Lesson 2: Gender in Media

Concept:

Men and women are portrayed stereotypically in advertisements to make their audience feel a certain way.

Objective:

The student will wonder how media uses gendered imagery to influence audiences. The student will learn how to ask questions and think critically about representation of gender in print and digital media. The student will brainstorm their own critique of gendered imagery in art and media to begin the process of creating a digital collage to serve as a visual statement of their critique. The student will begin to look critically at visual media and collect (digital and print) images to be used in their digital collage.

Hook:

Students will be given advertisements and be asked to write down adjectives for the models/products displayed within.

Cultural References:

Examples of gender and racial stereotyping from magazines, commercials & online media.

Instructional Input:

Students will be shown images in print media and digital media and asked (similar to the day before) to describe the images they are seeing. Who are these ads for? What are their demographic (gender, age, race)? Taking into account clothing (style & amount), positioning, body type, what are these ads suggesting about the users of the product? Why? Do you know anyone who looks or acts like that?

Demo:

Instructor will demo proper Scanner use and/or how to find and save high resolution (at least 300dpi) digital files from the web.

Art Activity:

The main art activity of the unit will be introduced, a digital collage using images from art and media that makes a statement about gender stereotypes. Students will (in pairs) brainstorm and research their statements. Students will begin research on the types of images they would like to use, scanning and collecting from print media and the web.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed by participation within discussion along with the critical thought put into the brainstorming session. Finally the images selected by the student should also reveal the artistic and cognitive understandings achieved by the student.