#hon394

[sonnetsareforlovers]

Challenge Post #16

Should cisgender actors be cast in trans* roles? Why or why not? What about straight actors in gay or lesbian roles? Are these even equivalent questions?

[sonnetsareforlovers]

Challenge Post #15

In relation to our viewing of both The Kids are Alright and Transparent, what other shows or films can you think of that consider the intersection of family/domestic life and love/sex/relationships--either how domestic life might be disrupted by these latter forces or, perhaps, reinforced or supported by them?

Choose one example and discuss.

[sonnetsareforlovers]

Challenge Post #9

(I figured since I’m not in class today, the least I can do is post a challenge post)

What are the various ways dating is portrayed in popular media? For the purposes of this question, let’s define dating as going out and/or meeting up with multiple people in order to determine their suitability as long(er) term partners/romantic interests. Give an example from a particular show or game or film and discuss.

[sonnetsareforlovers]

Challenge Post #13

How does representing queer identity/love/relationships change in terms of any of the (primarily) American conventions of love/sex/relationships we’ve been discussing in class all semester when portrayed in an international context? Use either Happy Together or Unveiled to reflect on this question.

[sonnetsareforlovers]

Challenge Post #10

Time for the question I keep trying to ask in class! The idea behind the “burden of representation” is twofold (by the way, the idea comes, in part, from the cultural theorist Stuart Hall, to give credit where credit is due):

that if there’s only one token minority character (or very few) in a certain visual/media landscape or narrative, then that character bears the burden of representing all members of their community in terms of how the majority views that community (e.g. if most sitcoms feature white families and there’s only one that features an Asian family, it becomes easier to read that one, lone example as representative of an entire community)

that some people think media producers bear a certain responsibility for representing members of their own community or other minority communities in a “good light” in order to dispel stereotypes and negative connotations perhaps already associated (often irrationally) with that community

So, given that definition, reflect on whether or not the concept of the “burden of representation” applies to Tangerine. Should Baker have worried about issues of so-called good vs. bad representations of transgender sex workers or does that question (about representation) rest on a flawed assumption? In what ways do the characters (or the narrative) maintain or destabilize mainstream stereotypes around transgender sex workers?

[sonnetsareforlovers]

Challenge Post #14

I’m behind! This is for last week, actually (Secretary and/or Professor Marston):

When you think about how non-normative* sexuality or sex acts or relationships are presented in film or on television, what do you think some of the best practices are for presenting those relationships/identities fairly, compellingly, and without intrinsic judgment? Do either of these films follow those best practices? Are there films you can think of that do this well or do this particularly badly?

(*When I say non-normative, I do not mean that as a judgment-laden value. Instead, I’m just referring to normative as a function of the behavior of the majority and non-normative as veering away from those tendencies.)

[sonnetsareforlovers]

Challenge Post # 7

It’s Valentine’s Day! Post a photo, video, story, cartoon, quote, etc. about the holiday and then write about your response to it. Do you like Valentine’s Day? Do you hate Valentine’s Day?  In either case, why?

[sonnetsareforlovers]

Challenge Post #5

What other romance narratives have you seen that are set in the near or distant past? How do the conventions of love (and the way they’re represented) change (or not) in accordance with the mores of the given time period? In what ways are these visions of the past informed by the present in which they were created? (E.g. a film about ancient Greece made in the 1940s would be very different than the same film shot today.)