Gilb Discussion Questions

"Me Macho, You Jane" is a little more literary than we've been reading this semester, so you'll notice it's quite different in style. I think, though, that there's quite a bit we can take away from this piece as a portrait of Machismo/masculinity.

Here are our discussion questions for the reading:

1. How would the narrator define "macho?" Does he think it's a positive or a negative trait?

2. How do the women in the essay react to his "machismo" differently from the men?

3. Think about "The Asshole" and the student in the essay. Which does the narrator find more difficult and why?

4. Why does the narrator curse at the boy's father at the basketball game? What happens as a result?

5. How would YOU define "machismo?" How is it similar/different from the portrait Gilb paints of it with his essay?

Part II Peer Review!

Because cats.

1. How does the author explain their interest about their construct/issue? There should be some sort of a personal connection described somewhere in the paper.
2. For the research question -- is it something that can be answered within the course of the semester? Is it too broad/narrow? How might it be improved?
3. Does the author include a hypothesis, a "best guess" answer to their research question, based on what they've learned so far?
4. Secondary Sources: Does the author include at least three secondary sources in their proposal? These should be scholarly (non-scholarly sources can be used, but they can't "count" for the three). Check for correct works cited entries AND a brief explanation of the source + how it's relevant to their project. Can you suggest any additional sources?
5. Primary Plans: Does the author include an explanation as to their primary research plans? Do you think this is the most effective way to go about their research?

REVISIONS DUE TO ME ON 3/3.

REMINDERS:

Group project presentations are WEDNESDAY. FOR FRIDAY, read GLIB.

Part II Example

Well, at least I tried....

REMINDER: On Monday, we meet in classroom 1 in the library again!


A number of you have been asking for an example of a Part II, so here it is! I just decided to use the subheadings provided in the assignment details, but if you'd like to synthesize it into a more cohesive essay explaining your plans, that's ok too.
 


Interest

As an FYC teacher, I often wonder why some activities seem to be successful with some groups of students over others. For example, some class settings seem to prefer whole class discussion and lecture format, whereas others just feel more inclined towards small group discussions. I had never really thought about considering how gender might play a role in what makes some activities more successful than others, and I think that, in order to be a successful teacher, I need to think about what best suits my students in the classroom.

After reading Tannen's article on How Men and Women Communicate Differently, it kind of struck a chord with me, as I found myself really identifying with how she described other female communicate. I, too, tend to rely mainly on anecdotes and stories rather than cold hard facts. I'm not sure if she's correct in her assumptions that males tend to talk more in whole class discussions, but I found her findings very interesting. 

·  Question

My current research question is: How does gender affect the way students communicate in the FYC classroom at UTPA?

My research question is, most of all, important to me. I want to figure out how to be the best teacher I can be for students of all genders. I hope that my methods aren't alienating certain people in my classroom. I'm also curious to examine, perhaps, how an instructor's gender might play an important role in how students perceive and learn information.

 

·  Hypothesis, 

 I have a feeling that Tannen's findings will be consistent here at UTPA, but to a point. I also believe that an instructor's gender will play a role here. So yes, in general, I think I will find that males tend to communicate more in whole class discussion whereas females tend to communicate more in small groups, BUT, I think that the instructor's gender also will have an effect. For example, I think that women will participate more in whole class discussion when the instructor is also a woman. 

·  Annotated Bibliography and Primary Research Plans,

Tannen, Deborah. "How Males and Females Use Language Differently." Chronicle of Higher Education 

     (1991): electronic.

This article discusses Deborah Tannen's research on how males and females

tend to communicate in classroom settings. She found that, in general,

males tend to thrive in whole class discussions and lectures, whereas

females tend to speak more openly in small group discussions. The point

of her article is to encourage teachers to use a variety of different

methods of communication in their classrooms to better support students

of all genders. While I tend to agree with Tannen, I also think her

research is a little too simplistic, and it's dangerous to make sweeping

assumptions about people based soley on their gender (which is, after all,

a social construction). My research will begin where Tannen leaves off

and will serve to complicate the conversation she began.

Penrose, Ann, and Cheryl Geister. "Reading and Writing Without Authority."

      National Council of Teachers of English 45.4 (1994): 505-20. Print. 

This article discusses how authority affects the way students write. Penrose and Geister foundthat students have great difficulties entering into academic conversations in their writing because,primarily, they feel as though they don't have the authority to do so.They discuss numerous factors that affect a students' authority, which include age, level of education, social class, and then the big whammy, gender. Penrose and Geister hint, but never really state, that males have an easier time with writing with authority. They advocate a more "constructivist" model for teaching in the composition classroom to help students develop this authority, which reminds me a bit of Tannen's suggestion of more small group communication between students. Even though I'm not directly discussing written communication, I think that oral communication is closely tied, and I want to use this article to support my ideas about gender and communication in the FYC classroom. want to use it to examine how authority may also influence verbal communication in the FYC classroom.

Lorber, Judith. "Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender." Paradoxes of Gender. N.p.: 

     Yale University Press, 1994. 13-36. Print. 

Lorber's conclusions in this essay are vital, I think, to most discussions of gender.

She points out that gender is essentially a social construct, something that we learn

rather than something that we're born with. So, as it relates to communication, women

learn to communicate certain ways, as do men. I want to emphasize this in my research,

and propose ways for all genders to learn to communicate more effectively. So I will

use Lorber as a sort of background information. 

Primary Research Plans:

I plan on observing different FYC classrooms, an equal number of female and male led classrooms. I plan to sit in on several sessions and time how often and for how long men vs. women speak. I will visit two different male faculty (Robert and Colin) and two different female faculty (Mary Ann and Regine). 

I will also use anecdotal evidence from my own class sessions. I like using my own students as guinea pigs, so this part will be fun :-)

In addition to observations, I would like to interview 10 different faculty members and ask the following questions:

1. How would you classify your own gender?

2. Tell me about a typical day in your classroom. What types of activities take up the majority of your class time?

3. Based on your experiences as a teacher, do you feel males or females communicate more effectively in your classroom? 

I also plan on surveying a small number of students (20), asking them the following questions

1. What is your gender?

2. What type of classroom communication do you prefer? Circle one

Lecture Small Group Discussion, One to One, Online

3. What type of classroom communication is most common here at UTPA, from your experience:

Lecture, Small Group, One to One, Online

4. Do you feel as though you relate more to your male of female professors? 

Orbach Discussion Questions

Many of you have expressed interest in the idea of how media affects body perception. The Orbach article gives us some theoretical context to talk about these issues at a little bit of a deeper level.

Here are the discussion questions for today:

1. What does Orbach mean when she writes "every body requires a context?" How has this context changed throughout history, and why might it be more "dangerous" given today's media climate?

2. Many women experience beauty and body practices, such as wearing make-up and dressing attractively, as pleasurable and empowering. What is the paradox about "choosing" these activities that Orbach sees as a form of coercion by mass media?

3. How do you think body context affects men differently than women?

4. Orbach states that children today are growing up with the idea that their bodies are "always in need of attention and transformation." Can you think of any evidence to support this claim, either from your experience or our past readings? What do you think are the implications of a generation raised to feel inadequate?

5. Think about the context for your own body. How has this context evolved, and what are the pressures through which it has been shaped?


Not really related... but...

Here's the link to the video. Making one of these might make for an interesting group project. What types of gender related issues face women here in the RGV?

http://www.upworthy.com/a-french-film-showing-men-what-being-a-woman-feels-like-kinda?c=reccon1

Group Projects

Except this one!

On Monday, we'll be solidifying our group work plans and turning in a basic outline of your plans, which you'll be working on revising for the next week or so. Here are the questions I'd like you to answer in your groups today:

1. List your group members and your issue/construct.


2. In a sentence or two, describe your group's project plans so far:


3. Tell me about your "public document" -- What do you plan to make/create? Why might this be important/significant?


4. Tell me about your planned event. Who is your intended audience for this event? When do you envision this taking place (roughly)? What do you need to do to make this happen?


5. Tell me about your "report back" plans. How will you communicate your achievements to an academic audience (in the class to me and possibly at compocon). What form/media will you use to get this done?


Here are the groups so far:

Group 1: Emily, Carlos and Raul

Group 2: Paola, Ydana, Selena, Edna and Cynthia

Group 3: Adriana, Alex, Lysandra

Group 4: Francine, Olympia, Ahmed and Cassandra

Group 5: Lucero, Eva, Victoria, and Karina

Group 6: Kaitlyn and Savannah

By the end of class on Monday, I would like to see these group rosters finalized.

Here are some upcoming due dates:

Friday, February  14th -- typed group proposals are due. Basically, you're describing, in a slightly more formal manner, your plans for your group project. Your proposal should be detailed and well-thought out. If you'd like, you can type your information into this form

Friday, February 21st -- Have a brief presentation ready to give to the class about your PLANS and progress so far (can be a simple powerpoint, prezi, or even just some notes for talking points).

Pascoe Discussion

 

Slurs and name-calling are, unfortunately, a part of the everyday experience for the adolescent. Pascoe's article brings up a lot of interesting discussion points. Here are a few for us to consider during our group discussions of the article today:

 

1. Why is it that girls rarely use the word "fag" at River High?

2. Think about other slurs or negative terms used among adolescence that you've experieneced. How do they function in similar/different ways from the slur "fag"?

3. Why do you think words about sexuality are so commonly used as slurs among adolescents?

4. Why might LORBER say these slurs are so common?

 

I can see a lot of interesting ways to turn this discussion, too, into a research paper! Perhaps you'd like to analyze and explore how a certain term/slur functions here at a local high school.