81585 - Studies of Gender in the Media (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will:

- acquire the basic historical notions to understand the development of gender studies in contemporary humanities.

- be updated on the theoretical notions of gender studies and how these have been applied in the field of media studies.

- be able to contextualize this knowledge in the context of studies that have developed the gender studies by defining boundaries, skills, and research tools (Feminist Film Theory, Queer Studies, Man's Studies).

They will also have developed the methodological tools for:

- contextualizing the main theoretical-methodological notions in the fields of cinema, television and audiovisual media culture.

- analyzing audiovisual products in the light of theoretical problems raised by gender studies.

Course contents

This course aims to introduce students to the main concepts of gender studies, with special reference to media.

This course is divided into two parts.

The first part will give an historical outline to reconstruct the main lines of thought that constitute gender studies in cinema and media. More specifically, the following topics will be dealt with:

- the main contributions of the Feminist Film Theory and relations with gender studies;

- gender studies and Queer Theory I: Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick;

- gender studies and Queer Theory II: Leo Bersani, Lee Edelman;

- the contribution of audience studies to gender studies;

- studies on masculinity.

The second part  of the course will offer two case studies: 1) Examples of masculinity in contemporary Hollywood cinema will be analyzed; 2)An analysis will be made of the ways in which certain exponents of queer theory have interpreted the so-called "mainstream gay-themed movie": Call me by your name (Guadagnino, 2017), Brokeback mountain (Lee, 2005), Moonlight (Jenkins, 2016).

Readings/Bibliography

Please note: students are required to find the books and articles included in the exam bibliography well in advance. Not all volumes and essays are easy to find. Accordingly, students are invited to move forward to get the bibliographic materials which, if not available at the Department of Arts library, they shall be taken from other libraries (through OPAC SBN: http: //opac.sbn .it / opacsbn / opac / iccu / base.jsp) or book-shops (also online) or on the web.

 

a) Arnaldo Spallacci, Maschi, il Mulino, Bologna 2012.

b)Alberto Scandola, ed., Hollywood man. Immagine, mascolinità e performance nel cinema americano contemporaneo, Kaplan, Torino 2017.

c) Laura Mulvey, Cinema e piacere visivo, a cura di Veronica Pravadelli, Bulzoni Editore, Roma 2013: only parts: pp 13-55; 127-145; 163-178.

d) the following articles appeared on magazines or essays of collective volumes

- Gaylyn Studlar, Il masochismo e i piaceri perversi del cinema, in Giulia Fanara, Federica Giovannelli (a cura di), Eretiche ed erotiche. Le donne, le idee, il cinema, Liguori Editore, Napoli 2004, pp. 187-211.

- D. A. Miller, Anal Rope, in "Representations", Vol. 32 Autumn, 1990, pp. 114-133. This article can be consulted on line at:http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic708723.files/Anal%20Rope.pdf

- Lee Edelman, No future, in Elisa A. G. Arfini, Cristian Lo Iacono (a cura di), Canone inverso. Antologia di teoria queer, ETS, Pisa, 2012, pp. 245-269.

- Ian Huffer, ''I wanted to be Rocky, but I also wanted to be his wife!”: Heterosexuality and the (Re)construction of Gender in Female Film Audiences Consumption of Sylvester Stallone, “Particip@tions”, Volume 4, Issue 2 (November 2007). Also on line: “Participations. Journal of Audience & Reception Studies”: http://www.participations.org/index.htm)

- Carrie Lynn D. Reinhard, Kevin Miller, Man watching Sex and the City, My Little Pony and Oklahoma: The Interpretation of Gender Appropriateness in the Reception of Cross-gendered Media Products, "Particip@tion", Volume 12, Issue 1, May 2015. This article can be free downloaded.

- David A. Miller, Elios's Education, "Los Angeles Review of Books", 19 febbraio 2018. L'articolo è consultabile al seguente link: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/elios-education/

 

e) Non-attending students, in addition to materials set out in a), b), c), d) are required to study:

- Raewyn Connell, Questioni di genere, Second edizion, Il Mulino, Bologna 2011.

 

FILMOGRAPHY

Filmography is an integral part of the course. All students, attending and non-attending, are required to watch and know in detail the films included in it, collecting information about them, both via the web and through autonomous bibliographic consultation. The films will all available at the Department of Arts video-library via Barberia 4. Students may watch them there or get them home.

 

Filmography for the general part:

Rope (Nodo alla gola, Hitchcock, 1948)

Psycho (Psyco, Hitchcock, 1960)

The Birds (Gli uccelli, Hitchcock, 1963)

 

Filmography for the monographic part:

Call me by your name (Guadagnino, 2017)

Brokeback mountain (Lee, 2005)

Moonlight (Jenkins, 2016)

Teaching methods

Lectures with comment and analysis of essays, articles and movie sequences.

Assessment methods

Students will be assessed by a final oral examination. This interview aims to verify that students have achieved the following learning outcomes:

- detailed knowledge of the main methodological aspects and key terms of gender studies.

- detailed knowledge of the evolution of gender studies over the last forty years in relation to feminist theories, queer studies, and masculinity studies

- personal re-elaboration capabilities of the theoretical notions and ability to apply historical and methodological notions to specific study cases (such as movies in filmography and, for attending students, also discussed in lessons).

- ability to expose in detail the contents of the essays in the recommended bibliography.

It will be assessed as excellent the performance of those students achieving an organic vision of the course contents, the use of a proper specific language, the originality of the reflection as well as the familiarity with the tolls for analysing the filmography.

It will be assessed as discrete the performance of those students showing mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, not articulated synthesis and analysis capabilities, a correct but not always appropriate language, as well as a scholastic study of the discipline. It will be assessed as barely sufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, lack of knowledge of the discipline. It will be assessed as insufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended filmography and inability to analyse the subject.

Teaching tools

Students shall have an adequate knowledge of English, enabling them to understand and study the essays in the exam bibliography.

Office hours

See the website of Claudio Bisoni