Overview:
One of my reservations about teaching this class from
the get-go was the title alone, ENG 272Q: The Hero.
My gut reaction was to ask, "How come this class
isn't 272Q: Heroes and Heroines? Doesn't that seem a
bit gender-biased?" Nobody gave me a good answer
to these questions.
This point about gender-relationships and power-relationships
has always been a point of controversy and intrigue
for me; after all, Batwoman and Supergirl have never
had the prominence of their male counterparts. In recent
pop culture, only Xena: Warrior Princess and Ripley
from the Aliens series have had a preponderance of being
a powerful heroine. Perhaps this change is indicative
of the larger social change that is happening in terms
of women's increased social, economic and political
standing across the globe.
My questions for this short writeup are varied:
1) what are our typical conceptions of the male hero?
his relations with women?
2) what are our conceptions of the female hero? her
relations with men?
3) what words do we associate with the male hero?
4) what words do we associate with the female hero?
5) are there additional pressures placed on a hero
or heroine as a function of their ethnicity/sexuality?
Ultimately, no matter what your gender is, I want you
to use this writeup as an opportunity to discuss gender
relationships, so that we might also use this discussion
to serve as intertextual fodder to some of the gender-based
conflicts faced by Pai in Whalerider, Alice
in her Wonderland, and Dorothy in Oz.
Student-Learning Outcomes:
Identify and assess specific gender-related pressures
and expectations that are placed on heroes and heroines.
Explain what gender-related pressures are faced by
heroes.
Explain what gender-related pressures are faced by
heroines.
Explain what other pressures (ethnic, national, sexuality)
might be faced by both heroes and heroines.
Consider your favorite heroes and heroines opposite
from your own gender. In other words, if you are a man,
consider your favorite heroine; if you are a woman,
consider your favorite hero. What makes that character
appealing?
Consider using the outside resource of your current
text to support your assertions.
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