tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post4773954946991711672..comments2024-03-29T06:24:14.743-05:00Comments on The Signal Watch: Course Update: Week 2 of Gender Through Comics BooksThe Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-65990242448934150132013-04-23T13:34:19.961-05:002013-04-23T13:34:19.961-05:00I'm taking this Gender Through Comics class as...I'm taking this Gender Through Comics class as well, and I am extremely thankful for your posts. You have touched upon many of the issues and frustrations I have with the class.<br /><br />For instance I find it not only daunting but rather infuriating to read or even post on the discussion boards. As a quick cursory analysis for those who are not taking the class but following these posts, there seem to be roughly 6 discussions for each week, but each one is roughly 20 pages of comments. Many of which as you noted are comments like "Good point!" "That's very succinct." "I agree." which is not useful in terms of a discussion. It feels like they are just congratulating themsleves on being right. <br /><br />I am understanding the issues of gender, gender roles, etc. better because of this class. But I'm also finding myself more confused, as I keep noting contradictory statements among the readings/lectures/discussion boards.<br /><br />But I took this class purely to learn. So if I'm learning I'll keep going.<br /><br />I don't see saying "this is wrong"/"this is right" as being nearly productive as asking "why this might be wrong/right". Surely the analytical process from "this is whay they did" to "it is wrong" would lead to critical observations of their motivations, their choices as well as the alternatives. <br />It sounds like, although I could be wrong, this professor found something grating about Dead Poets Society, rationalized her distate, and then ranted about it, instead of examining why she had a problem with it. It sounds like her main issues revolved around a classist issue, so was she taking her classist hang-ups and applying them to this film? OR was there something inherently flowed about the rationale of the students' rebellion?<br /><br />I find, when analyzing creations, it is important to examine all influences of your perception, including internal ones.suitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18292539792057834237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-32188293940767074162013-04-17T14:37:24.631-05:002013-04-17T14:37:24.631-05:00Yeah, the instructor was young, a PhD candidate, a...Yeah, the instructor was young, a PhD candidate, and she was very much about teaching from the "Marxist" point of view, and so she was very much about challenging anything and everything, and did not like a movie about a bunch of rich kids who stood up on a table and said "O Captain! My Captain!" and it was seen as an act of rebellion. She was very keen to point out that these privileged kids weren't risking anything, really, etc... She also somehow had plotted out futures in her head about how all of these guys would just end up as accountants, anyway.<br /><br />I didn't have a problem with that. What I asked her was "So, what would have been an act of rebellion that would have met your criteria?"<br /><br />And she sort of dodged the question, and I remember asking "So, overthrowing the school? Heads on pikes?" Just to throw something against the wall, and she suggested I wasn't taking this seriously. And I rejected that, and she said "well, it's not our job to say what they should have done." And that struck me as wrong.<br /><br />It strikes me that it means the critic can't commit, but it also runs headlong into the problem for writers and the actual creators that when someone offers specific ideas for how something should work, that's a completely different story and not actually constructive feedback. <br /><br />I've balanced it in my mind as thinking of media/ stories as both a reflection of cultural norms, as well as something that passes on ideas, and in that way, its worth thinking about. What I was reacting to with my instructor was that they were willing to guffaw and challenge the story (and, by extension, the audience for the movie), and state "this is a falsehood, this is wrong" without being able to state "this is right" - and which would be a completely different story.<br /><br />Does that make sense.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-54857537409803209672013-04-17T13:23:30.926-05:002013-04-17T13:23:30.926-05:00Yes! And yes, the "this is right" exampl...Yes! And yes, the "this is right" examples are easily criticized because often, they go the other extreme. But it's the awareness and perspective you mention that I think are so important. I love reading fiction, but I also like being aware of the assumptions or norms the author takes for granted and why they can be problematic in the context of a society that largely takes those same things for granted. <br /><br />I'm curious about your DPS experience, as that's one thing I really try to do with my classes - be transparent. Explain when and why I don't know something but explore why I find it interesting nonetheless. It's a shame the conversation ended because I find those moments are when true teaching/learning can happen.raveyluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00885876426496024262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-87944528049376821902013-04-17T13:18:24.257-05:002013-04-17T13:18:24.257-05:00That's the challenge for me, I think. And I do...That's the challenge for me, I think. And I do want to be challenged, and sometimes that's difficult to reconcile with the fact that I work in a world where you don't come to me with a problem unless you've got 2-3 solutions for how this can be resolved. <br /><br />In many ways, it seems easy to say "this is wrong", but that's only as useful to me as saying "this is right". And I often wonder if the "this is right" examples are as easily criticized. <br /><br />What I am trying to get out of the class - aside from understanding the pedagogical model - is: perspective. What do I take for granted in a text that maybe I shouldn't? What is an acceptable social shortcut, what is not, what does it mean or not mean to use those shortcuts (and sometimes, it really DOESN'T mean anything).<br /><br />I feel like I am getting that out of the course. But I've never been okay with just kicking around a theory. I want to see if its got legs. I can't tell you how much more seriously I would have wound up taking my media theory classes if that one instructor had been able to answer my question about "Dead Poet Society" in 1994 or 5. And been willing to deal with what it would mean to put their opinions out there when they knew it was leading into chaos.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7294499213897153104.post-6698057285951178282013-04-17T12:55:38.336-05:002013-04-17T12:55:38.336-05:00I'm thoroughly enjoying these posts, but I'...I'm thoroughly enjoying these posts, but I'd say regarding - what would that film look like? - that's kind of the point. What would a comic without institutionalized ideas of gender look like? I think that's a valuable conversation, no mater how you get there. <br /><br />In my studies, lit tends to go the opposite way in feminist texts - no men anywhere. Or men that don't retain their power and privilege, which isn't really the idea. These are experimental as many texts are, and that experiment leaves the reader cold. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing. I'm signing up to take a class in the fall (nothing as interesting as this), so I'm liking the look into the classroom from the other side.pickyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01906861942472773405noreply@blogger.com