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.


Saturday, December 7, 2013

What we CAN learn from Disney Princesses

http://www.babble.com/disney/11-lessons-we-can-learn-from-the-disney-princesses/11-things-we-can-learn-from-the-disney-princesses/

I found this article recently and found it to be a fun and interesting read, especially after the Disney Princesses class session.  Although it is true that some of the portrayals of Disney princesses is frustrating in the sense that Disney can really play up stereotypes, there are important lessons that girls and women can take away from Disney films. As long as the viewer can see past some of the character flaws, the overall message in Disney films can teach great lessons. Especially in the film Aladdin, in which Jasmine stands up for her rights as a woman. She says, "How dare you? All of you!  Standing around deciding my future. I am not a prize to be won!" The article explains the great message that the movie preaches: "Women are more than a prize to be won, and Princess Jasmine was not afraid to speak her mind about it. She refuses to be tied down to the old traditions that she feels are barbaric and no longer applicable to her. She wants to marry only for love. Princess Jasmine is free-spirited, confident, and ready to discover the wonders outside the confines of her palace walls."
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