COMM M149

Media: Gender, Race, Class, and Sexuality

Description: (Formerly numbered Communication Studies M149.) (Same as Gender Studies M149 and Labor and Workplace Studies M149.) Lecture, four hours; activity, one hour. Limited to junior/senior Communication Studies and Gender Studies majors and Labor and Workplace Studies minors. Examination of manner in which media culture induces people to perceive various dominant and dominated and/or colonized groups of people. Ways in which women, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, racial, and ethnic marginalized peoples, class relations, and other subaltern or subordinated groups are presented and often misrepresented in media. Investigation and employment of practical applications of communications and feminist theories for understanding ideological nature of stereotyping and politics of representation through use of media, guest presentations, lectures, class discussions, and readings. Introduction to theory and practice of cultural studies. Letter grading.

Units: 5.0
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Overall Rating 4.0
Easiness 5.0/ 5
Clarity 2.0/ 5
Workload 5.0/ 5
Helpfulness 3.0/ 5
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - Alright. Here's the deal - this class was disorganized but overall the content was great. Every week Prof. Hammer brought in at least one guest speaker (often times two) and they would lead presentations and discussions based on the media assignments for the week (screenwriters, critical media literacy experts, journalists, etc.). The media assignments were usually a mix of documentaries, some movies, and a bit of reading (though cannot stress enough, really not that much reading). To be honest, you don't need to do the media viewings because a lot of the conversation is guided by general ideas and opinions more than breaking down media texts, but Prof. Hammer was always very excited when people could draw connections to specifically assigned texts. TBH, I have no idea what comprises my grade in this class. Prof. Hammer did not have a clear syllabus prepared and it was a bit shrouded throughout the entire quarter (usually she hands out printed paper w the next week's assignments?), I think (?) that our final project was worth 50% (with 10% being a final paper), and participation was the rest. If you don't like not knowing what is going on and having a clear sense of assignments/timelines, this may not be the course for you. The final project is a group presentation or video, you make groups on the first day and can explore any topic you want related to race, class, gender, sexuality, etc. Some of the projects from our class ranged from explorations of CompHet to depictions of Disney Villains that promoted racist and ableist rhetoric. Overall very interesting and prompted great class discussion. You have the entire quarter to work on your project but most of it is outside of the course - I recommend starting early and just getting it done. At the end of the day, it seems clear that Prof. Hammer really just wants everyone to have an engaging experience and lead meaningful conversations, but her communication style (ironic for a comm class lol) is a bit confusing and her online communication often did not make a ton of sense. But, she is a lovely person and promotes a wonderful class environment. With only about 20 students, I found myself fully able to really engage in discussions and talk about a lot of deeply personal issues like body image and sexuality comfortably - the class environment was wonderful. BOTTOM LINE - go to class and put some effort in, you will be totally fine. Expect most but not all classes will take the entire 3-hour period.
Overall Rating N/A
Easiness N/A/ 5
Clarity N/A/ 5
Workload N/A/ 5
Helpfulness N/A/ 5
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