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, November 18, 2013

Representation of the Homosexual "Sidekick"

For my CTCS 412 teaching projects, my group will be focusing on queer representation in the media and I will be discussing the relationship of the gay male best friend character that is seen in modern day prime-time television series. I will predominantly be looking at shows with a white, cisgendered, heterosexual protagonist that happens to have a gay-identified best friend. My work will focus mainly around these ideas:
-       Gender identity (Ex. If the character is a homosexual male, does he posses a more effeminate or masculine personality?)
-       Sexual relationship thought the show (Ex. Is the character monogamous, polyamorous, or viewed as asexual?)
-       Humor (Ex. Is the character’s sexuality being targeted –i.e. is the character being laughed at or with?)
-       Coming out (Ex. At any point during the duration of the show does the character come out and how does the protagonist and other supporting characters react?)

My shows of focus will consist of (but will not be limited to): Kurt Hummel from Glee, Jack McFarland from Will & Grace, and Max Blum from Happy Endings. By coming these ideas to modern queer television character, the reader can then deduct if the image of the homosexual created by the media reflects the same ideals of the LGBT community and what effect this may have on how non-LGBT identifying viewers may possibly view homosexuality.
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