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Film and Sexuality

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Film and Sexuality
22nd October 2012
SOC 314: Sociology of Gender

Assignment 2: Film Analysis. Due Monday, October 22

Analyze a movie with regard to what we have learned about sexuality. Your assignment should not be written like a general film review found in the campus paper or other newspaper, but instead written from the perspective of a student studying the sociology of gender. What does the movie teach us about men, women, and sexuality? How does these lessons relate to the materials we’ve read and ideas we’ve discussed in class? Be sure to pick one or two specific concepts, ideas, or points raised by particular readings or class discussions to highlight in your write-up (for example, you might talk about compulsory heterosexuality, “hooking up,” sexual double standards, the principle of homogamy, etc.).

We live in a society in which gender influences the way we talk, think, act and behave. Our affiliation to a particular gender group imposes rules upon us to behave in accordance to the norms associated with the gender. Gender is learned by socialization. We learned it by both observing others and by other’s corrective maneuvers upon seeing our actions that is categorized as not typically masculine or as not typically feminine. In “She’s The Man” movie, this is seen when Viola tries to imitate the guys on the street to learn how to act like a guy and the way Illyria soccer team react to Viola’s behaviors which are considered to be more feminine. By looking at the interaction between Viola and the people around her, there are various lessons that we can take away from it.
Firstly, males and females are expected to dress and adopt a look in a specific way that emphasizes their gender. The way they dressed determines their acceptance in the in-groups. This clearly shown in the way Monique criticized Viola when she mistook her for her brother, Sebastian:
Monique: Sebastian
Viola: *didn’t hear*
Monique: *grabs viola and viola turns around and realizing she’s not

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