WS/SOC/ES 418/ Das Gupta/ 2008

Assignment: Media exercise (10 pts)

Due date: 10/1 in class

Length: 3.5 page

The paper must be typed in 12 point font and double spaced.  It must be free of spelling and grammatical errors.  To improve your writing use the Writing  Workshop located in KUY 415.  You can schedule a 30-minute appointment by calling the English Department at 956-7619 or signing up on the schedule in the main office (KUY 402).

Write an analytical paper that examines the “cult of domesticity” in contemporary media portrayals of domestic life. For your analysis, please choose TV ads or ads in magazines (the recommended number is 3).

If you are watching TV, keep a log that shows: 1) the times these ads are slotted; 2) the target audience; 3) racial, gender and class make up of the ads; 4) brief description of the ad and what it is selling. Use the log to help you in your analysis. Attach your log.

If you are doing print media, attach the ads you are using to the assignment.

For the paper:

• Use the ads to evaluate the cult of domesticity (explain what it is in 3-4 sentences based on our readings; don't even think of referring to Wikipedia): Is it dead? Has it taken new forms? Is it still alive and well? Have we banished the ideology of the breadwinner man and homemaking woman? How does domesticity look in our times? (If you are doing tv ads, describe them very briefly)

• In your analysis, pay attention to how domesticity is associated with notions of gender, race, class and sexuality.

• End with a reflection on the implications of your analysis. If you feel that media portrayals need to change, then tell us how. If you feel that some ads are working toward changing traditional gender expectations, then what kind of society are we starting to build?