I'll See You Soon

I hope you enjoyed our first semester together.

We'll get back to it in January, but for now, relax, stay warm, and enjoy your time off. You've earned it.

-D

M2W3-7: 12.18-1.18 (Winter Break)

"Fashion is not for sissies."

—Michael Kors

M2W3-7: 12.18-1.18 (Winter Break)

Read: GUY—“Welcome to Guyland” – “Sports Crazy”

 

 

M2W2: 12.11

"It takes a lot of courage to grow up 

and be who you really are."

 

—e.e. cummings

 

M2W2: 12.11*

NO CLASS

 

Upcoming:

M2W3-7: 12.18-1.18 (Winter Break)

Read: GUY—“Welcome to Guyland” – “Sports Crazy”

 
Note: It is highly recommended you line up your interviewee BEFORE the holidays. Profile interviews must be conducted before 1.12


 

Gender News 12.5

• After Trump endorses accused pedophile Roy Moore in Alabama Senate race, RNC resumes financial support (NBC News)
• Female Michigan AG candidate has unique pitch to voters (Washington Post)
• The women of the Alt-Right discover than the men of the movement are as misogynistic as they are racist (AV Club)
• Time names their Person of the Year: The Silence Breakers (Time)
• Actor Danny Masterson, accused of multiple rapes, is fired from his Netflix show (CNN)
• John Oliver grills Dustin Hoffman about sexual harassment allegations (Los Angeles Times)

M2W1: 12.4-7

When the rain is blowin' in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love.

—Bob Dylan, "Make You Feel My Love"

M2W1: 12.4-7*

Read: eR—“Have You Heard the One About President Joe Biden?” (GQ), “Fight” (New York Times), “’I Have No Choice But to Keep Looking’” (New York Times)

Class: Presentations; PowerPoint—“The Ins and Outs of the Interview”

Due: Annotate one of the above profiles (from this week or last) and bring to class
Also Due: MID-YEAR SELF-REFLECTION PORTFOLIO (DUE VIA CANVAS ON SUNDAY THE 10TH BY 6 PM)

*Thu 12.7 is last class meeting for Fall 2017 for Sec. 17 and 59

M2W2: 12.11*

Class: Reading discussion; Fall semester review

Note: It is highly recommended you line up your interviewee BEFORE the holidays

*Mon 12.11 is the last class meeting for Fall 2017 for Sec. 16 and 58

M2W3-7: 12.18-1.18 (Winter Break)

Read: GUY—“Welcome to Guyland” – “Sports Crazy”

Note: Profile interviews must be conducted before 1.12

Gender News 11.29

• Meghan Markle engaged to Prince Harry, poised to become the first American, biracial Royal (Vox)
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gives tearful apology to LGBTQ Canadians (Fortune)
• NBC's popular Malt Lauer suddenly fired for "inappropriate sexual behavior" (US Weekly)
• Minnesota Public Radio, NPR drop sever ties with Garrison Keillor over "inappropriate behavior" with a coworker (New York Times)
• New Barbie sports pro-LGBTQ rights "Love Wins" shirt (Independent)
• Flash, Supergirl executive producer fired by The CW over sexual harassment allegations (Deadline)

M1W15: 11.27-30

"A gentleman is simply a patient wolf."

—Lana Turner

M1W15: 11.27-30

Read: eR—“Hillary Clinton is Furious. And Resigned. And Funny. And Worried.” (New York Magazine), “Miley Cyrus: Confessions of Pop's Wildest Child” (Rolling Stone), “My Year with Malala” (The Sunday Times)
Class: Presentations

MODULE 2 (DEC-FEB): IT’S COMPLICATED

M2W1: 12.4-7*

Read: eR—“Have You Heard the One About President Joe Biden?” (GQ), “Fight” (New York Times), “’I Have No Choice But to Keep Looking’” (New York Times)

Class: Presentations; PowerPoint—“The Ins and Outs of the Interview”

Due: MID-YEAR SELF-REFLECTION PORTFOLIO; Annotate one of the above profiles (from this week or last) and bring to class

*Thu 12.7 is last class meeting for Fall 2017 for Sec. 17 and 59

M2W2: 12.11*

Class: Reading discussion; Fall semester review

Note: It is highly recommended you line up your interviewee BEFORE the holidays

*Mon 12.11 is the last class meeting for Fall 2017 for Sec. 16 and 58

M2W3-7: 12.18-1.18 (Winter Break)

Read: GUY—“Welcome to Guyland” – “Sports Crazy”

Note: Profile interviews must be conducted before 1.12

Gender News 11.25

• Republicans in Virginia are refusing to call newly-elected transgender legislator a woman (Newsweek)
• Women and girls recall their workplace sexual harassment horror stories (Buzzfeed)
• Poll: Republicans less troubled by candidates charged with sexual harassment than Democrats (MSNBC)
• How the Proud Boy movement is rejecting feminism, political correctness (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Why some men won't dance? (BBC News)
• Anti-gay organization mocked for opening conference with an interpretive rainbow flag dance (HuffPost)

 

M1W14: 11.20-23

"Who, being loved, is poor?"

—Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance

M1W14: 11.20-23

No class: Wed 11.22 and Thu 11.23 (Thanksgiving)

Class: Presentations  

Due: LETTER TO THE EDITOR* 

*Due on Mon/Tue due to Thanksgiving holiday

 

Upcoming:

 

M1W15: 11.27-30

Read: eR—“Hillary Clinton is Furious. And Resigned. And Funny. And Worried.” (New York Magazine), “Miley Cyrus: Confessions of Pop's Wildest Child” (Rolling Stone), “My Year with Malala” (The Sunday Times)

Class: MID-YEAR SELF-REFLECTION PORTFOLIO

MODULE 2 (DEC-FEB): IT’S COMPLICATED

M2W1: 12.4-7*

Read: eR—“Have You Heard the One About President Joe Biden?” (GQ), “Fight” (New York Times), “’I Have No Choice But to Keep Looking’” (New York Times)

Class: Presentations; PowerPoint—“The Ins and Outs of the Interview”

Due: Annotate on of the above profiles (from this week or last) and bring to class

*Thu 12.7 is last class meeting for Fall 2017 for Sec. 17 and 59

M2W2: 12.11*

Class: Reading discussion; Fall semester review

Note: It is highly recommended you line up your interviewee BEFORE the holidays

*Mon 12.11 is the last class meeting for Fall 2017 for Sec. 16 and 58

M2W3-7: 12.18-1.18 (Winter Break)

Read: GUY—“Welcome to Guyland” – “Sports Crazy”

Note: Profile interviews must be conducted before 1.12

 

Gender News 11.15

• First hijab-clad Barbie debuts (BBC News)
• Australians vote to legalize same-sex marriage (New York Times)
• Study: Girls who heavily use their mobile phones more likely to be depressed (Daily Mail)
• Teen boys discuss the challenges of becoming men (ABC News)
• Why do men in position of power masturbate in front of women? (Los Angles Times)
• Movember is why the men in your life are currently getting hairier (Free Press Journal)

Letter to the Editor: Sex and Gender in America Today

Dating back to the 18th century, letters to the editor (LTEs) are a time-honored tradition in American newspapers. Even in the 21st century, LTEs remain a fixture in every major publication in the country. For readers, they represent an opportunity to publicly voice their opinions, to be recognized on a local or even national stage. For news organizations, it is an opportunity to gauge public opinion on a current event. Though typically brief, LTEs remain an invaluable component of any democracy's free press.

For this assignment, you will write an LTE to a major American newspaper about a recent article pertaining to sex or gender.

Follow these instructions:

1. Choose one sex and gender-related article from any of the newspapers belonging to the ten largest cities in the country (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times or  Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Arizona Republic, Philadelphia Inquirer, San Antonio Express-News, San Diego Union-Tribune, Dallas Morning News, and San Jose Mercury News)—the topic is up to you, but it must be related to current sex and gender events in America
2. Decide on your position on the issue presented in the article, as well as what you you have to say about it 
3. Study your newspaper's submission guidelines (and follow them precisely)
4. Read other published LTEs from that newspaper—pay close attention to the types of letters that get published
5. Following your newspaper's specifications, write an LTE about your chosen article—be sure to cite the precise title of the article, as well as its date of publication
6. Email your LTE to the appropriate address at your newspaper—VERY IMPORTANT: BCC on me this email (dhdelao@gmail.com)

Notes:

• Word count depends on the submission guidelines of your chosen newspaper 
• You will only receive credit if I am BCCed in your email to your newspaper

Due: Email your newspaper (and me) by 5PM on Mon 11.20/Tue 11.21

M1W13: 11.13-16

 

 














"She might've considered kissing him, even after the horrible first

date, but he just didn't seem to know what to do. However, Jeremy
does have one outstanding quality. He likes her. And this quality in
a person makes them infinitely interesting to the person being liked."

—Steve Martin, Shopgirl

Week 13: 11.13-16

Read: Peruse online editions of New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Boston Globe, as well as Salon, DailyBeast, HuffPost, Vox, and Slate for hot-button articles related to gender and sexuality

Class: Presentations; Writers workshop; PowerPoint—“Writing in the Public Discourse: Dos and Don’ts”

Due: JOURNAL 4

Upcoming:

Week 14: 11.20-23

No class: Wed 11.22 and Thu 11.23 (Thanksgiving)

Class: Presentations  

Due: LETTER TO THE EDITOR* 

*Due on Mon/Tue due to Thanksgiving holiday

 

Journal 4: All By Myself—About Heartbreak Songs

At one time or another, all of us will feel the sting of a heartbreak, be it from a break up or loneliness or unrequited love. And when we're in the grips of such pain, we most often turn to music for comfort. Yet, it's not usually cheerful, uplifting music that gets us through our darkest moments. Instead, it's sad songs that routinely makes us feel better. Why? Why do we take comfort in maudlin songs when we hurt? What is it about hearing about other people's misery that makes us somehow feel better? Are there certain elements that make up a perfect heartbreak song? And if you've ever found yourself at the mercy of a heartache, what music got you through the pain?

Write about two of the following classic heartbreak songs AND one of your own choice (instrumentals are okay, too):

1. Toni Braxton, "Un-Break My Heart"
2. Bonnie Raitt, "I Can't Make You Love Me" 
3. Bill Withers, "Ain't No Sunshine"
4. ABBA, "The Winner Takes it All" 
5. Olivia Newton-John, "Hoplessly Devoted to You" [from Grease]
6. Roxette, "It Must Have Been Love"
7. Jewel, "You Were Meant for Me"
8. "Rod Stewart, "Maggie May"
9. Candace Glover, "I Who Have Nothing" [Tom Jones cover]
10. Jim Croce, "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)"
11. Patsy Cline, "She's Got You" 
12. Beyoncé, "Irreplaceable"
13. Everything But The Girl, "Missing"
14. Elvis Presley, "You Were Always on My Mind"
15. Roy Orbison, "Crying" 
16. Eric Carmen, "All By Myself"
17. Dolly Parton, "Jolene"
18. Sinéad O'Connor, "Nothing Compares 2 U" [Prince cover]
19. Lea Michele, 'What I Did For Love" [from A Chorus Line] 
20. Elton John, "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word"
21. Bee Gees, "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart" 
22. Adele, "Someone Like You"
23. Boyz II Men, "End of the Road"
24. Chris Isaak, "Somebody's Crying" 
25. Vikki Carr, "It Must Be Him"
26. Hank Williams, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” 
27. Carole King, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"  
28. Des'ree, "I'm Kissing You"
29. ZZ Ward, "Last Love Song"
30. Dusty Springfield, "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"
31. Gloria Estefan, "The Words Get in the Way" 
32. The Beatles, "Yesterday"
33. Barbra Streisand, "The Way We Were"
34. Journey, "Open Arms"
35. Mariah Carey, "I'll Be There" [Jackson Five cover]
36. Brenda Lee, "I'm Sorry"
37. Samantha Banks, "On My Own [from Les Miserables]
38. George Michael, "Careless Whisper" 
39. The Platters, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
40. Frank Sinatra, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"

Required:

• MLA Style
• 2 pages in length

Due: Wed 11.15/Thu 11.16

Gender News 11.7

• Author of Virginia ant-trans bathroom bill loses state seat—to a trans women (New York Daily News)
• Reddit bans 40,000 member Incel subreddit (Guardian)
• A 30-person all male model brawl breaks out in NYC (New York Daily News)
• Why are fans are sexualizing Stranger Things' teenage cast? (BBC News)
• Former Gossip Girl actor, Ed Westwick, accused of rape (Vulture) — UPDATE: Second woman comes forward with rape accusation (Deadline)
• In a troubling beauty trend, Asian women are altering their noses to appear more Western (Daily Mail)

M1W12: 11.6-9

"I love him so much it just turns to hate."

—Hole, "Doll Parts"

Week 12: 11.6-9
Read: Peruse online editions of New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Boston Globe, as well as Salon, DailyBeast, HuffPost, Vox, and Slate for hot-button articles related to gender and sexuality

Class: Presentations; PowerPoint—“Writing in the Public Discourse: Dos and Don’ts”

Due: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES

Upcoming:

Week 13: 11.13-16

Class: Presentations; Writers workshop

Due: LETTER TO THE EDITOR (FINAL DRAFT 1; ATTACH DRAFT 1 TO BACK)

 

Gender News 10.31 (Harvey Weisnstein Fallout Edition)

• Fresh sexual assault charges levied against Kevin Spacey (CBC News)
• Amid sexual assault allegations, Netflix suspends production of Spacey's House of Cards indefinitely (Deadline)
• NPR Chief Editor on leave after sexual harassment charges arise (Los Angeles Times)
• Woman, who previously accused Peyton Manning of assault, revives her charges (New York Daily News)
• Actor Jeremy Piven accused of assaulting a woman on the set of Entourage (HuffPost)
• Here are the most offensive excuses we've heard from men accused of sexual harassment and assault (Chicago Tribune)

 

M1W11: 10.30-11.2

"Was it hard?" I ask. "Letting go?"

"Not as hard as holding on to something that wasn't real."

—Lisa Schroeder, I Heart You, You Haunt Me

Week 11: 10.30-11.2

Read: Peruse online editions of New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Boston Globe, as well as Salon, DailyBeast, HuffPost, Vox, and Slate for hot-button articles related to gender and sexuality

Class: Presentations

Upcoming:

Week 12: 11.6-9

Class: Presentations; PowerPoint—“Writing in the Public Discourse: Dos and Don’ts”

Due: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES

Short Answer Responses: Short Stories about Sex and Gender

Choose FIVE of the following eight questions to answer:

1. Which character’s view of love and relationships is most askew? Why?
2. Which of the stories features the couple with the “healthiest” relationship? Likewise, which couple the “unhealthiest” relationship?
3. What does “A Jury of Her Peers” illustrate about the differences in how men and women problem solve?
4. Which female character most actively challenges her gender’s norms? Which male character does?
5. Which story is most optimistic about men and women overcoming their differences to understand one another? Which story is the pessimistic?
6. Of the family relationships presented in these stories, which is the most heartbreaking?
7. Which character did you root for the most?
8. In “Brokeback Mountain,” Proulx’s sympathies clearly lie with Ennis and Jack, but what about their spouses? What price did the men’s wives pay for their husbands’ relationship?

Guidelines:

• All responses should be no more than 10 sentences—open each response with your thesis, then follow with sentences than lean more heavily on evidence than commentary (See example below)
• Be very specific—quote extensively to support your thesis
• Clearly indicate which question you are answering, though questions do not have to be presented in order
• As is traditional in writing about fiction, write in the present tense 
• All titles should be in title case and inside quotation marks 
• All stories can be found in the Dropbox section to the right of this post

Short Answer Example:

In this example, a short answer response is given to a questions about teenagers in the 1950s.

Question-
What was 1950s America’s reaction to the rise of teenager culture in that decade?

Answer-
America reacted to the rise of 1950s teenager culture largely with fear and contempt. The terror teenagers evoked in adults is most evident in the strict school rules put in place in the late 50s. For example, it was then that strict curfews—designed to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble—were more heavily enforced. As Rasmussen points out, “older Americans feared that their youth were going to plunge into lives of sex and crime, so they put in place several regulations to keep them housed, safe from outside temptations.” This was also the period when frightening educational films were shown to kids to “scare them straight” (Kline). These films, like The Bloody Road and Fred the Drunk, graphically warned kids about everything from reckless driving to the perils of underage drinking. Additionally, many older Americans felt that youth were an entitled generation; they felt that kids were becoming increasingly spoiled and, thus, deserved harsher punishments to keep them in line. Hollywood happily reinforced this view with portrayals of lazy young Americans, who felt they were owed an easy upbringing. In these films, teenage characters were often harshly punished for not having the same values as their parents. Perez illustrates this point in his examination of The Father Figure, a 1958 film in which a know-it-all boy meets a grim death in nature by not listening to his dad’s advice about the elements.

Short answer, numbered and annotated-

1. America reacted to the rise of 1950s teenager culture largely with fear and resentment. [A THESIS WHICH CLEARLY AND DEFINITIVELY ANSWERS THE PROMPT]
2. The terror teenagers evoked in adults is most evident in the strict school rules put in place in the late 50s. [BEGINS TO ANSWER THE FIRST PART OF THE THESIS: FEAR]
3. For example, it was then that strict curfews—designed to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble—were more heavily enforced. [OFFERS A CLEAR EXAMPLE: CURFEWS]
4. As Jane Rasmussen points out, “older Americans feared that their youth were going to plunge into lives of sex and crime, so they put in place several regulations to keep them housed, safe from outside temptations.” [EVIDENCE FROM TEXT TO SUPPORT THE “FEAR” PART OF THE THESIS]
5. This was also the period when frightening educational films were shown to kids to “scare them straight” (Kline). [ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF AMERICANS’ FEAR: GRAPHIC EDUCATIONAL FILMS]
6. These films, like The Bloody Road and Fred the Drunk, graphically warned kids about everything from reckless driving to the perils of underage drinking. [PROVIDES SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF GRAPHIC EDUCATIONAL FILMS]
7. Additionally, many older Americans felt that youth were an entitled generation; they felt that kids were becoming increasingly spoiled and. [TRANSITIONS INTO SECOND PART OF THESIS: RESENTMENT; SETS UP THE VIEW THAT OLDER AMERICANS RESENTED WHAT THEY PERCEIVED WAS TEENAGERS' INCREASING PRIDE AND SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT]
8. Hollywood happily reinforced this view with portrayals of lazy teenagers, who felt they were owed an easy upbringing. [ILLUSTRATES HOW HOLLYWOOD FED THIS RESENTMENT]
9. In these films, teenage characters were often harshly punished for not having the same values as their parents. [HIGHLIGHTS HOW HOLLYWOOD TYPICALLY ACHIEVED THIS]
10. Ian Perez illustrates this point in his examination of The Father Figure, a 1958 film in which a privileged, know-it-all boy meets a grim death in the wilderness by not listening to his dad’s advice about the elements. [CLOSES WITH A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE—FROM THE TEXT—OF HOW TEENAGERS WERE JUSTIFIABLY PUNISHED FOR THEIR PRIDE AND SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT]

Required:

• MLA Style

Due: Wed 11.8/Thu 11.9