Last response: two options

**Hard copies of all responses (including this one) are due by Monday, December 1.**

Option 1: Some of you prefer guidance for these responses, so if you fall into that category, then I'll ask you to respond to Susan Douglas and Meredith Michael's chapter, "The New Momism." They claim that motherhood is the site through which women are being defined by media imagery in new and damaging ways. What do you think about this claim? How might this imaging be damaging not just to moms, but also to childless women and men? Can you think of any examples from current pop culture that either support their argument or offer resistance to "momism"?

Option 2: For those of you who like more freedom in your responses, you can choose any text we've read in this half of the semester and write a response to what you find provocative or interesting. I am going to limit you to the readings; we've done a fairly good job of discussing the films in class, but there's been a lot that we've read that we haven't been able to adequately cover. Choose anything you've read that's made an impression and tell me what you think about it.

Let's Talk about Sex: due Friday, November 21

This week, we'll be talking a good bit about history: the history of sex on screen in Where the Girls Are, the history of reproductive politics from Rickie Solinger's book, and on Friday, we'll talk a bit about the historical treatment of mothers in popular culture. My question for you is: how much has changed? Choose one idea from any of the readings for this week and reflect on what, if anything, has changed about the messages in popular culture about sex, reproduction, and/or becoming a mother. Examples from current television or film might be a good way to illustrate your points.

Website Title

The Words group has been placed in charge of creating a title for our class project’s website. Our idea was to gather information from everyone in class in hopes of creating a title which conveys the message and ideals of both or class and our website. To do this we need your input, so please post any title ideas, suggestions, or merely cast your vote for a title you found particularly compelling. As the week goes on I will keep the blog updated with a list of all suggested titles, and the number of votes cast for each one. I am hoping to have a final title, or at least a few finalists by Friday. If it is split between one or more titles after Friday, we will attempt to conduct a quick vote on Monday to make a final decision. Thank you for taking the time to read, and respond to this blog.

The Website Words

From the Words Group:

The Words group is in charge of who we are (a description of our class), our mission statement (what the purpose of our website it and why it's important), and a title for the website. By Friday (21st), please brainstorm a little bit - like we did in in the beginning of the semester in class about guidelines for the class - about what you think we should include in these three important aspects of our website. On Friday (21st) we'll take everyone's ideas and develop them into what we think works well for everyone. We'll run them by you guys before Thanksgiving in class or on another blog to make sure everyone approves. Thanks guys!

Race, Gender, and the Romantic Comedy

For this response, I'd like for you to analyze the film Something New. You can focus on the representation of gender roles, or you can talk about the way that race and class figure into the representations of women (and men) in the film. In what ways is the film challenging stereotypical assumptions? In what ways might it be reinforcing them?

Music

Susan Douglas talks about the girl groups of the 60s, Joan Morgan talks about rap music in the 90s, but what about now? What is the defining music of your generation? For this response, I'd like for you to pick a musical genre (pop, rap, R&B, country, folk, punk, etc.) and discuss the role you think it's played in shaping you and others like you. Particularly, look at this music through the lens of gender: choose a particular artist or song within the genre you're describing, and read it for the gendered messages you find there. What do the lyrics, videos, or images of a particular artist tell us about femininity or masculinity?

Mamas, Genies, and Witches

For this week's response, I'd like for you to choose one, specific part of either chapter ("Mama Said" or "Genies and Witches") by Douglas to engage with. Any of her ideas are fair game, so pick what interests you. What is she saying? What do you think about what she's saying? Why? Due by Friday at class time.