Course Description

At the core of the course is the question how feminism has become a demonized and ridiculed “F-word” in an age when issues of gender and sexuality are at the center of constant, often explosive political debates. These debates often connect media representation and political representation but tend to do so in simplistic ways that bypass or distort decades of sophisticated feminist theory and practice. We will trace back such representations through the decades around case studies that encompass film, video, television and new media practices. The case studies come from the United States and beyond, taking into full account the global interconnectedness of media production and consumption as well as the transnational travel of feminist ideas. The main goal of the course is to evaluate how useful feminist thinking is to understanding the relays between media and political representation; and to develop a lasting critical apparatus to analyzing the politics of gender and sexuality in the media.


Monday, October 21, 2013

Feminism and television


Negra's article is extremely interesting as it shows that cinema and television often express what women's role in society should be. For example, many romance films demonstrate that women must scale back on their professionalism or else they will be viewed as less feminine, or even selfish. Although it seems that in current society women are focusing more on their careers, and striving away from the traditional stay at home wife, romance films, and television series are still expressing views that if you are single, or not married, it is a societal problem. It's interesting because I always viewed Sex and the City as the ideal life of the four best friends living in the city. One episode, as mentioned in the article called “Four Women and a Funeral,” really stood out to me. While it expresses the fear of living in an apartment as a single woman, it also expresses the independence of women as well as the relationship with her female friends.
What’s also extremely interesting, as mentioned in class is the relationship between feminism and television. TV is now viewed as a more high cultured medium in which people trust. Characters in television are able to be more explored and viewers can connect with them on a different level than film. This is good for feminism as characters can portray strong females and act as role models.
In class today many had a negative view on the show Girls. While I do agree with the comments that Girls lacks “pleasure” I do believe that it is an accurate portrayal of many females in society. I can relate to some of the characters in their ups and downs in their romantic and professional life.


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