Why I'm taking this class

While gender studies have always interested me, I wanted to take this class because it incorporated media and technology into its focus and field of analysis. I find myself increasingly aware and concerned, perhaps even leery, of the ways in which media and technology not only mediate gender representations but also create them. I believe my concern stems from the pervasive nature of media and technology in our current global society, the ways in which image and brand amalgamate world, culture, and identity through our networked lives. This is not to say that I am anti-technology, that I don’t enjoy the latest, filthy episode of junk TV like everyone else, (I rather look forward to video gaming, watching the latest episode of Deadliest Catch, and watching the Sushi-chef web cams streaming out of Japan). However, I wonder over these preoccupations. I wonder how much of what I see, read, and hear influence my sense of identity. Further, I sense sometimes that this identification process limits me personally, boxes me into a category I readily recognize and check off on an information form.

This course also provides me with a needed credit, but it’s also a breath of fresh, contemporary air since I’ve been, and will be, doing a ton of research and writing on Victorian Literature for my master’s essay. On a personal level, by taking this class, I’m hoping to broaden my perspective on the Victorian era and its literature, looking for new ways in which 19^th century literature and gender representations are still relevant in our current understanding of girlhood/womanhood. I’m also excited to be working with gender representations outside of traditional texts, analyzing visual and other media forms. I’m looking forward to getting to know you all, reading and sharing ideas with one another, and having a great, short semester.

c. pritchard