MCS 370 | Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Name

Gender and Media

Code	Semester	Theory (hour/week)	Application/Lab (hour/week)	Local Credits	ECTS
MCS 370	Fall/Spring	3	0	3	4

Prerequisites	None
Course Language	English
Course Type	Elective
Course Level	First Cycle
Course Coordinator	-
Course Lecturer(s)	-
Assistant(s)	-

Course Objectives	The primary objective of the course is to enable the students to understand and analyze better the role of the media in constructing and presenting gender stereotypes within the political, economic, social and cultural context.aThe core aim of the course is to gain insight into the ways in which gender, and its intersections with race, ethnicity and class, is enacted, represented and has an impact on cultural formations, media reception and consumption. Although gender is the primary identity construction examined in this course, we will also focus on other aspects of identity that define gender, such as ethnicity, class, and sexuality. This course, which will consist of lecture, screenings and discussions consecutively, revolves around critical analysis of and engagement with examples of film, television, adverts and new media of the present day. 1. In-class behavior: Students may not answer cell phones during class, screenings or presentations. Students may use personal computers during class. 2. Assignments: Assignments will not be accepted by email unless arranged with the instructor. All late assignments will be lowered by 30%. This penalty may be waived in cases of illness or emergency documented to my satisfaction. Computer/technology problems are NOT valid excuses for late work. 3. Academic Integrity: Plagiarism, Academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated.
Learning Outcomes	The students who succeeded in this course; Demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which gender is constructed and performed across a range of moving image forms and genres. Demonstrate an understanding of different modes of media analysis from films to reality television. Acquiring a critical understanding of key theories of gender and identity. Demonstrate an understanding of the constructions of sexuality, gender, race, ethnicity and nation in the media. Gain familiarity of the construction of gender in the media in the present day, with a focus on a variety of different cultures and media across the world. Gain familiarity with significant critical debates within film and television studies; including work on narrative, genre, performance, industry and audience. Gain experience of analyzing a diverse selection of moving image texts through structured in class activities. Develop informed readings of moving image texts through presentation work; and through written assignments.
Course Content	This course examines various images and representations of gender in media paying particular attention to contemporary media. Employing theories from cultural studies, media, film, reception and gender studies, this course explores different processes and practices of gender, specifically in terms of media representations of femininity, masculinity and queerness. The media plays a major role in "constructing" gender, and “popular” views of what appropriate gendering is, in turn, shape how we communicate with each other. ACADEMIC CAUTION Academic honesty: Plagiarism, copying, cheating, purchasing essays/projects, presenting some one else’s work as your own and all sorts of literary theft is considered academic dishonesty. Under the rubric of İzmir University of Economics Faculty of Communication, all forms of academic dishonesty are considered as crime and end in disciplinary interrogation. According to YÖK’s Student Discipline Regulation, the consequence of cheating or attempting to cheat is 6 to 12 months expulsion. Having been done intentionally or accidentally does not change the punitive consequences of academic dishonesty. Academic honesty is each student’s own responsibility. Plagiarism is the most common form of academic dishonesty. According to the MerriamWebster Online Dictionary, to plagiarize means to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own. The easiest and most effective way to prevent plagiarism is to give reference when using someone else’s ideas, and to use quotation marks when using someone else’s exact words. A detailed informative guideline regarding plagiarism can be found here.

Course Category	Core Courses
	Major Area Courses	X
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
1	Course Introduction: Why should and how do we study gender in the media?	Gill: 7-16; Gaye Tuchman, “The Symbolic Annihilation of Women in the Media.” pp. 3-38.
2	Gender, Stereotypes and Representation	Glascock, J. (2001). Gender roles on prime-time network television: Demographics and behaviors. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 45 (4), 656-669. Yanardağoğlu, E., & Karam, I. N. (2013). The fever that hit Arab satellite television: audience perceptions of Turkish TV series. Identities, 20(5), 561-579. Screenings: Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century, Star TV & Show TV, 2011-2014)
3	How Do We Do “Feminist Film and Media Studies”?	Mayne, J. (1990). The woman at the keyhole: Feminism and women's cinema. Indiana University Press. Cooper, B. (2000). “Chick Flicks” as Feminist Texts: The Appropriation of the Male Gaze in Thelma & Louise. Women's Studies in Communication, 23(3), 277-306. Cooper, B. (1999). The relevancy and gender identity in spectators’ interpretations of Thelma & Louise. Critical Studies in Media Communication,16(1), 20-41. Screening: Suffragette (Sarah Gavron, 2015)
4	Femininity as Spectacle	Stewart, M. L. (2005). The politics and spectacle of fashion and femininity. Journal of Women's History, 17(1), 192-200. Gerhard, J. (2005). Sex and the City: Carrie Bradshaw's queer postfeminism. Feminist Media Studies, 5(1), 37-49. Screening: Sex and the City, Season 4 Episode 2 ‘The Real Me’ (1998-2004, HBO) First in class activity: write a few sentences on the representation of femininity in the Sex and the City episode we have seen and make a discussion about your position. You will hand it in at the end of the class.
5	Cinematic Representation of Masculinity	Cohan, S. & Rae Hark, I., eds, (1993). Screening the Male: Exploring Masculinities in Hollywood Cinema. London & New York: Routledge. Ta, L. M. (2006). Hurt so good: Fight Club, masculine violence, and the crisis of capitalism. The Journal of American Culture, 29(3), 265-277. King, C. S. (2009). It cuts both ways: Fight Club, masculinity, and abject hegemony. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 6(4), 366-385. Giroux, H. A. (2001). Private Satisfactions and Public Disorders:" Fight Club", Patriarchy, and the Politics of Masculine Violence. pp, 1-31. Screening: Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
6	Televised Mascuilinity: Changing Genres, Changing Roles	Edwards, T. (2006). Cultures of Masculinity. London & New York: Routledge. Feasey, R. (2008). Masculinity and Popular Television. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Screenings: House M.D. (Fox, 2014-2012) ER (NBC, 1994-2009) The Naked Chef (BBC2, 1999-2001) First Written Assignment: TV and Gender Analysis (Short Review) Birinci Yazılı Ödev: Televizyon ve Toplumsal Cinsiyet Analizi (Kısa eleştiri)
7	Gender and New Media	Van Doorn, N. (2010). The ties that bind: the networked performance of gender, sexuality and friendship on MySpace. New Media & Society, 12(4), 583-602. Bivens, R. (2015). The gender binary will not be deprogrammed: Ten years of coding gender on Facebook. new media & society. 1-19. Nilan, P., Burgess, H., Hobbs, M., Threadgold, S., & Alexander, W. (2015). Youth, social media, and cyberbullying among Australian youth:“Sick friends”.Social Media+ Society, 1(2), 1-12. Screening: Black Mirror: 3rd season, 1st episode ‘Nosedive’ (Netflix, 2014-...) Second Assignment: In Class Twitter and Instagram Assignment
8	Gender and Celebrity Culture	Barry, E. (2008) ‘Celebrity, Cultural Production and Public Life’, International Journal of Cultural Studies 11(3). pp.251-58. Cashmore, E. (2006) Celebrity/Culture. New York: Routledge. Armstrong, C. L. (2013). Media disparty: a gender battleground. Lanham: Lexington Books. Screenings: The Big Brother UK (2000-...) Biri Bizi Gözetliyor (2001-2007, Show TV & Star TV)
9	Gender and Race	Entman, R. M., & Rojecki, A. (2001). The black image in the white mind: Media and race in America (pp. 28-29). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Young, L. (1996). Fear of the Dark: 'Race', Gender and Sexuality in the Cinema. London & New York: Routledge. Ritzenhoff, K., & Kazecki, J. (Eds.). (2014). Heroism and gender in war films. Springer. Screening: Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino, 2012)
10	Gender and Class	Dines, G., & Humez, J. M. (2003). Gender, race, and class in media: A text-reader. Sage. Tasker, Y. (2002). Working girls: Gender and sexuality in popular cinema. London & New York: Routledge. Screenings: Shameless USA (Showtime, 2011-...)
11	Student Presentations	Presentations of an outline of students’ own final projects (3-4 minutes in class presentations each)
12	Gendered Media Consumption, Fans and Empowerment	Kuhn, A. (2007). Women’s genres: Melodrama, soap opera and theory.Feminist Television Criticism: A Reader, 145-154. Lewis, L. A. (1992). The adoring audience: Fan culture and popular media. Psychology Press. Screening: Kısmet (Nina Maria Paschalidou, 2013)
13	LGBTQ+ identity in media	Genz, S., (2009). Postfemininities in popular culture. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Cohan, S. (2007). "Queer eye for the straight guise: camp, postfeminism, and the fab five's makeovers of masculinity", Interrogating Postfeminism: Gender and the Politics of Popular Culture, 176-200. Poole, J. (2014). Queer representations of gay males and masculinities in the media. Sexuality & Culture, 18(2), 279-290. Screenings: Looking (HBO) Queer Eye For the Straight Guy (2003-2007) RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009-...)
14	New Queer Cinema	Rich, R. (2013) New Queer Cinema: The Director’s Cut. Durham & London: Duke University Press. Screening: Mysterious Skin (Gregg Araki, 2004)
15	Overview
16	Review of the Semester

Course Textbooks

The Gender and Media Reader, edited by Mary Celeste Kearney, Routledge, 2011.

References

The course uses the sources that are listed above in the Weekly Subjects and Related Preparations. Proposal Presentation (20%): Choose a case study and theory for your final project based on our lectures, readings and screenings. Present an advertisement, film or television clip—any brief text—to be read for its construction of gender. In your presentation, you must 1. identify the context in which this media appeared 2. describe its particular conceptualization of gender 3. present an argument about the text’s framing of gender. 4. use a citation from the assigned readings or others to support your argument. Participation (10%)—You should come to class prepared to ask questions and ready to make lively, insightful, substantive and respectful contributions to our discussion of the course materials. In-class activities (10% in total, 5% each)- You have to be in class for these two assignments and submit them at the end of the lectures on the 4th and 7th weeks. Written Assignment (20%): The 600-800 word critical essay (worth 15% each) require the students to research and analyze a chosen film within its historical, social and cultural contexts. These assignments require the students to select a film from one of the periods and themes we have covered in the class and conduct a detailed analysis of how that film reflects the context in which it was produced/distributed/exhibited. The final paper (worths 40%) will be a deeper analysis of a selected period or theme with reference to the readings and in-class discussions. The details of the final paper will be provided on the 3rd week.

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Requirements	Number	Percentage
Participation	1	15
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques	6	60
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury
Project	1	25
Seminar / Workshop
Portfolios
Midterms / Oral Exams
Final / Oral Exam
Total

Contribution of Semester Work to Final Grade	100	100
Contribution of Final Work to Final Grade
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Activities	Number	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Course Hours Including exam week: 16 x total hours	16	3	48
Laboratory / Application Hours Including exam week: 16 x total hours	16
Study Hours Out of Class
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques	6
Homework / Assignments		12
Presentation / Jury		8
Project	1	30
Seminar / Workshop
Portfolios
Midterms / Oral Exams
Final / Oral Exam
		Total	78

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#	Program Qualifications / Outcomes	* Level of Contribution
#	Program Qualifications / Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To be able to critically discuss and interpret the theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of media and communication discipline.					X
2	To have the fundamental knowledge and ability to use the technical equipment and software programs required by the mediaproduction process.		X
3	To be able to use the acquired theoretical knowledge in practice.			X
4	To be able to critically interpret theoretical debates concerning the relations between the forms, agents, and factors that play a role in the field of media and communication.					X
5	To be able to critically discuss and draw on theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of other disciplines complementing the field of media and communication studies.					X
6	To be informed about national, regional, and global issues and problems; to be able to generate problemsolving methods depending on the quality of evidence and research, and to acquire the ability to report those methods to the public.				X
7	To be able to gather, scrutinize and use with scientific methods the necessary data to for the processes of production and distribution.					X
8	To be able to use and develop the acquired knowledge and skills in a lifelong process towards personal and social goals.				X
9	To be able to follow developments in new technologies of media and communication, as well as new methods of production, new media industries, and new theories; and to be able to communicate with international colleagues in a foreign language. (“European Language Portfolio Global Scale,” Level B1)				X
10	To be able to use a second foreign language at the intermediate level.				X
11	To be able to use computer software required by the discipline and to possess advancedlevel computing and IT skills. (“European Computer Driving Licence”, Advanced Level)		X