Week 18 (Finals Week)

“Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.”

―George Carlin

Week 18: Mo 5.18/We 5.13 (Finals Week)
Sec 2: Meets Mo 5/18 from 8:00 – 9:30 AM
Sec 8: Meets We 5/20 from 8:00 – 9:30 AM
Class: Class review
Due: PERSUASIVE; QUICKWRITE JOURNAL

Gender in the News 5.13.15

• Toronto engineer fired after shouting popular vulgar phrase at female reporter (Winnipeg Free Press)
• Leaked Sony email: Marvel CEO has a distaste for female superhero films (Huffington Post)
• Why is an Oklahoma stripper seeking a protective order against at a conservative Texas state senator? (Ft. Worth Star Telegram)
• New Jersey's state wrestling champ comes out as gay (Asbury Park Press)
• ACLU to US Gov't: Investigate sexism in Hollywood (Time)
• Harriet Tubman nominated to replace Andrew Jackson on the US $20 bill (Time)

Persuasive Essay: Reining In the American Wedding

Americans spend some $40 billion on weddings annually. Luckily for us, we have a well-oiled wedding industry only too eager to help us spend our money. And while they readily offer us all the accoutrements for our special day, what they really sell is dreams. Thus, the rise of the "Fairytale Wedding" in America has coincided with ever more lavish and elaborate ceremonies. Everyday brides, once simple and demure, have changed, too. The so-called "Bridezilla," is now given broad license to demand and demean in pursuit of her dream day. The contemporary American obsession with weddings has led to ceremonies that emphasize status over substance. But can the American wedding be reclaimed? Can Americans forgo the trappings of status and refocus on the sanctity of a couple's union? In a concise persuasive essay, outline the ways in which we can rid the American wedding of excess consumerism and commercialization. Cite exclusively from Rebecca Meed's One Perfect Day to support your thesis.

Requirements:

• Three pages minimum
• MLA Style
• Parenthetical citation
• Works cited page

Due: Sec 2: Mo 5/1; Sec 8: We 5/20

Week 17

“There are no good girls gone wrong―

 just bad girls found out” 

―Mae West

Week 17: Mo 5.11/We 5.13

READ: PERFECT—“Seven: Love Me Tender” – Epilogue

Class: Quickwrite; Reading discussion; Presentations

Upcoming:

Week 18: Mo 5.18/We 5.13 (Finals Week)

Sec 2: Meets Mo 5/18 from 8:00 – 9:30 AM

Sec 8: Meets We 5/20 from 8:00 – 9:30 AM

Class: Class review

Due: PERSUASIVE; QUICKWRITE JOURNAL

Gender in the News 5.9.15

• Jennifer Lawrence joins Hollywood's elite $20 million-club; earns twice as much as her co-star in her next film (Daily Mirror)
• War erupts between bride and photographer after he calls her "the ugliest bride I have ever photographed" (Yahoo! News)
• Amazon dropping "boy" and "girl" distinctions in its toy offerings (BoingBong)
• Stanford psychologist: Video games and online porn leading to a "crisi" in masculinity (CNET)
• Texas high school, with abstinence-only sex ed, grapples with chlamydia outbreak (Washington Post)
• After suffering at the hands of Boko Haram, escaped girls face stigma at home (Yahoo! News)

Week 16

“The mouth is made for communication, and
nothing is more articulate than a kiss.”

―Jarod Kintz, It Occurred to Me

Week 16: Mo 5.4*/We 5.6**
Read: PERFECT—“Four: The ‘Oh, Mommy’ Moment” – “Six: God and the Details”
Class: Quickwrite; Reading discussion
Due: REFLECTION 7

NOTE CHANGES—Mo 5.4*: Men only/We 5.6**: Women only—Guest lecturer TBA

Upcoming:

Week 17: Mo 5.11/We 5.13

READ: PERFECT—“Seven: Love Me Tender” – Epilogue

Class: PERSUASIVE; Quickwrite; Reading discussion; Presentations

Gender in the News 4.29.15

• Bruce Jenner: "I am a woman" (USA Today)
• Conservative blogger: Bruce Jenner is a "sick and delusional man" (The Blaze)
• SCOTUS hears arguments in landmark same-sex marriage cases (New York Times)
• Hallmark includes mother and trans son in its #PutYourHeartToPaper campaign (Towleroad)
• North Dakota Republican state senator outed after he is recognized soliciting men on Grindr (Guardian)
• #whereisblackwidow: New campaign aims to bring more visibility to Marvel's most high-profile heroine (Refinery29)

Reflection 7-B: Crowning Achievements—The Cult of the Princess

Though America has no history of royalty, we are currently overrun with princesses. Specifically, we have been invaded by a pint-sized army of pink-clad and bejeweled little girls. Led by Disney's iconic female characters, young girls across the country are currently eating up all things princess. But along with this craze has come new concerns that this fascination with princesses, with its emphasis of appearance and passivity, is actually undermining girls. Some argue that girls are getting the message that fantasy, even romance, are more important that self-sufficiency and personal growth. Is princess play harmless fun or can it negatively impact a girl's self-esteem? Is there a middle ground? Can the princess motif be modified to better empower girls? Finally, if princesses are, indeed, harmful to girls in the long run, what would be a more suitable interest for them to pursue? 

Include one of the following texts in your discussion:

• "Disney Princesses and the Battle for Your Daughter’s Soul" (Daily Beast) 
• "Bonfire of the Disney Princesses" (The Nation) 
• "When Princess and Non-Princess Worlds Collide" (Princess-Free Zone) 
• "Disney's Royally Twisted Message to Girls" (Utne Reader) 
• "In Defense of Disney Princesses" (Religion Today) 
• "The Princess Effect: Self-Esteem Builder or Self-Image Destroyer?" (KSMU Radio) 

 Requirements:

•  Must be in MLA Style 
• Must be one full page in length 
• Must include a works cited page 

Due: Wed. 5.6

Reflection 7-A: I Feel Pretty—Attractiveness in America

As Americans, we are all told that "beauty is only skin deep," and that "real beauty lies on the inside." We are told that, but the realities of our culture tell quite a different story. Beauty, as it turns out, is not only celebrated in America, but rewarded. Good looks can land a person preferential treatment at restaurants, on airplanes, even in court. It's almost as if beautiful people are allowed to live in a bubble. What do you feel are the benefits of being attractive in American society? Are good looking people treated more favorably than the general population? Finally, what, if any, downsides are there to being beautiful in America?

Include one of the following texts in your discussion:

• "Science Says that Being Too Good-Looking can Screw Up Your Career, Especially If You're a Woman" (Business Insider)
• "Calling Miss Congeniality: Do Attractive People Have Attractive Traits and Values?" (ScienceDaily)
• "How Much is Being Attractive Worth?" (Smithsonian)
• "Good Looks Will Get You that Job, Promotion, and Raise" (Psychology Today)
• "10 Pleasures and Pains of Being Beautiful" (PsyBlog)
• "You’re Not Beautiful, and There’s Nothing Wrong with That" (Daily Princetonian)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be only one full page in length
• Must include a works cited page

Due: We 05.04

Week 15

“It hurts to let go. Sometimes it seems the harder you try to hold on to

something, or someone, the more it wants to get away. You feel like some
kind of criminal for having felt, for having wanted. For having wanted
to be wanted. It confuses you, because you think that your feelings were
wrong and it makes you feel so small because it's so hard to keep it inside
when you let it out and it doesn't coma back. You're left so alone that you
can't explain. Damn, there's nothing like that, is there? I've been there and
you have, too. You're nodding your head.”

—Henry Rollins, The Portable Henry Rollins

Week 15: Mo 4.27/We 4.29*

READ: PERFECT—“Seven: Love Me Tender” – Epilogue

Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES; Quickwrite; Reading discussion; Presentations

Upcoming:
Week 16: Mo 5.4/We 5.6 
Read: PERFECT—“Four: The ‘Oh, Mommy’ Moment” – “Six: God and the Details”
Class: Quickwrite; Reading discussion
Due: REFLECTION 7

*Mo 5.4: Women only—Guest lecturer TBA; We 5.6: Men only