HUM3321 Final Exam Study GuideVocabulary:Alienation – withdrawn or isolatedAssimilation – to take in and incorporate as one’s own; absorb; to conform with customsCapitalism – a system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit; a capitalist is the private ownerEssentialism – the belief in real true human essences existing outside of social and historical context (Ex: if you are a lesbian today, you would probably be a lesbian in any time period/geography)Heteronormativity – naturalizing and normalizing power of heterosexuality in representaion, subjectivity, and disciplineHeterosexism – promotion/encouragement of opposite sex couples because of natural reproductionHomophobia – fear of being perceived as gayMisogyny – hatred, dislike, mistrust of womenNationalism – a strong identification with a group of individuals sharing the same ethnicity and cultureNaturalization – to confer upon the rights and privileges of a citizen; to introduce or adopt into a countryPhysiognomy – a person’s features or characteristic expression considered as an indication of personalityRace as an essence - the basic, real, and invariable nature of a thingRace as an illusion - something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of realityRacial formation – the sociohistorical process by which racial categories are created, transformed, and destroyed Xenophobia – an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strangeQuestions to Consider:1. What is the “tripartite oppression” Sharon L. Jones analyzes, in conjunction with representations of African-American females in cinema?- Race, class, and gender2. What percentage of the Oscar Academy is white?- 94%3. For Jones, why are audiences more comfortable with representations of tripartiteoppression in The Color Purple than in Waiting to Exhale?- There is a perceived historical distance in The Color Purple (took place in the 30s in the south. In Waiting to Exhale, it overlooks oppression that African-American women face4. For Jones, why is the depiction of racial oppression in Waiting to Exhale problematic?- Racial oppression is seen through lens of sexual competition for men5. Class is not just about income or wealth; it is also about ____________.6. According to Karl Marx, what is the cause of all societal problems?- Struggle between social classes7. If the bourgeoisie is the thesis, and the proletariat is the antithesis, what is the synthesis (according to Marxism)?- A classless society8. What is meant by the phrase, “alienation of labor”?- The laborer is eventually no longer a person who labors, but, rather, the productshe or she produces; the products become more valuable than the people who produce them9. What is meant by the phrase, “labor power as commodity”?- Marx argues that wage labor becomes something that can be bought and sold just like any other object. The more important the products become, the less important humans as laborers become10. If labor power is a commodity, what does this mean for the laborer?- the laborer sells his labor power; laborers work to create wages, not products11. What are the four types of Marxist alienation, as discussed in class?1. Alienation of the worker from his/her species essence as a human being rather than a machine2. Alienation between workers, since capitalism reduces labor to a commodity to be traded on the market rather than a social relationship3. Alienation of the worker from the product since this is appropriated (stolen) by the capitalist class and so escapes the workers control4. Alienation from the act of production itself, such that work comes to be a meaningless activity, offering little or no intrinsic satisfactions12. Why did the ideology of the American Dream arise during the 1930s?- Cultural malaise (dissatisfaction/depression, rich getting richer, poor getting poorer; that they could overcome/rise above the effects of the Great Depression13. Why was the “democratic art” of cinema so prominent during this time period? (Hint: Thinking of The Wizard of Oz or Gone With the Wind.)- Strong reaffirmation of American ideals14. Finish this sentence: Hollywood was retelling the story of America in a structured narrative of CRISIS and RECOVERY.15. What are some themes of Frank Capra films?- State of the nation and the meaning of the American tradition in the Depression era; to reassemble the fragments; small towns, the common man, the average man, the people, nostalgia for simplicity16. Be familiar with concepts of “the poet” and “the man of the world.”- Both idealistic, sentimental, and a man of action17. What argument does Mr. Deeds Goes to Town make about the poet and the men of the world?- People should be both the poet and the men of the world18. What does the name “Longfellow Deeds” signify?- Longfellow = tall, lanky, Lincoln-esque; Deeds = good deed or deed of money/inheritance19. What is the structural theory of action?- Not everyone has access to certain options, but may have access to other options; people will compare themselves and their situation to other people that are in a similar situation20. Why is the structural theory of action problematic for gender oppression?- It’s harder to see oppression21. What does it mean to “perform” gender?- 22. What is cognitive bias, subordinate adaptation, and “trading power for patronage”?- Cognitive bias: already assuming someone else’s privileged status- Subordinate adaptation: it would benefit them more to adapt than to challengetheir subordinate status- Trading power for patronage: women will relinquish their agency in exchange for resources23. What are the three theoretical traditions of defining gender, as discussed in class?1. Focus on how individual sex differences originate, whether biological or social2. Focus on how the social structure creates gendered behavior3. Emphasis on social interaction and accountability to others expectations24. What does it mean to say that gender is a social structure?- it is a dynamic struggle of oppressors and oppressed25. According to Brenda Cooper, what are the three narrative devices used in Thelma & Louise the undercuts and appropriates the male gaze?1. Stereotypes of lecherous and testosterone-crazed men2. Objectification of women3. Celebration of women’s friendships26. Why is Thelma & Louise a “cathartic revenge
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