Subject: This writing project will examine the appearance, construction or perpetuation of an identity(s) or stereotype(s) in your own life, and the life of culture. This means (as per essay one) you will examine a specific identity as it occurs or has occurred in your life, and also in the culture at large. You may use any media type, poetry, story or literature to help you explain how the idea is constructed. No position taking!
In this essay, you must ask yourself — on the page — what you mean by the identity that you choose and explain where you have gotten those ideas. Once you begin to see what YOU think, and how those ideas have been constructed in you, it’s time to find out what someone (or a series of others) thinks about the same idea.
Some Topic choices: describe and explore your identity as it relates to gender, race or ethnicity. Or as a consumer, a dishwasher, a student, a wife, a husband, a partner, a parent, someone with ties to the LBGTQ+ community. Some one who loves nature–the possibilties are endless! The question is: who do you think you are, and why? Consider using any of the broad categories we are exploring this semester–the focus will be how you consider yourself to be part of that community, or how you come to the identity you are exploring.
The point of this project is to EXPLORE what the idea is, how it came into being and/or what keeps it in place WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THE RIGHTNESS OR WRONGNESS OF A POSITION! EXPLORE! J
Consider using:
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Scanned images
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interviews
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questionnaires
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any other very cool and creative idea you come up with to help you explore your point: can you create comics to help you illustrate your point? Create art or poetry to incorporate into the piece?
How you choose to combine the narrative and the images will be up to you. Do remember that what we are after here is a cohesive whole: a project that reflects and examination of an idea, both personally and culturally. You will want to find a balance between your use of images and your narrative.
To receive a passing grade you MUST ask and answer this series of questions:
Part One
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What are my ideas about the identity I am exploring? What do I mean when I say it? For example, when I say black, white, manly, girly or gay, what do *I* mean?
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What specific personal experiences, images, societal conditions, family lessons, TV shows, billboards, lover’s words, text books, teachers, poems, works of fiction, government agencies, etc. helped to create (form, construct, build) this belief in me? Attention: you MIGHT only use one or two of these.
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What “screens” have I been using to describe this role, and how has using them caused me to view my subject? Where and how did I learn to engage in those screens? In this one you must revisit Burke and possibly Bohm.
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In part one of the final project you will be exploring your own ideas about your topic, and how those were socially constructed. You will be telling the story of how you came to believe a certain thing about yourself or a gender role, or how you see it occurring in the world in a specific place IN YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE—
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This means you will be using personal narrative, (like you did in essay one) so don’t be afraid of that. Your final product does not have to be laid out in the order presented in the handout, as long as the questions listed here are addressed.
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As you are exploring your idea from your own point of view, take your questions to trustworthy data bases (NO WIKI) to see what others have said, or are saying, about the same idea.
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We are interested in the “how” and “why” of whatever issue you choose, and not the rightness or wrongness of a point of view.
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I am open to any topic you want to work with as long as it is researched earnestly and thoughtfully, and discussed seriously and intelligently, both in your own world and in the world at large.
Part Two:
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What are some current or past public beliefs about the idea I am exploring? Where are they found? In what pieces of writing or in which films or media? What kinds of experiences or encounters have shaped these views? What kinds of images can be found?
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What “screens” (language, terms) have been used by the American culture to describe this role and how have they caused the current or past view of this subject? Where and how have these screens been constructed? How are they currently being perpetuated or broken down?
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What specific experiences, images, societal conditions, TV shows, billboards, text books, teachers, poems, works of fiction, government agencies, politicians, newscasts, magazine headlines helped to create or perpetuate this idea in the culture? **
I expect your piece to be a combination of the narrative, informative and analytical models of discourse. – No Ranting, No “shoulding.”
Your thesis will be specific and limited– a small subject done in great depth: no skimming the surface here. Your thesis must relate to the course work, and your own personal interest.
I was thinking about exploring my role as a woman through social media. I want to explore the way people view women through social media and the stereotypes that people on social media create. I also want to research how the way we perceive women has changed over time especially through the media. I could explore the impact of societal expectations on personal gender identity and discuss the role social media has in shaping our gender identities.
Primary Source: Killing Us Softly 4
“Killing Us Softly 4” is a documentary film directed by Jean Kilbourne. It is part of a series that explores the portrayal of women in advertising and media and how these representations can impact society’s perception of beauty, gender roles, and self-worth. The film specifically addresses the ways in which advertising perpetuates harmful stereotypes and unrealistic standards of beauty, leading to issues such as low self-esteem, eating disorders, and body dissatisfaction among women. The film also analyzes how the media contributes to the objectification and sexualization of women. The documentary aims to raise awareness about the negative effects of the media’s portrayal on individuals and society as a whole.
MLA citation:
Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women. Created by Jean Kilbourne, The Media Education Foundation, 2010. Kanopy, https://cscc.kanopy.com/video/killing-us-softly?pos=2.
Topic: Portrayal of women in the medio throughout the years.
Summary:
A study on girls in 5th and 6th grade girls show that many girls do not want to engage in physical activity in places that do not provide feelings of safety, comfort, or protection. Media influences (e.g. social media, advertisements) target young girls and circulate gender norms and stereotypes. Many girls may compare themselves to an ideal female body, portrayed in media as slender, fit, pretty, fashionable, and White. This comparison can lead to negative perceptions about their bodies, which may lead to body image dissatisfaction and low body-esteem.
MLA Citation
Marttinen, Risto, et al. “Enacting a Body-Focused Curriculum with Young Girls through an Activist Approach: Leveraging the after-School Space.” Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, vol. 25, no. 6, Nov. 2020, pp. 585–99. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2020.1761954.
Thesis
Over the years, the portrayal of women in social media has undergone significant transformations, evolving from objectification to increasingly diverse and empowering representations. Initially, women were predominantly depicted in social media through objectifying lenses, where their worth was often reduced to physical appearance and sexual appeal. However, in recent years, there has been a noticeable shift towards more multifaceted and empowering portrayals of women in the media. This change reflects challenging traditional stereotypes and promoting inclusivity and authenticity in advertisements.