood primarily in their intersections
- Understand how popular culture is written, talked about, and experienced
- Join scholarly and theoretical conversations about women and their positions in
popular culture
- Learn major approaches or cultural theories, concepts, and terms to understand
popular culture
- Understand the basic concepts of major critical theories used in studies of popular
culture
- Make practical application of these theories
- Critically analyze a popular text through close attention to structure, imagery, and
the text’s relationship to society. “Read the text,” by utilizing a variety of approaches.
- Improve critical reading and writing skills
Course Requirements:
1. Complete all readings and actively participate in discussions
2. Advertising Analytic Essay
3. Close Reading of Gentleman Prefer Blondes
4. Representation Essay
5. Fanfiction Analytic Essay
6. Wildcard Assignment
12%
17%
17%
17%
17%
20%
Assignment details to be discussed further in class.
Participation, attendance and classroom engagement: Readings are to be completed
before the class period for which they are assigned. Attendance is a crucial aspect of class
and you are expected to come prepared, ready to engage, and willing to participate in a
respectful and thoughtful manner. Three unexcused absences will result in the deduction of
a whole letter grade from your overall score (An ‘A’ will be reduced to a ‘B’). Five or more
unexcused absences, you fail the course. Please send me an email if you are unable to
attend class by 3PM to have your absence count as excused.
Late Policy: NO LATE COURSEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. All coursework must be
completed on time unless we have come to an agreement before the due date, nothing will
be accepted after the last day of class.
Evaluations
Your final grade will be determined by your performance on the above requirements. All
assignments will be graded on a standard scale of 0 to 100.
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The final grade will be given using the letter grade system standard at Brandeis University.
The table below shows how the numeric grades will be converted into letter grades:
97-100
93-96
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
below 59
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
University Policies
Academic Accommodations: If you are a student who has academic accommodations
because of a documented disability, please contact me during the first two weeks of the
semester and give me a copy of your letter of accommodation. Federal law and university
policy require provision of reasonable accommodation for students with diagnosed
learning disabilities that may affect how they participate in the class or meet class
requirements. I encourage students who believe they need such accommodation to contact
the Academic Services Office early in the term. Detailed information on policies,
procedures, and resources related to learning disabilities can be found at this link:
http://www.brandeis.edu/acserv/disabilities/index.html
If you have any questions regarding documenting a disability, contact Beth Rodgers-Kay in
the undergraduate Academic Affairs Office (x63470, brodgers@brandeis.edu).
Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.
University Policy on Academic Integrity: You are expected to be familiar with and to
follow the University’s policies on academic integrity. You are expected to turn in work that
is completed, written, and designed by you! This means use footnotes and quotation marks
to indicate the source of any phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or ideas found in published
volumes on the Internet or created by another student.1 I will refer any suspected instances
of alleged dishonesty to the Office of Academic Affairs.
Violations of may result in failure of the course or on the assignment or in
suspension or dismissal from the University. If you are in doubt about the instructions for
any assignment in the course, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification. Do not test
me! Ask if you have any concerns before compromising your undergraduate experience!
See: http://www.brandeis.edu/studentaffairs/srcs/ai/top10students.html
In creating many sections in this syllabus regarding Brandeis’ policies, I have turned to previous syllabi in
American Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Cultural Studies, and Sociology.
1
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I encourage all students to visit the Brandeis writing center if you would like to improve
your writing.
TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
Laptops, PDAs, cell phones, headphones, and all other technological distractions MUST BE
OFF AND AWAY at all times during class-time.
On Controversial Subjects and Classroom Community
We will be discussing many contemporary issues that are the subject of intense
controversy. Many might consider what we will cover as taboo, controversial, deeply
personal, or simply unfamiliar. You may have strong feelings about these issues, and those
feelings or opinions may be opposed to some of the articles and chapters you’ll be reading.
I will encourage discussion and debate on these topics, as I believe that one duty of the
course is to critically examine what we may accept as “common knowledge” or accepted
practice. In addition, you may also find that that some of the material raises deeply
personal or painful experiences.
To ensure that your own personal experiences and opinions do not affect your class
performance, and to keep discussions and debates civil and academically focused, I ask you
to keep the following points in mind:
1. Students are expected to serve as resources for each other and fully commit to the
2.
3.
4.
5.
collaborative and supportive community required to successfully complete a
course/project of this nature
Be aware that understanding arguments made in the readings does not require
accepting those arguments. Indeed, even if you disagree with an argument, you
must first understand it to make a reasoned critique. Do not simply dismiss them.
Opinions are not acceptable arguments in discussion. If you wish to critique a
concept, you must provide some evidence or data from the readings (or outside
material, if you so wish, as long as it is scholarly). Do not be afraid, however, to
speculate on potential consequences or impacts based upon existing data or to
inquire about the existence or quality of data with regard to an argument.
Anecdotes are not data. Just because something happened to one person at one time
does not imply a pattern or trend. The difference between an anecdote and an
example is that examples are illustrations based on systematic data (this point will
be crucial for your final paper!)
Do not become emotional or engage in personal attacks. While you may have strong
feelings on these issues, remember to always keep a cool head and show respect for
differing opinions. I am committed to creating a safe and supportive classroom
community.
Required Texts:
Gay, Roxane. 2014. Bad Feminist. Harper Perennial.
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Course Overview
August 27:
Introduction to Popular Culture, Cultural Studies, and Feminism
[Introduction] and [Back to Me], from Bad Feminist
Why Pop Culture Matters
September 1 & 3:
Zeisler, Andi. 2008. “Pop and Circumstance: Why Pop Culture Matters,” in Feminism
and Pop Culture. Pp.1-22. [IN LATTE]
Wong, David. 2012. “5 Ways you Don’t Realize Movies Are Controlling your Brain.”
Cracked. http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ways-you-dont-realize-movies-are-controllingyour-brain/
Smith, Greg. 2011. “’It’s Just a Movie’: A Teaching Essay for Introductory Media
Classes.” Cinema Journal. 41 (1):127-134.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/cj/summary/v041/41.1smith.html
Selections: Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, an Introduction by John Storey [IN
LATTE] or Stuart Hall TBD [IN LATTE]
In Class: What key terms should we be familiar with?
Advertising
September 8 & 17:
Firth, Katherine and Ping Shaw and Hong Cheng. 2006. “The Construction of
Beauty: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Women’s Magazines Advertising.” Journal
of Communication. 55(1): 56-70.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2005.tb02658.x/abstract
Berger, John. 1990. Ways of Seeing, Chapter 1. [IN LATTE]
Klein, Naomi. “Culture Jamming: Ads Under Attack” in No Logo: Taking Aim at the
Brand Bullies. Toronto: Vintage Canada. 2000: 279-310 [IN LATTE]
Selections: Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, an Introduction by John Storey [IN
LATTE] or Stuart Hall TBD
Watch: Killing Us Softly
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Assignment: Chose 5 advertisements all within one genre (this can span time, or brand, etc.)
then analyze the content of these advertisements by using the theories and methods we have
discussed so far in class. Topics include, but are not limited to: body image and ideals, gender
roles, sexuality, etc. DUE: SEPTEMBER 21 BY MIDNIGHT. 5 PAGES plus images.
Duke University Libraries, Digital Collections.
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/advertising/
The Dominant and Oppositional Gaze
Sept 22:
Methods of Critique
The Dominant Gaze
Laura Mulvey. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, p. 837-840. [IN LATE]
Watch: Beyonce: Partition
Sept 24:
The Oppositional Gaze
hooks, bell. 1992. “The Oppositional Gaze,” in Black Looks: Race and Representation.
South End Press. 115-31. [IN LATTE]
Crosley “Can we Stop Fighting Over Beyonce’s Feminism Now”
http://jezebel.com/can-we-stop-fighting-over-beyonces-feminism-now1485011817
Butler, “For White Girls Only? Postfeminism and the Politics of Inclusion”
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/feminist_formations/v025/25.1.butler.html
Watch: Nicki Minaj: Anaconda
In Class: Define the dominant gaze, the oppositional gaze
Oct 1:
What is feminism?
Weiss, Penny. 1998. “I’m not a feminist, But…” Popular Myths about Feminism,” in
Conversations with Feminism: Political Theory and Practice. Rowman and Littlefield.
[IN LATTE]
McRobbie, Angela. “Notes on Post-Feminism and Popular Culture: Bridget Jones and the
New Gender Regime” in All About the Girl: Culture, Power and Identity. Ed. Anita
Harris. London: Routledge. 2004: 3-14. [IN LATTE]
Selections: Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. Edited by John
Storey. [IN LATTE]
Watch: Miss Representation
https://vimeo.com/28066212
Beyonce: Flawless
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In Class: Define postfeminism and any other key terms or analytic approaches
Women Consuming the American Dream
Oct 6 & 8:
Zeisler, Andi. 2008. “American Dreams, Stifled Realities: Women and Pop Culture in
the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s.,” in Feminism and Pop Culture. Pp.23-56
Roxane Gay, The Marriage Plot, New York Times, Sunday Review. May 10. 2014.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/opinion/sunday/the-marriage-plot.html?_r=0
Turim, Maureen. 1990. “Gentleman Consume Blondes,” in Issues in Feminist Film
Criticism. Indiana University Press. 369-378 [IN LATTE]
Arbuthot, Lucie and Gail Seneca. 1990. “Pre-Test and Test in Gentleman Prefer
Blondes,” in Issues in Feminist Film Criticism. Indiana University Press [IN LATTE]
Suggested: Fishbein, Leslie. 1989. “The Harlot’s Progress in American Fiction and film,
1900-1930. Women’s Studies: An Inter-disciplinary Journal. 16(3-4): 408-427
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00497878.1989.9978778?journalCode=gws
t20#.VbjdBXgZg5s
Watch: Gentleman Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawks 1953)
Assignment: Use the theories, methods, and scholarship we’ve discussed so far to analyze the
musical numbers from Gentleman Prefer Blondes. What else can we say about these scenes?
What new contributions can you offer based on your close reading? DUE: OCTOBER 12 BY
MIDNIGHT. 5 PAGES plus screen captures/images
Women and Representation: Depicting Diversity
Oct 13:
Black Bodies in Popular Culture
Chito Childs, Erica. Historical Realities and Media Representations of Race and
Sexuality, in Fade to Black and White. Pp. 15-32. [IN LATTE]
Dagbovie-Mullins, Sika. 2013. “Pigtails, Ponytails, and Getting Tail: The
Infantilization and Hyper-Sexualization of African American Females in Popular
Culture.” The Journal of Popular Culture. 46(4): 745-771.
Pozner, Jennifer. 2010. “Erasing Ethnicity, Encoding Bigotry: Race, Pre—and Post—
Flavor of Love,” in Reality Bites Back: the Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV.
Seal Press. Pp. 161-195
Oct 15:
Who is Absent, How are They Portrayed, What Needs to Change?
Beltran, Mary. 2015. “Late Invited to the Party: What’s Still Not working for
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Latina/os and TV. Flow http://flowtv.org/2015/01/late-invites-to-the-party/
Diane Anderson-Minshall, I kissed a Girl: The Evolution of the Prime-Time Lesbian
Clinch. Bitchfest, Winter 2004. Pp – 313-317. [IN LATTE]
Sarah Mirk. A Conversation about Transgender Representation in Pop Culture. Bitch
Media. Une 19, 2015. http://bitchmagazine.org/post/a-conversation-abouttransgender-representation-in-pop-culture
Rebecca Wanzo “I know You’re Tired of Hearing about Girls: but How about a
Puzzling Piece of History” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-wanzo/girlstv_b_1456462.html
Roxane Gay. “Girls, Girls, Girls” in Bad Feminist. Pp 51-60.
Roxane Gay, “I Once was Miss America,” in Bad Feminist. Pp. 61-70.
Queerness, Queer Feminisms and Sexuality in the Media
Oct 20 & 22:
Moore, Madison, 2012. “Tina Theory: Notes on Fierceness,” Journal of Popular Music
Studies. Vole, 24, Issue 1. Pp. 71-86.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1533-1598.2011.01317.x/abstract
Springer “Queering Black Female Heterosexuality” in Yes Means Yes. [IN LATTE]
Gerhard, 2005. “Sex and the City: Carrie Bradshaw’s Queer Postfeminism.” Feminist
Media Studies. Vol. 5 No. 1. http://janegerhard.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/10/Gerhard_SATC.pdf
San Filippo, Maria. "Owning Her Abjection: Lena Dunham's Queer Feminist Sexual
Politics." in media res. January 7, 2013.
http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2013/01/07/owning-herabjection-lena-dunhams-queer-feminist-sexual-politics
Watch: Sex and the City
In Class: What key terms should we discuss? Look up the difference between “sexuality and
sexual orientation,” find an explanation of what “queer theory” is. Bring to class your
examples.
Assignment: Why is it so important to see yourself represented in popular culture? What
is your favorite representation of women in popular culture, why? Using the analytic tools
and theories we’ve learned and discussed so far, explain why your favorite cultural figure
or character resonates. What does it reveal? For extra credit dress like this
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figure/character/etc. for Halloween and analyze your own performance. Take photos.
DUE: NOVEMBER 2 BY MIDNIGHT. 5 PAGES plus screen captures/images
Women in Comics
Oct 27:
Emad, Mitra. 2006. “Reading Wonder Woman’s Body: Mythologies of Gender and
Nation,” The Journal of Popular Culture. Vol .39. Issue 6. Pp. 954-984
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-5931.2006.00329.x/abstract
Lepore, Jill. 2015. Looking at Female Superheroes with Ten-Year-Old Boys. The New
Yorker. May 7. 2015. http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culturalcomment/marvel-a-force-female-superheroes
G. Willow Wilson. 2015. Dr. Lepore’s Lament.
http://gwillowwilson.com/post/118822887543/dr-lepores-lament
Gender Inequality in Video Games
Oct 29:
Katz, Jackson. 2013. “Call of Duty and a Generation of Joystick Warriors,” in The
Huffington Post. 11/19/2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackson-katz/callof-duty-joystick-warriors_b_4298675.html
Chick, Tom. 2013. “Speaking the Unspoken Truth about Gender Inequality in
Videogames” Quarter to Three. 11/27/2013.
http://www.quartertothree.com/fp/2013/11/27/speaking-unspoken-truthgender-inequality-videogames/
Hayes, Elisabeth. 2010. “Girls, Gaming, and the Trajectory of IT Expertise,” in Women
and Gaming: The Sims and 21st Century Learning by James Paul Gee and Elisabeth
Hayes. Palgrave MacMillan.
http://simsavvy.asu.edu/BBMK_my%20chapter.pdf
Jennifer deWinter and Carly Kocurek, “#1reasonwhy Women in the Gaming
Industry Matters. February 20, 2013.
http://flowtv.org/2013/02/1-reason-why-women-in-the-gaming-industrymatters/
Suggested: Shaw. Adrienne. 201. “Do you identify as a gamer? Gender, race,
sexuality, and gamer identity.” New Media and Society.
http://nms.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/06/15/1461444811410394
In Class: Discuss Anita Sarkeesian and the Lowdown on GamerGate, Before class take a look
at some of Feminist Frequency’s Videos to familiarize yourself with the discussion:
http://feministfrequency.com/about/
Women Can’t Be Funny
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Gabrielle Moss. A Brief History of “Women Aren’t Funny.” Bitchmedia. April 29,
2013. http://bitchmagazine.org/post/a-brief-history-of-women-arent-funny
Alessandra Stanley. Who Says Women Can’t Be Funny? Vanity Fair. April 2008.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/04/funnygirls200804
Jilly Gagnon. Reasons Women Aren’t Funny. McSweenys. August 5, 2013.
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/reasons-women-arent-funny
Warner, Helen. "A New Feminist Revolution in Hollywood Comedy?: Postfeminist
Discourses and the Critical Reception of Bridesmaids." In Postfeminism and
Contemporary Hollywood Cinema. Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. ISBN: 9781137306838.
Watch: Selections from Funny Girl
Nov 5:
Can Rape Jokes be Funny?
Laugh Riot: Feminism and the Problem of Women’s Comedy, Andi Zeisler, BITCHfest
2006. Pp. 148-154 [IN LATTE]
Roxane Gay. “Some Jokes Are Funnier Than Others.” Bad Feminist. Pp. 177-182
Lindy West. Hey, Men, I’m Funnier Than You. Jezebel.
http://jezebel.com/5914084/hey-men-im-funnier-than-you
Lindy West. An Open Letter to White Male Comedians. Jezebel. 5/10/13
http://jezebel.com/an-open-letter-to-white-male-comedians-497503334
Watch: Lindy West and Jim Norton on Totally Biased.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtUb_E1qUHA
Nov 10
Female Fandom
Radway, Jan. 1983 “Women Read the Romance: The interaction of Text and
Context,” Feminist Studies. 9(1): 53-78.
Click, Melissa. 2009. “’Rabid’, ‘obsessed’, and ‘frenzied’: Understanding Twilight
Fangirls and the Gendered Politics of Fandom. Flow.
http://flowtv.org/2009/12/rabid-obsessed-and-frenzied-understanding-twilightfangirls-and-the-gendered-politics-of-fandom-melissa-click-university-of-missouri/
Fiske, John. 1992. “The Cultural Economy of Fandom,” in Adoring Audience: Fan
Culture and Popular Media. 30-49. [IN LATTE]
Nov 12
OTP, Canon, and Shipping: Women Writing Fanfic
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Jenkins, Henry. 1992. “Welcome to Bisexuality, Capitan Kirk”: Slash and the FanWriting Community,” in Textual Poachers. Pp 185-221 [IN LATTE]
Noy Thrupkaew, Spring 2003. “Fan/Tastic Voyage: Rewriting Gender in the Wide,
Wild World of Slash Fiction.,” Bitch. http://bitchmagazine.org/article/fan-tasticvoyage
Assignment: Conduct a content analysis of the 10 most popular fanfics related to a TV
show, Movie, or Book you already enjoy. Some questions to ponder: How did you define
the criteria for popularity? Is there a community around these stories? Who decides what’s
popular, why does this matter? What themes do you see occurring? What are the
relationships between the characters like? Does it stay within canon, what ships are
promoted? What is missing? Do you see resolutions consistent with a march towards a
marriage plot? What do these stories add, what can we say about fandoms and female
consumers based on what they have written? https://www.fanfiction.net
DUE: NOVEMBER 23 BY MIDNIGHT. 5 PAGES plus text excerpts
Women who Rock
Nov 17
Zeisler, Andi. 2008. “What Women Want: The 1990s” in Feminism and Pop Culture.
Pp.89-120. [IN LATTE]
Lanie Dawes, 2013. “Why I Was Never a Riot Grrrl,” Bitch Media.
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/why-i-was-never-a-riot-grrl
Watch: The Punk Singer
Women who Rap
Nov 19
Selections:
Home Girls Make Some Noise! Hip-Hop Feminism Anthology. 2007
Morgan, Joan. 1999. When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist
Breaks it Down
Emerson, Rana. 2002. “Where My Girls At?” Negotiating Black Womanhood in Music
Videos.” Gender and Society. 16(1): 115-135
http://gas.sagepub.com/content/16/1/115.abstract
Suggested: Harris, Javacia. 2008. “A Woman’s Worth” in Yes Means Yes: Visions of
Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape.
Watch: Dreamworlds
Rhianna: #BBHMM
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Angel Haze
THANKSGIVING NO CLASS
TBD
Dec 1:
Dec 3:
SUGGESTIONS:
Gaga Feminism
Citizen, an American Lyric
Resistance, New Directions, and Contemporary Campaigns
Mothers, Girls, Pregnancy
Women who Work
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11776406/UFC-Ronda-Rousey-Is-thisthe-toughest-feminist-in-the-world.html
Assignment:
Dec 9:
Asses/Discuss Wildcard Assignment/Look Forward & Back