Pulse of the Class

This was not a class that I had initially signed up for. I became interested in the class at the beginning of the semester, and thought that it would be a great and interesting class to end my undergraduate career with. I had taken another "W" course with Professor Fuqua in the fall semester, and that class was also just a great time, so I figured, why not try another? Another concept to the class that I really enjoy is that there is knowledge to be gained, and material to be learned, but it's not lectured and directly told to you. This particular class allows for students to contribute their own ideas and understandings and then communicate those ideas with the professor. Unlike the entry-level classes where concepts and ideas are told to you and you have to memorize and regurgitate, this class allows for complex thinking and sharing as well as different mediums in which to share and experience the material. Tweeting and blogging are two great tools for this type of class. It allows for sharing of thoughts and ideas between students, and also gives people a place to be more personable and not as timid about speaking their minds. 

I never honestly gave the idea of gender much thought. I was one of the people who thought there were males and there were females; some people may be born both, but somewhere along the line identify with either gender. Clearly, I have learned otherwise since the beginning of this course. The most shocking part to me from the class so far was the film Ma Vie en Rose. This was a film that really touched on a sensitive subject and I didn't even know that they had/would make such a film. Now-a-days we see boys wearing pink and having ear rings, but we don't put much thought into it. To see an eight-year old boy going through such a confusing and difficult childhood really disturbed me. Bullying or out-casting someone, especially a child, doesn't sit right with me. I personally believe that if in the home, the parents allowed Ludo to be who he felt, it may have very well been a phase that he would have grown out of. I think because the parents and people of the town payed so much attention to it, it made him confused and suffer for a while. Boys Don't Cry on the other hand was a film that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a real story, with true meaning, and held the audiences interest throughout. Seeing this film when it premiered must have been such a shock for audiences to see. Homosexuality is becoming more and more excepted in today's society compared to the 1900's early 2000's. Girls with short hair, wearing plaid and jeans is not uncommon anymore. Times are changing, along with society and societal norms. 

The most interesting topic and reading to me thus far was Male Subjectivity & Media and Martha Nochimson's, "Waddaya Looking At? Re-Reading the Gangster Genre Through The Soprano's." The Soprano's was a show that I watched after the series had ended. During it's original air dates I was too you (according to my parents) to watch this show. This obviously made me want to watch it more. When I got older, I began watching the series from start to finish. All the while, I never once thought about how gender played a role in the show. I have a big Italian family as well, and could always relate to the Soprano's in more ways than one, but I never thought, "Tony is this alpha-male who can do what he pleases and get away with anything..." I simply would watch for enjoyment, and didn't even put thought into the idea that there was multiple ways of interpreting a show such as The Soprano's. 

The most difficult reading was Judith Butler. Not that I don't think I'm smart enough to eventually follow what she was saying, I lose interest if I feel I'm not grasping the material and it's a lost cause. Compared to Kate Bornstein who speaks about similar ideas of Judith Butler, but speaks from real personal experiences, makes light of the past and unimportant matters, and makes that quick connection with the audience. Watching the clips of Kate Bornstein speaking also increased my interest in what she had to say and kept me intrigued. 

Overall, I truly enjoy this class so far, I look forward to a great second half of the semester, I look forward to watching more interesting, insightful, and entertaining works, and most importantly, graduating!!