Quiz on Thursday!

For Thursday, please read, 1-17 & 210-215 in A Writer's Reference.

Also, please read "Men, Women, Sex, and Darwin." You will have a quiz on this essay in class on Thursday.

Helpful hint: "Men, Women, Sex, and Darwin" is an argument against evolutionary psychology. Angier explains the major tenets of evolutionary psychology and then counters each claim.

These are the points that she refutes in her article: "1. Men are more promiscuous and less sexually reserved than women are. 2. Women are inherently more interested in a stable relationship than men are. 3. Women are naturally attracted to high-status men with resources. 4. Men are naturally attracted to youth and beauty. 5. Humankind's core preferences and desires were hammered out long, long ago, a hundred thousand years or more, in the legendary Environment of Evolutionary Adaptation, or E.E.A., also known as the ancestral environment, also known as the Stone Age, and they have not changed appreciably since then, nor are they likely to change in the future."

Pay special attention to how she argues against these claims.

An Identity Reduced to a Burka: Link & Questions

Here is the link to the reading for Thursday:

An Identity Reduced to a Burka

Summarize this article. What is the purpose of this piece? What is the tone? How does this article compare with the article "Black Men and Public Space."

This article was first published in the opinion section of the LA Times while "Black Men and Public Space" was initially published in Ms. magazine. How does each author write specifically for his or her intended audience? How might the writing style change if the author were to write about the same topic for a different group?

Help with your Final Paper!

Here are some handouts on the most common writing problems:

Proofreading for Commas

Comma Splices

Run-on sentences

Verb Tense

Paragraphs

Article: The Porn Myth

Summarize Naomi Wolf's argument against pornography. How does she support her points? What are the strengths in her argument? Are there any gaps or flaws in her logic? Do you agree or disagree with her argument? Why?

The Porn Myth

Masculinity

Summarize Paul Theroux's article, "Being a Man." What are his main points? How does he support his points? Do you think he makes a strong argument?

What are your views on masculinty in America? Do you think masculinity is an oppressive force as Theroux suggests? Why or why not?

Two Articles on Sports

Here is the article that I mentioned in class about Jaime Nared, the twelve year old female basketball phenom:Jaime Nared

Here is an article that discusses the gender differences in male and female athletic performance:Men, Women, and Speed. 2 Words: Got Testosterone

News Article: European Parliament Against Sexist Ads

Recently, the European Parliament reprimanded the advertising industry for employing gender stereotypes in ads.

Summarize this article. Do you think that this will change the advertising industry in Europe? Do you think we should implement a similar policy in the US? Why or why not?

Why do you think that advertisers often use gender stereotypes to sell products?

Europe Takes Aim at Sexual Stereotyping in Ads

Quiz Due Tuesday, September 23rd

Take Home Quiz
2-3 paragraphs
You can post it on the blog, but you must also bring in a typed copy for me on Tuesday if you want to get credit for the assignment.

Choose one of the following commercials or advertisements. Summarize the clip or ad, and then analyze what it implies about men, women, and/or the relationship between the sexes. What does it suggest about how men or women behave in American society? What does it say bout how men and should behave? Note any gender stereotypes. How does the ad or commercial use these gender stereotypes to sell the product

Commerical #1 Hungry Man

Commercial #2 Hasbro's Rose Petal Cottage

Commercial #3 Coca Cola Zero

Commercial #4 Dairy Queen

Commercial #5 Combos

Commercial #6Snickers

Advertisement #1

Advertisement #2

Advertisement #3

Advertisement #4

Advertisement#5

Post Your Introductory Paragraphs Here

Post your introductory paragraph, and I will give you feedback. Also, feel free to give helpful and constructive feedback to others.

Introductory Paragraphs
For this essay, you will use your introductory paragraph to grab the reader's attention and to focus and set the tone of your paper.

Here are some ideas for opening your essay. Check out the longer version here: Introductory Paragraphs

Begin with a quotation. Just make sure you explain its relevance

Begin with a question

Begin with an acknowledgment of an opinion opposite to the one you plan to take

Begin with a very short narrative or anecdote that has a direct bearing on your paper

Begin with an interesting fact

Begin with a definition or explanation of a term relevant to your paper

Begin with irony or paradox

Begin with an analogy. Make sure it's original but not too far-fetched

News Article: Facebook Ads Target You Where It Hurts

In this article, Rachel Beckman discusses how Facebook uses the personal information from Facebook users' profiles (ie. gender and marital status) to target advertisements toward specific users. For instance, women receive advertisements about weight loss and beauty products.

Do you think that this is an offensive practice? Why or why not? Can you think of other examples where this type of practice occurs? Do advertisers have an ethical responsibility to the consumers? Or is it all about selling the product?

Facebook Ads Target You Where it Hurts

Hint: If you have any problems opening the article from this link, go to google.com and type the title of the article in the search box. This should also pull it up.

Mrs. Sen's

Compare Mrs. Sen and Eliot. How are they similar? How are they different? Why do you think Lahiri tells the story through Eliot's perspective? How might the story change if we (as readers) had more access to Mrs Sen's interior thoughts?

This Blessed House

Do you think that Sanjeev and Twinkle are compatible? If you were their relationship counselor, what advice would you give to them? Do you think their relationship will survive?

What do you make of the final line? "Sanjeev pressed the massive silver face to his ribs, careful not to let the feather hat slip, and followed her" (157).

Reading for Tuesday, September 16th

I have changed the reading for Tuesday, September 16th.

We will be reading "The Gender Blur" by Deborah Blum and "Hers; Why Boys Don't Play with Dolls" by Katha Pollitt.

I will print out copies for everybody and hand them out on Thursday, but you can also find the articles here:

Blum

Katha Pollitt

MLA format for Essay 1: Important

Please be sure to format Essay1 properly by using the guidelines provided in this link: MLA format

Jhumpa Lahiri Reading

Ms. Lahiri will visit campus to read from her work and take questions from students on Tuesday, September 9, from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in Whitman Auditorium. The doors will open at 9:15 a.m.

Character Comparison

Compare Miranda from "Sexy" with Mr. Kapasi from "Interpreter of Maladies." How are they alike? How are they different?

Questions

List 5 or 6 questions that you would ask Jhumpa Lahiri if you had the chance.

And guess what! You have the chance. Don't forget to attend the reading on Tuesday.

Infidelity

Both "Interpreter of Maladies" and "Sexy" deal with the topic of infidelity. What are your views on infidelity? Why do you think people cheat?

How do you define infidelity? Laxmi, for instance, says in "Sexy" that she would leave her husband if he even looked at another woman. Would you consider Mr. Kapasi guilty of infidelity because of his thoughts about Mrs. Das?

News Article: Vogue's Fashion Photos Spark Debate in India

Recently, Vogue India photographed impoverished Indian workers in expensive designer clothing for a spread in the August issue.

Why do you think that there was such an outcry against these photographs? Do you think that this crosses the line into exploitation? How does using "real people" differ from using models?

Check out the article here Fashion Photos Spark Debate

News Article: Popularity in High School

What is the author of this article saying about popularity in high school? What did the social hierarchy look like in your high school? Do you think the social hierarchy changes in college? If so, how?

Click here for the link to the article:
The Popularity Scale

Love & Marriage

Almost every story in Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies revolves around a marriage (arranged or unarranged, sanctioned or unsanctioned). What are your thoughts on marriage? What is the relationship between love and marriage? What makes a good/bad marriage? What do you think Jhumpa Lahiri is suggesting about marriage?

Initial Response

Did you like Interpreter of Maladies? Why or why not? What specifically did you like or dislike? What did you find most interesting about the book?