Unit 2, Day 19: Monday, October 1

What you’ll do today in class:

- Practice analysis with ads from visual essays

- Discuss readings (Kilbourne, Lewis) in relation to analytical terms

Connection to course goals: The practice analysis activity with ads from the visual essays connects to students’ own writing by asking them to go through the type of critical process they’ll need to apply to their own papers in this unit. The second activity builds on the introduction to key analytical terms by looking at gender cultural beliefs that the analyses by Kilbourne and Lewis address. The assigned readings for today serve as a springboard for considering why writers analyze and make meaning of cultural texts (here, ads specifically).

INTRODUCTION:

1. Small group activity with ads from visual essays, “It’s a Woman Thing” and “Pumped Up” (35 minutes): The purpose of this activity is give students some immediate practice in “reading” specifically for reinforcement and challenge of a cultural belief in print ads. Try to get students to move beyond obvious messages to more complicated views of how the same ad might be sending competing and contrasting messages. Although we haven’t yet discussed specific strategies for using textual evidence, you should also ask students to explain how they can defend their interpretation of the ad with specific reference to the text.

A. Group Instructions: Divide the class into 4 groups. Have 2 groups analyze 2 ads from “It’s a Woman Thing” and the other 2 groups analyze 2 ads from “Pumped Up.” Each group should discuss each of the following questions and also be ready to explain their responses with some type of support. Be sure to have each group appoint a recorder and speaker. Give each group an OH and pen to record their responses so they can present them to the class. Each group should respond to the following on their OH:

For each ad your group has been assigned, answer the following questions:

1) What particular shared cultural belief is the ad addressing? Share the possibilities listed in your homework. How do you know that this is a shared/dominant belief? Can you think of any other “cultural texts” (TV shows, movies, ads, songs, etc.) that also show or address this belief?

2) What are the more obvious messages put forth in the ad about that shared cultural belief?

3) How might the ad be both reinforcing and challenging a particular cultural belief relating to gender? (#3 is the more difficult part of the activity, so be prepared to wander and help these groups get beyond the obvious messages. Some examples of more conflicting messages that might help the discussion are the following:

§ The “Feel It” ad for Haagen-Dazs can be useful for this activity. While it obviously suggests a cultural message about how woman should look (skinny and sexy) and act (sensual), it is also an ad for ice cream, which seems to challenge the notion of how a woman should look because Haagen-Dazs is not exactly a health food. So we could say that the ad reproduces a shared cultural belief about what a beautiful woman should look like but at the same time challenges that belief by having her “consume” a product that seems to be inconsistent with that identity.

§ The Valentino ad on page 265 shows a body-builder whose physique is “hard” in contrast to the woman’s “soft” body. However, this ad’s image could also be seen as showing the male in a submissive position to the woman. In addition, he is naked while she is clothed. So we could say that the ad reproduces and challenges this cultural belief relating to gender.)

B. Whole class discussion—share groups findings:

1) Have each group, or if short on time, one group from each visual essay (e.g. 1 or 2; 3 or 4) share their findings on their OH and give some explanation for how/why they see a particular ad reinforcing and challenging a particular cultural belief about gender.

2) Engage the class in discussion to ensure that groups are able to “see” contradictions. Have other groups help a group that has really only shown either reproduction or challenge. Remind students that in order to respond to the context for Essay 3 they will have to address both.

3) Ask students to defend their invocation of cultural messages. Be sure to talk about EVIDENCE for WHY these are SHARED CULTURAL BELIEFS—What other “cultural texts” (other ads, TV shows, films, songs, etc.) communicate similar messages?

2. Discussion of Kilbourne and Lewis (15 minutes): The goal of this discussion is to highlight how Kilbourne and Lewis are “reading” advertising and to explore why (in a cultural sense) they think it’s important to share their interpretations with others (i.e. their exigence) and connect their analyses to our analytical terms.

A. Kilbourne Discussion:

- Have students define Kilbourne’s position and connect her argument to our analytical terms:

· What does she argue about the way women are represented in advertising? What cultural belief is she addressing in particular?

· What does she say the messages are about this belief?

· What’s her theory about the overall influence of these ads on culture (in relation to reproduction and challenge of beliefs)?

· Why did she publish this?

· Why did she think readers needed this information?

B. Lewis Discussion:

- Have students define Lewis’ position and connect her argument to our analytical terms:

· What does she argue about the way women and men are represented in the Fila ad? What cultural belief is she addressing in particular?

· What does she say the messages are about this belief?

· What’s her theory about the overall influence of these ads on culture (in relation to reproduction and challenge of beliefs)?

· Why did she publish this?

· Why did she think readers needed this information?

CONCLUSION: Remind students how today’s activities tie back to their essay assignment.

Emphasize that Kilbourne and Lewis both suggest advertising—in a cumulative sense—is a system of education, a way in which we “learn” about who we should be and what’s “normal,” a point that should have been reinforced in their own analyses of gender ads. Try to connect this back to our reasons for critically “reading” these cultural texts. Although we may not all accept or live by these dominant beliefs and underlying assumptions, being more aware of them will help us make more informed choices—and give us the power to share that awareness with others, if we choose.

Assignment for Day 20:

- Read “The Case for Daytime Talk TV” (1-5) and Bennett’s “Announcing a Public Campaign” (23-5) in RC.

- Find (and bring to class on Wednesday) 2 advertisements: one that you see “supporting” Kilbourne’s argument about how women are represented in advertisements, and one that you see challenging her argument.

- Write a detailed response to the following: In her article Kilbourne asks, “But what does society, and especially teenagers, learn from the advertising messages that proliferate in the mass media?” (195). Write a 1-page response in which you address this key question Kilbourne raises. First, how would Kilbourne and Lewis “answer” this question? Then, based on your own experience and/or observation (think about recent print or TV ads that you could use as evidence, including the ones you’ll bring to class on Wednesday), how would you “answer” this question?