Editorial Essay: Adventures in "Guyland"

About the developmental phase he calls “Guyland,” Michael Kimmel writes:

[It] is the world in which young men live. It is both a stage of life, a liminal undefined time span between adolescence and adulthood that can often stretch for a decade or more, and a place, or, rather, a bunch of places where guys gather to be guys with each other, unhassled by the demands of parents, girlfriends, jobs, kids, and the other nuisances of adult life. In this topsy-turvy, Peter-Pan mindset, young men shirk the responsibilities of manhood and remain fixated on the trappings of boyhood, while the boys they still are struggle heroically to prove that they are real men despite all the evidence to the contrary.”

While it is acknowledged to be a primarily white, middle-class phenomenon, Guyland actually extends to all segments of young American men. What, if anything, can be done to “right the ship” for this crucial segment of the population? How can American society better support its young men? In a concise editorial, explore the ways in which we can rescue our young males from Guyland. Cite exclusively from Guyland: The Perilous World Where Men Become Boys  to support your thesis.

Remember, an editorial expresses an opinion on a current issue. It may take a formal or informal tone, but its primary goal is always to persuade readers. Because editorials were born in newspapers, they are traditionally succinct in form and can often carry the "voice" of the author.

Below are a series of recent editorials from around the country.

• "Abolish marriage. For everyone. Problem solved." (San Francisco Chronicle) 
• "Oscars’ Winning Messages Uplift and Save Lives" (Dallas Morning News) 
• "Shaming the Ant-Vaxxers" (Calgary Sun)
• "Walmart's Visible Hand" (New York Times)

Requirements:

• 2-3 pages in length
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• Works cited page

Due: Wed 3.4 (Draft 1; bring 2 copies); Wed 2.11 (Final draft; Attach draft 1 to back)

Gender in the News 2.24.15

• UK director's new "bromance" short film is about "[men] being friends, exploring the intimacy of physical interaction between guys'" (Towleroad)
• Rep. Mike Honda's (D-San Jose) tweet supporting his transgender granddaughter goes viral (Los Angeles Times)
• Study: Attractive men are more selfish (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Disney star Zendaya calls out E!'s Guiliana Rancic for joking that her dreads must smell like weed (People)
• Why are young American women are turning to witchcraft for spiritual guidance (Guardian)
• Here are the numbers behind Patricia Arquette's gender wage gap comments at the Oscars (CBS News)

Week 6

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition."

—Timothy Leary

Week 6: Mo 2.23/We 2.25

Read: GUY—“Predatory Sex and Party Rape” – “Just Guys”

Class: Quickwrite; Reading discussion; Presentations

Due: REFLECTION 3

Upcoming:

Week 7: Mo 3.02/We 3.04

Read: DELUSION—“We Think, Therefore You Are” – “XX-clusion and XXX-clusion”

Class: Quickwrite; Reading discussion; Writing workshop; Presentations

Due: EDITORIAL ESSAY (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES)

Reflection 3: Let's Talk About Sex—Designing Today's Sex Education Courses

Speaking to a United Nations AIDS conference in 1994, then-US Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elders suggested that masturbation was "part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught." After a quick public outcry, she was fired by President Clinton. Over twenty years later, masturbation is only one of many topics that remain taboo in the sex education classes of America. Today, fights rage over everything from abstinence-only programs to the presence of contraceptives on campuses; even the mentions of abortion and homosexuality are still hotly debated. While some Americans favor sex education based on current health information, others insist on abstinence-based approaches—if at all. Thus, these courses vary widely from state to state, even county to county. Where does all this back and forth leave today's teens? If it were up to you, what kind of sex ed class would you mandate? What do you believe is must-know information for today's students? And how do you decide what is appropriate or inappropriate for K-12? What information, if any, should be the responsibility of parents? Finally, at what age would your program begin and why?

Include at least three of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "States Reconsider Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Programs as Obama, Congress Battle Over Teen Pregnancy Prevention Funding" (International Business Times)
• "Maybe We Should Outsource Our Sex Education to Mexico" (AlterNet) 
• "Sex Ed, Sixth Grade, Scary Truths" (Washington Post)
• "Lets Talk About Sex—in English Class (Atlantic)
• "This Program Contributes to Teen Pregnancy, So Why is the Government Funding It?" (PolicyMic)
• "Mississippi Burning: The Need for Comprehensive Sex Education: (Huffington Post)

Requirements:

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

Due: We 2.25

Gender in the News 2.16.15

• Should you go see Fifty Shades of Grey if you want more gender parity in Hollywood? (Forbes)
• One year after coming out, why is the NFL's Michael Sam still teamless? (OutSports)
• Meet Jeremy Long, porn star and Cal law student (Daily Californian)
• Love illustrated in 25 charts and maps (Washington Post)
• Unaltered Cindy Crawford photo causes stir on Internet (Marie Claire)
• US "gender reveal" parties make a splash in the UK (Daily Mail)

Week 5

"A deranged person is supposed to have the strength of ten men. 

I have the strength of one small boy ... with polio."

―Woody Allen, Shadows and Fog  

Week 5: Mo 2.16/We 2.18

Read: GUY—“‘Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code” – “Sports Crazy"

Class: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL; Quickwrite; Reading discussion; Lecture—“Better Reading101”

Upcoming:

Week 6: Mo 2.23/We 2.25
Read: GUY—“Predatory Sex and Party Rape” – “Just Guys”
Class: Quickwrite; Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 3

Gender in the News 2.9.15

• Sports Illustrated to feature its first plus-sized model in a Swimsuit Edition (Time)
• The UK approves 3-parent IVF treatments (Daily Beast)
• Survey: Evangelicals and Catholics say gay marriage is worse than divorce (Religion News)
• Harvard officially bans professor/student relationships (NPR)
• Stock up on your 50 Shades of Gray sex toys—at Target (Entertainment Weekly)
• DC Comics to give the first gay male superhero his own monthly title (Advocate)

Week 4

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.”

― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

Week 4: Mo 2.9/We 2.011

Read: GUY—“Welcome to Guyland” – “‘What’s the Rush?’: Guyland as a New Stage of Development”

Class: Quickwrite; Reading discussion; Lecture—“Crafting the Essay: Writing as a Process”

Due: REFLECTION 2

Upcoming:

Week 5: Mo 2.16/We 2.18

Read: GUY—“‘Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code” – “Sports Crazy"

Class: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL; Quickwrite; Reading discussion; Lecture—“Better Reading101”

Reflection 2: Isn't It Bromantic?—The Rise of Bromances

One interesting phenomenon over the past decade has been the rise of so-called "bromances," intimate, but non-sexual, relationships between American men. Affectionate male bonding has a centuries-long tradition around the world, yet American society has generally drawn rigid lines between two males who are friends—or at least we are lead to believe. Bromances are said to break down many of traditional barriers, allowing a man to be more expressive of both his own feelings and his feelings toward his friend. Just why American male friendships are seemingly more open these days is up to debate. Some argue these bonds have been shaped by everything from feminist mothers raising more emotionally-open sons to the gay rights movement to younger generations of men simply breaking from old societal taboos. If you are a man, have you experienced a bromance? Does it feel any different than any other male friendship? And if you are a female, what do theses relationships look like from the outside looking in? Has a bromance ever made you feel excluded?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "Are You in a Bromance? (Or Is It Just a Man Crush?)" (Details)
• "Why I Love Guys Who Hug Other Guys" (New York Magazine)
• "Bromances Aren't Uncommon as Guys Delay Marriage" (Seattle Times)
• "The Joys of Bromance" (Huffington Post)
• "I Love You, Man (as a Friend)" (New York Times)
• "Male-ennials…and the Rise of the Wolf Pack" (MTV News)

Requirements:

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

Due: We 2.11

Multimedia Presentation Assignment, Pt. II

Here are the assignments for your multimedia presentation:

Sec. 2—MoWe @ 7:30 AM:

• Week 6 (Mo 2.23/We 2.25): Alcohol and Women: What Everyone Should Know – Samuel C. & Erica R.
• Week 7 (Mo 3.02/We 3.04): Introducing the 21st Century Dad – Terecita G. & Wyatt H. 
• Week 8 (Mo 3.9/We 3.11): One for the Girls: The Story of Wonder Woman – Mirna S. & Kaylin B.; Emerging Voices: Asexuality and Polyamory – Jorge V. & Keith A.
• Week 9 (Mo 3.16/We 3.18): The Stonewall Riots: The Start of a Revolution – Abel J. & Gustavo L. 
• Week 11 (Mo 3.30/We 4.1): But, It Can’t Be Rape: Uncovering Issues of Male Sexual Abuse – Elsa L. & Ryan S.
• Week 12 (Mo 4.6/We 4.8): Barbie: Then and Now – Michael W. & Ankur R.
• Week 13 (Mo 4.13/We 4.15): Gender and the Salem Witch Trials – Lizeth C. & Lizeth G.; Going Steady: Dating in the 1950s – James H. & Pedro S.
• Week 14 (Mo 4.20/We 4.22): Some Like It Hot: The Legend of Marilyn Monroe – Jennifer F. & Keith L. 
• Week 16 (Mo 5.4/We 5.6): Why We Cheat: The Psychology of Infidelity – Danny T., Kevin X. & Clarisse H.
• Week 17 (Mo 5.11/We 5.13): Hair and the American Male: 1900 to Present – Taylor F. & Jose R.

***

Sec. 8—MoWe @ 9:00 AM:

• Week 6 (Mo 2.23/We 2.25): One for the Girls: The History of Wonder Woman – Yaritza H. & Juan R. 
• Week 7 (Mo 3.02/We 3.04): Alcohol and Women: What Everyone Should Know – Geraldine C. & Hilario T.
• Week 8 (Mo 3.9/We 3.11): Some Like It Hot: The Legend of Marilyn Monroe – Savita N. & Melissa P.
• Week 9 (Mo 3.16/We 3.18): Introducing the 21st Century Dad – Alexine C. & Jonathan C. 
• Week 11 (Mo 3.30/We 4.1): Gender and the Salem Witch Trials – Samson W. & Raymond L.; Why We Cheat: The Psychology of Infidelity – Derek C. & Arthur P.
• Week 12 (Mo 4.6/We 4.8): Barbie: Then and Now – Wes A. & Courtney J.; Hair and the American Male: 1900 to Present – Melissa F. & Ajay C. 
• Week 13 (Mo 4.13/We 4.15): Emerging Voices: Asexuality and Polyamory – Duoc N., Hangyi G. & Marco L. 
• Week 14 (Mo 4.20/We 4.22): Going Steady: Dating in the 1950s – Danielle G. & Alfred L. 
• Week 16 (Mo 5.4/We 5.6): The Stonewall Riots: The Start of a Revolution – Armando G. & Jeffery C. 
• Week 17 (Mo 5.11/We 5.13): But, It Can’t Be Rape: Uncovering Issues of Male Sexual Abuse – Brett T. & Miles I