The Codes of Gender
[Multimodal reading/multimedia piece followed by questions (on the same page):]
Sut Jhally
[documentary film clip]
Sut Jhally is a professor of communication at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst and Executive Director of the Media Education Foundation, which produces and distributes films that discuss topics related to the influence of mass media. Among other films, Jhally produced and narrates The Codes of Gender, an exploration of media’s role in shaping and reinforcing norms of gender expression, from which this clip is taken. Much of the structure and content of The Codes of Gender is influenced by the work of sociologist Erving Goffman, particularly his 1979 book Gender Advertisements, in which he pioneered arguments that advertisements are coded with instructions on masculine and feminine gender performance. In this clip, Jhally attempts to separate the concepts of sex and gender. As you watch this clip, consider how it complements the arguments about gender expression put forth by Aaron Devor (p. 504) and Deborah Blum (p. 511).
Media Education Foundation, www.mediaed.org
<<insert codes.mov>>
Download transcript. <<pop: codes.pdf>>
Reading the Signs
After watching the clip, consider the questions below. Then submit your response.
1. In your own words, summarize the argument that Jhally is trying to make in this clip.
2. The video opens with a clip from Monty Python’s comedy The Meaning of Life, in which a doctor scolds a new mother for wanting to know the sex of her baby. How does this clip set up the argument that sex and gender are different things?
3. How do you think Aaron Devor would respond to this clip? Find a quote from ”Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes” that you think could be used as a response to this clip, and enter it below.
4. How do you think Deborah Blum would respond to this clip? Find a quote from ”The Gender Blur” that you think could be used as a response to this clip, and enter it below.
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