Difference between revisions of "Discourse & Identity III (Discussion)"
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==''Girlfriends''== | ==''Girlfriends''== | ||
− | Beretta Smith-Shomade examines "four intertwined elements in television comedy that define and give meaning to Black women's representation there: work roles, characterization, class, and identity" (48). Each group should discuss the key aspects of these elements and apply Smith-Shomade's analysis of 1990s sitcoms to ''Girlfriends'' (2000-2008): | + | Beretta Smith-Shomade (pronounced "show-ma-day") examines "four intertwined elements in television comedy that define and give meaning to Black women's representation there: work roles, characterization, class, and identity" (48). Each group should discuss the key aspects of these elements and apply Smith-Shomade's analysis of 1990s sitcoms to ''Girlfriends'' (2000-2008): |
*'''Group 3:''' work and class | *'''Group 3:''' work and class | ||
Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
*'''Group 2:''' identity: hair | *'''Group 2:''' identity: hair | ||
*'''All groups:''' characterization (i.e., conventional roles and stereotypes) | *'''All groups:''' characterization (i.e., conventional roles and stereotypes) | ||
+ | *'''All groups:''' Place Smith-Shomade's analysis within the context of the study of race and ethnicity. How would you characterize her approach to the sitcom? | ||
==Cast== | ==Cast== |
Revision as of 19:39, 2 December 2010
To study race and ethnicity, certain key terms/concepts must be understood. Be prepared to define the following:
- Group 2: essentialism, racial formation
- Group 3: assimilationist discourse
- Group 4: pluralist discourse
- Group 1: multiculturalist discourse
Girlfriends
Beretta Smith-Shomade (pronounced "show-ma-day") examines "four intertwined elements in television comedy that define and give meaning to Black women's representation there: work roles, characterization, class, and identity" (48). Each group should discuss the key aspects of these elements and apply Smith-Shomade's analysis of 1990s sitcoms to Girlfriends (2000-2008):
- Group 3: work and class
- Group 4: identity: language
- Group 1: identity: skin shade
- Group 2: identity: hair
- All groups: characterization (i.e., conventional roles and stereotypes)
- All groups: Place Smith-Shomade's analysis within the context of the study of race and ethnicity. How would you characterize her approach to the sitcom?
Cast
- William Dent (Reggie Hayes)
- Toni Childs (Jill Marie Jones)
- Maya Wilkes (Golden Brooks)
- Joan Clayton (Tracee Ellis Ross)
- Lynn Searcy (Persia White)
Bibliography
- Jeremy G. Butler, Television: Critical Methods and Applications (NY: Routledge, 2011).
- Beretta E. Smith-Shomade, “Laughing Out Loud: Negras Negotiating Situation Comedy,” Shaded Lives: African-American Women and Television (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2002), 24-68.