for the notes:
For this screening assignment, please watch .
If you do not have Netflix, you may watch instead. However, if at all possible, please try to ask a friend with Netflix to let you watch the Netflix special with them. Nonetheless, I highly recommend watching both!
Take notes on this and upload your notes here. Remember that notes need to be at least two pages of hand-written notes or one page of typed notes to earn full points (although feel free to take longer notes if it suits you). If you take hand-written notes, you can take a phone picture of your notes and attach them that way.
While I do not have a specific note-taking method that I am requiring, jot down points you find interesting, important, surprising, and/or confusing. You will likely use your notes again when participating in a class discussion and/or answering questions on your exams.
*** If you are having difficulties filling up two pages of notes on a comedy special, write me a reflective paragraph on your biggest takeaways from the special. How can you relate her content and performance to what you have been thinking about or learning in this course? What stuck out to you as a particularly strong or surprising or emotional moment? What did you learn about gender and comedy? About gender and art history? About LGBTQ+ history and trauma? **** You can use this writing as part of the Discussion Forum activity.
For the discussion:
please do the screening assignment on Media, Comedy, and Hannah Gadsby first before participating in this discussion forum.
Additionally, please watch/read the following texts, to the extent that you able. At the very least, please watch the first TWO: “Consent” and Jackson Katz’s TedTalk:
: If you’re still struggling with consent just imagine instead of initiating sex you’re making them a cup of tea. (less than 3 minutes, YouTube)
Jackson Katz’s TedTalk
The subsequent links may be more emotionally disturbing and difficult to take, and are thus, optional:
Trump claims his comments were “locker room talk” (3 minutes)
(8 minutes, Washington Post video, about Harvey Weinstein and others)
(Lindy West reads her rape threats after commenting that comedy is not a welcoming space for women, 4 minutes)
Discussion Questions
1) How does your textbook define “rape culture”? How can you apply this definition to any one of these texts/videos/scenarios, including the Hannah Gadsby comedy special? You could also apply it to what you know about rape accusations against powerful/rich men over the last 5 years, in the midst of the #metoo movement (Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, Matt Lauer, etc…). What can we do culturally to change rape culture?
2) About the Hannah Gadsby special: How can you relate her content and performance to what you have been thinking about or learning in this course? What stuck out to you as a particularly strong or surprising or emotional moment? What did you learn about gender and comedy? About gender and art history? About LGBTQ+ history and trauma?
3) What have you learned about consent in the past, if anything? At what age? How can we/should we introduce this concept to young people?
4) What is Jackson Katz’s main argument in his TedTalk? And what is your biggest take-away from it?
5) Anything else you’d like to add to this discussion? Anything you find particularly important, surprising, or confusing? Feel free to vent your anger and frustration. (I know it’s a tough topic to discuss!)
