Our course videos are now posted here, please share.

Presentation (35 points): You will need to present on your paper topic. Your presentation should be in the format of a Prezi.com presentation, a photo essay, or a short documentary video. Your presentation should be posted on the blog and have a title, a short description, and a link to your online presentation file.

BE SURE TO STAY WITHIN THE TIME LIMIT SO THAT WE CAN GET TO EVERYONE.

Assignment grading rubric:

• Topic not covered in class (5 points).
• Proper citation of 3 academic articles/books not assigned in class, MLA format right next to quote (5 points).
• Within the 4 minute time limit (5 points).
• Overarching visual theme that brings the presentations together in a creative visual way (4 points).
• Clearly start your main argument prominently and cover that first. Make your argument with visual imagery as well (4 points).
• Make your own argument that is backed up by examples; do not list a summary of articles. Your argument should also be reinforced visually (4 points).
• Use of visual imagery to liven up the presentation overall (if using video, no longer than 30 second) (4 points).
• Make the presentations interesting and/or funny, if your classmates laugh or ask a question (4 points).

Final papers: if you received a grade 70 and lower, you can re-write the paper by Saturday at noon. You will need to email me of your intentions ASAP, and include the grading rubric sections and the points you earned, and the changes you will be making. For the paper, you need to use track-changes in a Word document, include a list of the changes made in a cover e-mail. Re-writing does not guarantee a higher grade. If your paper required editing for readability, note that editing changes were not marked on the paper and that will still need to be done for a higher grade.  

Jonestown–the Final Report

Our guest speaker, Dr. Linh Hoang, from Siena College will be showing two short documentaries on overzealous religious groups. Dr. Hoang will lead us in discussion afterwards. Please be sure to take notes during the documentary and discussion. You can post your blog posting #10 AFTER the class period, before Friday at midnight.

Here are the questions:

Since the Phelps family believe they must bring the message of God to America. What is your reaction to their ministry? How would you reconcile the fact that America (the USA) must be guided by God according to the Westboro Church? Would you describe them as a cult?

Jim Jones created a utopian world for his followers—People’s Temple. He taught that they could change the world. How did  it go so wrong? How did he convince his followers that death would fulfill this change?  In your opinion, was the People’s Temple a cult?

This week in our Deviant Behavior class, we will be screening the documentary I created, Covered, which documents some social issues in the lives of heavily tattooed women and female tattoo artists. After the screening, we will have a panel of veteran female tattooists, including: Sofia Estrella (aka Ms. Deborah), Pat Sinatra, Jen McTammaney, Emma Porcupine, Jen Carmean, and Missy Kramer. The screening will take place at 7pm in the Key Auditorium (Roger Bacon Hall 202). We are also reading two articles that discuss the industry of tattooing as well as the world of elite tattoo collectors. Please summarize the main points of these articles. Include links to additional material on the world of body art. Also include two discussion questions for our panelists.

This week in class, we will have members of the Hellions of Troy Roller Derby League joining our class for a discussion and demonstration about roller derby. Please look up information about roller derby, what is it, what is the history of the sport, who participates in it, what are the different eras of the sport, and what is the latest revival? Who are the Hellions of Troy? How does roller derby compare to other contact sports for women?

We will also be reading one chapter from the anthology Embodied Resistance: “Cruising’ for a Bruisin’.” Please describe what stood out to you about this chapter for our blog posting number seven. Include links to informational pages and videos of the sport. Include two discussion questions for our roller derby participants. What documentaries exist about the sport? Post some clips that we can check out that are informational, but not repetitive of others’ postings. Feel free to bring your roller skates and a coat, we may be stepping outside for a few minutes.

On October 26th, guest speakers Che Rickman and Matt Crawford will be leading us in a hands-on workshop on light painting. They are currently working on a documentary film about light painters from around the world called Luminary and another project called Texas by Light (photos).

For our blog posting number 6, please look up light painting and write a description about what it is, who the community members are, how is it done technically, and links to photo collections and videos of light painting projects.

For class, be sure to bring a hand held light or glow stick and a prop. If you have a DSLR camera and tripod, be sure to bring it! We will be doing light paints in Foy Hall 107 (basement). Wear dark clothing and come ready to participate!

Here are the pictures that the class created during our workshop, and the next night, a group of us went light painting at the abandoned train in Cohoes, NY:

This week, students will be posting their Xtranormal.com animations on the blog and presenting them in class. Please choose a topic that is different than those covered in class. You will select three journal articles from JSTOR and incorporate those into the conversation that your characters are having. The videos should be between two and four minutes in length.

Points will be based on the following criteria: 1) quality of video (10 points), 2) proper citation of 3 academic sources by having the character speak the journal name, author, and article name (10 points), 3) time limit (5 points)

For the blog posting, include a title of your video, a 100-word summary of the topic and argument, an MLA format list of your three citations under “works cited.” Export your video to YouTube and embed it into your blog posting.

This week, we will be reading one chapter from Transgender Voices and we will have a guest speaker, Hawk Stone, who will lead us in a workshop exploring the areas of gender, identity, and sexuality.

Hawk Stone is an internationally recognized expert therapist in transgender care, with 25 years experience working with transsexual, transgender and gender variant people of all ages, especially young gender variant children, and their families. When someone is contemplating a gender transition, Stone’s approach is to work with the whole family, as everyone transitions in a gender transition. Stone works with transgender clients from many varied racial, cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds, in addition to working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients across the full spectrum of issues.

For our blog posting, please summarize the main points of the reading. Please also view at least one of the following videos and website and include a comment on this material as well. Please find additional information on websites and YouTube videos about transgender identity. Write at least one discussion or informational question for our guest speaker.

TransYouth Family Allies

This week, we will have invited speakers from La Domaine Esemar speak with us. BDSM is an acronym for Bondage & Discipline and sadomasochism. BDSM is consensual erotic play, highly psychologically charged, where one person (the “submissive”) agrees to submit to another person (the “dominant”). La Domaine Esemar is a unique BDSM training facility of Masters and Mistresses as well as a professional dungeon. Our guest speakers Master R and Mistress Collette run La Domaine Esemar.

Class will start at 6:30. Please read the assigned material and highlight the main points. Come up with two questions for the speakers: Master R and Mistress Collette. Also, find additional information on BDSM and kinky sexuality and post a link to your findings.

This week, we are reading two chapters from Stripped: Inside the Lives of Exotic Dancers. Sociologist Bernadette Barton explores the world of strip clubs as a site of women’s employment,  in this  ethnographic study based on interviews and observation. What are the working conditions like for the dancers? How do they experience this world? What is their relationship like with clients?

for our blog #3, please summarize the main points of these chapters. What issues do the women report on as being a significant aspect of the business. Be sure to cite specific page numbers in MLA format for in-text citations (Barton 23). For your external research, find two additional labor issues that are important when considering the sex work sector. What are organizations that address the rights of strippers and sex workers?

In class, we will also be watching and discussing the documentary Live Nude Girls, Unite!