Assignment: Presentations

Everyone in the class will give a brief (5-10 minute) presentation on a representation of women in contemporary culture. This “representation” could be a novel, a movie, a TV show, an advertisement, a story in the news…anything that involves the construction of femininity on the part of the creator of the representation. You’ll examine about the ideas about gender (or femininity specifically) that are embedded in the representation you choose, and what that image suggests about current attitudes toward or assumptions about gender. You’ll frame your discussion historically, keeping in mind the 19^th and early 20^th-century representations of women we’ve been studying all semester. As a class, we’ll seek—through these presentations—to trace the concerns of this class into the present, into our own historical moment.

You’ll receive more detailed instructions after break: but now would be a good time to start thinking about—or looking around for—potential topics.