Analyzing Television – Assignment Overview
This assignment is fairly simple but it requires you to think carefully about the complexity of representation as well as the nuances of the specific arguments and concepts raised in our readings. Here’s what I want you to do:
Select a recent television show (produced within the last 2 years) with which you are familiar, meaning that you have seen more than a handful of episodes and you are knowledgeable about the show’s plot, characters, etc. Use two of the readings below in order to do an in-depth critical analysis of the show (your ‘case study’) that pays attention to representations of gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, age, etc. You certainly don’t have to address all of these aspects in your paper, rather, you should examine the patterns of representations that are specifically relevant to your case study. Keep the following things in mind:
- First, the introduction of your paper needs to be written in the following manner: begin with a brief plot summary of your TV show, followed by a clear thesis statement and a preview of your argument’s main points (what you will say and do in the paper).
- Second, this assignment is not asking for you to take the ‘treasure hunt’ approach to media analysis where you find random examples that allow you to say “Ah ha! There’s a negative portrayal of women!” or “Look! This scene is racist.” Rather, I want you to focus on dominant patterns of representation within the show that shape how we make sense of the main characters, storylines, messages, and so on.
- Third, there’s a good chance that one of the two readings you utilize (below) will not be focused on content that is immediately relevant to your TV show. That’s fine. Your job is to figure out how that author’s insights resonate beyond the subject matter in his or her article. For example, Ward Churchill is clearly focused on the representation of American Indians in film but he offers a useful framework, as well as a critical/conceptual vocabulary, for analyzing media representations of people of color, more broadly. Similarly, Kay Siedler’s essay is focused primarily on transqueer representations but she offers important insights about media and identity that are by no means limited to transqueer representations.
- Finally, remember that the goal here is for you to a) demonstrate your critical engagement with the TV show, b) make effective use of course readings, and d) apply concepts in a clear, coherent and thoughtful manner. This also means supporting your arguments and providing evidence to back up your claims.
Readings from which you can choose (select two):
- Stuart Hall, “The Work of Representation,” in Representation, Second Ed (London: Sage, 2013). Read through 4.1 only…and focus most attention on pages 1-26.
- Michael S. Kimmel, “Masculinity as Homophobia.”
- Kay Siedler, “Transqueer Representations and How We Educate,” Journal of LGBT Youth, Vol. 7 (2010): 320–345.
- Judith Lorber, “Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender,” Paradoxes of Gender (Yale University Press, 1994).
- Excerpt from Stuart Hall, “The Whites of Their Eyes: Racist Ideologies and the Media.” Here’s the essay in its entirety, if you wish to use it.
- Ward Churchill, “Fantasies of the Master Race: The Cinematic Colonization of American Indians,” from The Ward Churchill Reader.
- Evelyn Alsultany,“Challening the Terrorist Stereotype,” in Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race and Representation After 9/11 (New York: New York University Press, 2012).
- Charles Riley, “Heroes of Assimilation: How the Media Transform Disability,” from Disability and the Media: Prescriptions for Change (2005).
- Katherine Sender and Margaret Sullivan, “Epidemics of Will, Failures of Self-Esteem: Responding to Fat Bodies in The Biggest Loser and What Not to Wear,” Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies (2008).
Assignment Details
- Due on Tuesday, May 5. Papers must be submitted via Turnitin. Late papers will NOT be accepted for any reason.
- Papers need to be 5 pages + a formatted bibliography.
- Papers should following standard formatting: 12 pt Times New Roman font, default margins, double-spaced, and numbered pages. The paper should meet the standards of academic style. In addition, the only information I need at the top of page one is your name and the title of your paper (don’t include course info, my name, etc). You do not need a separate title page. Finally, be sure to keep a backup copy of your paper for your records, as you should with all your assignments.