This lesson would be designed to introduce students to reading media through the feminist lens.
First I would ask the students to think about videos and commercials they've seen from the 1950's and 60's. I would draw a diagram on the board with the headers "men" and "women" and ask the students what words pop into their heads when thinking about gender in that time frame.
Once brainstorming is complete, I would show the class a powerpoint of some 1950's and 1960's ads that perpetuate gender norms of the times. A brief discussion would follow noting their observations.
I will then show the students the "Somewhere That's Green" clip from Little Shop of Horrors once to let them acclimate to the clip:
Once they've seen the clip, I will ask them to share what they thought with the class. After a few observations/opinions, I will ask the class if they thought the clip highlighted any of our preconceived notions of gender in the 50's and 60's. After their response, I'll ask them if there was any evidence against what we devised on the board. Then, I will ask the students if they thought the clip was funny, and why?
I will ask the students if they know what satire is, and take a couple of definition attempts before giving a definition.
Next, I will ask the students to watch the clip again, this time looking for elements of satire.
After the second showing, I will ask for their observations.
For homework, I would ask students to think about gender in the present, and bring in some current ads that deal with gender. I would also ask them to think about what would the modern, "Somewhere That's Green" look like?
I really like this activity because I feel students love talking about gender roles in the 1950s and 1960s b/c it is usually the first time they analyze gender and it's an era many people are familiar with. I think the homework is great. I can't help but to analyze ads for gender. I can't stand how every cleaning commercial has a woman using the cleaning product in the commerical. I also like how the women in the cleaning commercials are usually frustrated. They can't get the spot out, and they act all defeated until they buy a product! I also hate how cold medicine commericials have things like "mom will love this" as if moms are the only ones who take care of the kids.
ReplyDeleteI also think it might be neat to have students analyze their grandparents. My grandma cleans everyday. I don't think its a hobby because she always complains about it. I asked her one day why she feels the need to clean everyday. She told me when she was growing up her dad used to make her and her sisters clean after every meal while her brothers could go back to watching tv. When I ask her if grandpa ever helps out, she looks at me weird and says "why should he have too?" It was interesting to trace back where my grandma had learned how to behave. She learned her role through her dad's teaching which was being renforced and created by the culture she was living in.