Saturday Schools 2007
9th June 2007 ‘Older’ Women in the Media
£60 standard / £30 student/unwaged*
Images of older women are increasingly visible across a range of media including magazines, TV shows and films. At first glance, this might seem as if this previously invisible social grouping is finally achieving some recognition. However, there is a skewing of representation that variously celebrates the potential for youthful looks, (in TV shows such as Channel 4’s 10 Years Younger with its strap line ‘Look Young, Feel Good’ and in Saga magazine), or we see these figures played by a man (eg Tootsie, Mrs Doubtfire) or a much younger actress (eg Helen Mirren in The Queen).
At the the other end of the spectrum older women’s bodies are displayed as an example of degeneration leading to death (Gunther von Hagen’s programmes on Channel 4). What is missing from these various representations is the woman who is no longer young, is postmenopausal, but has not yet reached the time of approaching death. This indicates a prevailing cultural preoccupation with a ‘youthful femininity’. Dr Josie Dolan and Dr Sherryl Wilson will provide talks, screenings and workshop activities that will enable participants to explore this gap by looking at a range of media representations and will offer the opportunity to (a) think about what representations are popularly available to mass audiences and (b) consider what is missing from them.
16th June 2007 Sex in the Media
£60 standard / £30 student/unwaged*
A day event for people who are interested in current debates about the way that sex is portrayed in film and television, and the systems that regulate what we can watch. Professor Tanya Krzywinska, author of Sex and the Cinema (Wallflower Press 2006) and Jane Arthurs, author of Television and Sexuality, Regulation and the Politics of Taste (Open University Press 2004), will lead the day’s activities of talks, screenings, and discussion. Given the controversial nature of the subject, participants should be prepared to view potentially sensitive material and to engage respectfully with other people’s views on the issues raised.
Adultery in the Cinema: Domestic Transgression
Across the breadth and depth of cinema, adultery has proved an extremely popular topic. Representations of adultery under the aegis of the Hollywood Production Code were subject to the rule of retribution—always punished, often fatally. But adultery lends itself so very well to drama and rather than give it up as a completely taboo topic, due punishment allowed Hollywood studios to continue making films on the subject. A certain type of narrative came out of this regulatory system which can still be found in recent films focused on adultery. This session will take the form of an interactive lecture, there will be film clips and participants will be able to discuss the degree to which representations of adultery are informed by real life issues or other factors. Films that will be discussed include: Red Dust (1932), Frenchman’s Creek (1944) Zandalee (1991), The Good Girl (2002), Unfaithful (2001) BrokebackMountain (2005).
Television and the Boundaries of Taste
Have you ever felt embarrassed or offended by what you have seen on television and wish there were tighter controls on what gets shown? Or do you think there should be more freedom, letting people decide for themselves what to watch? This session will explore how these issues are decided and how this is changing as television converges with the internet. We will also discuss particular controversies, and why programmes such as Queer as Folk, the drama about gay lifestyles, or the Brass Eye satire on the media coverage of paedophilia, have caused offence while others, like Sex and the City, have been welcomed for being open about women’s sexuality. The workshop will invite participants to decide for themselves what kind of boundaries they would impose, if any, and who should be in control of what we watch on television.
These events run from 10am – 5pm and lunch and refreshments are provided.
All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.
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For further information please contact Helen Kennedy, SaturdaySchool Programme Coordinator
On 0117 3284521 or email helen.kennedy@uwe.ac.uk
For further details and booking information http://www.uwe.ac.uk/hlss/cms/gcru_summerschool.shtml
* There is a discount for booking both events as well as special rates for UWE Staff and Students.
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