College Seminar (101-7-22)
Topic
Gender, Race, Class, & Reality Television
Instructors
Rebecca Rose Ewert
Dr. Rebecca Ewert is an Instructional Professor in the Sociology department. Her teaching and research interests include gender — especially masculinity — inequality, culture, mental health, environmental disasters, and qualitative methods. She received her BA from the University of California, Davis and her MA and PhD from the University of Chicago.
Meeting Info
Allison Residential Comm 1021: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
"Gender, Race, Class, and Reality Television"
How does The Bachelor shed light on modern courtship rituals, and what can Dance Moms teach us about the social functions of the family? What messages can we learn about the gendered and racialized social constructions of health and illness from The Biggest Loser? Reality television shows may seem like silly "guilty pleasures," but they are also illuminating cultural artifacts that reflect contemporary American behaviors, norms, and tastes. In this course—by reading sociological literature, paired with episodes of reality shows—we will learn to analyze these forms of entertainment through a social scientific lens. We will consider the following questions: What messages about race, class and gender do these shows promote? What kinds of citizens are viewers encouraged to become through this genre? How are social differences represented within these programs? What impact do these shows have on our society, if any?
Learning Objectives
Course-Specific Goals:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Employ a sociological lens to analyze topics such as the media, gender, race, social class, the family, courtship and sexuality, and deviance.
2. Examine how inequalities are produced and maintained through the production and consumption of media.
3. Create a persuasive argument in writing about how social difference and inequality are produced through reality television.
4. Collaborate with peers to synthesize findings from peer-reviewed research, design relevant discussion questions for the class, and orally present these findings and questions to the class in a group research presentation.
Academic Development Goals:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Set and evaluate academic goals.
2. Effectively communicate with classmates and instructors in a respectful manner conducive of learning and collaboration.
3. Identify when to ask for help, and who and how to ask.
4. Use Northwestern University Library resources to locate, identify, cross-check, and critique important sources, including articles from the scholarly literature.
5. Understand how to use sources appropriately and avoid academic integrity violations.
6. Engage in critical, analytical thinking and writing. This means that you will develop the ability to make an argumentative claim, support the claim with reasonable evidence, and provide a strong conclusion while acknowledging the argument's limitations - all in your own authorial voice.
7. Identify components of academic argument.
8. Draft and revise college-level argumentative and reflective essays, using peer and instructor feedback as appropriate.
Teaching Method
lecture + seminar style discussions
Evaluation Method
participation, short response papers, group work, oral presentation with a group
Class Materials (Required)
All materials for this course will be made available on Canvas - no purchase necessary.
Class Attributes
WCAS College Seminar