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.


Friday, November 15, 2013

abstract - where my girls at?


Jayne Sullivan
Abstract - where my girls at - a look at female showrunners and the characters they play
11.15.2013

I am going to examine the portrayal of females in television, specifically domestic and workplace sitcom, and the creators behind them. I will specifically look at Girls, created by Lena Dunham, and The Mindy Project, created by Mindy Kaling. Along with gender I will touch upon race, class, and privilege and how that fits into each shows success and criticism.


My Question: How did Mindy Kaling and Lena Dunham get their success as female showrunners in a male dominated industry and how do they represent woman both on and off screen in a post-feminist era? Do they have a responsibility as women to represent female characters in a positive light in their shows? Does their work mark a transition period in the post-feminist/post-network era? Along with gender I will touch upon race, class, and privilege and how that fits into each shows success and criticism.

I will begin by explaining how each creator came to their success and how they got to be showrunners. Then I will discuss how they represent themselves in the media as woman and how they both clearly identify as feminists, why, and what that word means to them. I will look at how they represent woman on and off screen. Additionally, I will discuss how the different networks HBO v FOX play a role in content and creative control.

Then I will talk about the onscreen representation of these two women in their shows. I want to explore “the unruly woman” type and what that means for women in comedy and how it fits into both of these shows.

I will conclude by asking to what extent do Dunham and Kaling have to represent woman well? Is there is a burden of representation because they are two of the few woman to succeed? I will discuss where the industry is going and if there is room for more female showrunners and what shows like Girls and The Mindy Project means for the representation of woman and what they mean for a changing television industry.
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