Feminism, Gender, and Popular Culture
15 WMST 276 001
Spring 2010
Class Meetings: 816 Swift/Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2:00-3:15 p.m.
Instructor: Adj. Asst. Prof. Holly L. McEntyre
Email: mcentyhl@mail.uc.edu
Phone: (513) 293-8423
Office/Hours: 009 McMicken/Monday-Friday, 9:45-10:45 a.m. (office phone: 556-3953)
SYLLABUS
(subject to change)
“Consumer and popular culture encroach on the terrain of so-called female freedom,
appearing supportive of female success and yet tying women into new post-feminist
neurotic dependencies.” ~ Angela McRobbie, The Aftermath of Feminism (back cover)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will focus a critical lens on the representation of gender in popular cultural mediums
including film, TV, music, radio, the Internet, magazines, and literature. Students also will attend
critically to pop culture representations of other identity markers including (but not limited to)
race, dis/ability, and economic status. Students will be responsible to expand their knowledge of
critical feminist, race, and gender theories, to complicate their experience and understandings of
identities and popular cultural mediums, to read/view, discuss, and critique both mainstream and
alternative media and genres, and to become discerning consumers and creators of pop culture.
ATTENDANCE POLICY & PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
REGULAR IN- AND OUT-OF-CLASS VIEWING/PREPARATION ARE REQUIRED.
Regular attendance and discussion/participation in class meetings are essential for adequate
performance in this course. Although the instructor will make as many materials as possible
available outside of class, this is a classroom- and discussion-based course and absences or
tardiness will detract from a student’s final grade.
New materials will be presented by the professor and students in class on a daily basis; therefore,
students who miss more than two classes (the equivalent of one week) and/or do not actively
participate in class during the quarter may be asked to withdraw.
Grades will be based upon:
In-class Attendance/Discussion/Participation (incl. Midterm & Final)
Short papers on theme-based readings/viewings (2 @ 15% each)
Team report/presentation (multi-media)
Individual project/presentation (feminist/anti-racist analysis or creation)
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25%
30%
20%
25%
Assignments & Classroom Conduct
Each student is responsible for producing two (2) short papers on the major readings/viewings
included in the Course Schedule, one (1) team multi-media report/presentation, and one (1)
individual final project (paper and in-class presentation) consisting of a feminist and anti-racist
analysis of an item of popular culture OR your own feminist and anti-racist creation in a popular
culture medium (e.g., poetry, music, blog, video, etc.). You will earn full credit for the course
only if you attend and participate in class meetings regularly and complete every assignment by
the due date. If you find that you must have an extension for an assignment, you must request an
extension in advance (and your grade for that assignment may be lowered).
Unless otherwise provided by the Instructor, all papers for this course should be:
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Two to three pages (1000-1500 words),
Typed in Times New Roman 12 pt or comparable font,
On standard 8½” X 11” size paper, with 1” margins,
Responsive to the guidelines outlined in the syllabus and/or discussed in class.
There will also be Midterm and Final exams as noted on the Course Schedule below.
There are several required texts for this course (see below). We will read and discuss a great
textbook (Feminism and Pop Culture by Andi Zeisler) and other required books – including the
cult-classic Catcher in the Rye and the occult-pop hit Twilight – as well as other resources to be
provided throughout the quarter – including classic and popular TV shows such as Cagney and
Lacey, The Simpsons, The Daily Show, and TMZ; radio hosts like Ira Glass and Tavis Smiley;
and Internet resources ranging from YouTube videos to Racialicious and TEDTalks. These
multi-media “texts” will ground our discussions, but you are also asked to contribute your own
knowledge, experience, and perspectives, and you are expected to come to each class fully
prepared to participate in individual, group, and/or all-class activities. Our class is a collaborative
environment, where everyone’s contributions are valued and every person is respected.
Please note that personal use of technology (such as laptops/Internet, mobile phones/Tweet,
etc.) in class is discouraged and that anyone found abusing this policy may be asked to leave.
Required Texts*
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Feminism and Pop Culture (Zeisler) 9781580052375 - REQUIRED
Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) 9780553250251 - REQUIRED
Good Moon Rising (Garden) 9780374327460 - REQUIRED
Twilight (Meyer) 9780316015844 - REQUIRED
Squire (Pierce) 9780679889199 - REQUIRED
The Talking Earth (George) 9780064402125 - REQUIRED
Betsey Brown: A Novel (Shange) 9780312134341 - SUGGESTED
* Some of these texts have been republished in different versions; please purchase the
version with the correct ISBN to avoid differences in pagination/layout. With the exception
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of Feminism and Pop Culture, these books are older and you should be able to purchase them
used/second-hand from UC’s or other bookstores and/or online.
Academic Integrity
You should be familiar with the University of Cincinnati (UC) Student Code of Conduct (use
this hyperlink or visit http://www.uc.edu/conduct/Code_of_Conduct.html). Among the policies
in the Student Code of Conduct that are applicable to this course are those regarding Academic
Misconduct including cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism. I enforce a zero-tolerance policy for
Academic Misconduct: Any student caught cheating, fabricating, plagiarizing, or in other such
misconduct will automatically fail this course (receiving a non-negotiable “F” grade) and may be
subject to further disciplinary action by McMicken College and/or the university. Contact the
Instructor in advance with any questions that you have regarding these policies.
UC Blackboard & E-Mail Communications
Please ensure that your e-mail address and other contact information are up-to-date and correct
on Blackboard. In addition to attending class and participating in classwork and homework, you
are also responsible for checking the Course Announcements on Blackboard and your e-mail
regularly. The Instructor is not responsible for any course communications that you miss due to
your lack of attendance, technical problems, inattention to Blackboard or to e-mail, and so forth.
COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change)
March 30: Read/discuss first half of Feminism and Pop Culture and magazine/marketing images
April 1: Read/discuss second half of Feminism and Pop Culture (final lecture to come)
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
April 6: Read/discuss Catcher in the Rye
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
April 8: In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
April 13: Read/discuss Good Moon Rising
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
April 15: Team report/presentation on Alix Olson and Ani DiFranco
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
April 20: View/discuss Glee (Episodes 4 & 9)
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
April 22: Team report/presentation on Queen Latifah and Salt ‘n’ Pepa
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
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April 27: Read/discuss Twilight; Paper #1 due
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
April 29: MIDTERM: In-class viewing/discussion – Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising’s Image
of Women
May 4: Individual presentations/projects
May 6: View/discuss Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Episodes 1 & 2)
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
May 11: Team report/presentation on actor-activists Susan Sarandon and Ashley Judd
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
May 13: Read/discuss Squire
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
SAT. May 15 or SUN. May 16: Attend MUSE: Cincinnati’s Women’s Choir’s 27th Spring
Concert/13th New Spirituals Project at the House of Joy in College Hill
May 18: Team report/presentation on choirs Ulali and Sweet Honey in the Rock
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
May 20: Individual presentations/projects
May 25: Read/discuss The Talking Earth; Paper #2 due
In-class viewing/discussion – TBA
May 27: Individual presentations/projects
June 1: NO CLASS
June 3: Individual presentations/projects
June 10 (12:00-2:00 p.m.): FINAL: In-class viewing/discussion – Mean Girls
If you have any questions or concerns about this syllabus, contact the Instructor immediately.
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