character that relies on stereotyping to develop the character.

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Assignment:

For the essay, choose one television show/character that relies on stereotyping to develop the character. Write an essay discussing how the plot or humor relies on either a gender, ethnic, or sexual orientation stereotype (ONLY PICK ONE). Also, please discuss whether this stereotype has become more apparent or less apparent over the years and whether it has deepened our understanding of people or perpetuated the stereotypical point-of-view in America.

For example, the sitcom show Will and Grace premiered in 1998 and ran until 2006 (imdb.com). The show deals with issues with gay men and has won several Emmy awards and nominations. However the show’s humor relies on the over-the-top gay character named Jack McFarland. Just Jack is a one dimensional character whose comedic value depends strongly on an unflattering gay stereotype (gay men are theatrical, judgmental, promiscuous, and catty). One could make the argument that Jack’s character is either detrimental to the public image of gay men or take the other opinion that Jack’s exuberant character positively influenced the American perception of gay men (since the series ran so long). The show was so popular and had such a strong following, that NBC (Links to an external site.) brought the show back in October 2017.

We have already looked at stereotyping in general on your Festival of Knowledge, but for this essay, we are going to focusing on one of the three specific stereotypes mentioned above (gender, ethnic, or sexual orientation stereotype).

Stereotypes:

The difference between stereotyping and generalizing can be tricky to define. According to Cortes, when speaking about groups of people:

Stereotypical statements tend to use or imply “all“ or “almost all“ when dealing with certain groups or group members. By speaking or writing in this sweeping manner, stereotypes encourage other to internalize those perceptions and apply them broadly to ‘all’ or ‘almost all’ of a group’s members” (6).

Gender stereotypes are “simplistic generalizations about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of individuals and/or groups. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but they rarely communicate accurate information about others” (“Oversimplified”).

You can pick any television show. However sitcom shows may be an easier subject matter than dramas or reality TV shows. In order to find the back-story on television shows, you can look up the shows on the internet by the title or search for the show on the network’s website.

I encourage students to look up facts and statistics from the Internet Movie Database  as well as through the show’s web site or any free streaming service

** Television sitcoms are the easiest subject matter to use for this essay and reality TV shows may be more difficult. By this point, most of you can identify stereotypes, but I have listed some below as examples. These are just sample stereotypes that are used in the media and not my personal beliefs.

Examples of Gender Stereotypes:

Women’s roles are to marry and have children

Women are bad drivers

Women are too materialistic

Men’s roles are to be the financial provider

Men are tough (physically and emotionally)

Men are insensitive

Ethnic /Racial/Religious Stereotypes:

Caucasian people all go to college and have good jobs.

African-American people are good dancers and athletes.

Latino people don’t speak English and are illegal immigrants.

Asian people are all intelligent and get good grades.

Arab people are all Muslim.

Sexual Orientation Stereotypes:

Gay men are effeminate, flamboyant, and enjoy Broadway musicals.

Lesbian women are masculine.

Gay people are more interesting.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT+) people choose not to be heterosexual.

Purpose:

To write an organized expository essay that clearly communicates a main point or thesis, supports the point(s), and connects the support.

Format:

Please be sure to use the MLA 8 Essay TemplatePreview the document to create your essay. Your essay should include

Introduction – one or two sentences that take the reader from the big picture to the

specific topic.

Thesis statement (multi-part). Tell the reader what the topic is, why it should be

discussed, and how it is important to the reader. PLEASE UNDERLINE THE THESIS.

At least three quotations and examples from the essay that support the thesis.

Transitional techniques between thoughts and paragraphs to make the essay flow.

Conclusion – restate the thesis and recap the support.

Works Cited page – lists all the sources that were quoted/cited in the essay, alphabetically by author’s last name. Note that the entry will depend on the format you used and whether or not you used both the video and the article.

Develop a draft essay according to the following formatting guidelines. Papers submitted that do not meet these formatting requirements will be returned to you ungraded.

Minimum of 3 typed, double-spaced pages (about 600–750 words), Times New Roman, 12 pt font size

MLA formatting

8.  Submit your prewriting and draft as a single file PDF upload.

 

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*Please note the following:

Television series titles must be italicized and “episode titles” must be enclosed in quotation marks.

Please use the episode title like “Dancing in the Streets” instead of “Episode 1”.

Your works cited formatting will be dependent on what type of container your source is from (streaming, broadcast, or DVD).

2/ Outline Reference.

Please note that this outline is for your prewriting activity. This does not need to be turned in. However, it is important to review because these are the points I will be grading your paper on, so be sure to include the points on the outline in your essay.

I) Introduction

a) Define the stereotype being discussed and whether it is a gender, ethnic, or sexual orientation stereotype. Be sure to cite your source!

b) Transition from the stereotype to the character or show that personifies it.

c) Give a brief background on the show, including how long it was/is on the air, and if it won any awards.

d) Discuss whether the show or the actor won awards or its ratings. Discuss whether you believe that the entertainment industry and/or the general public accept this character and what he/she represents.

e) Thesis: The television show _________ relies on (gender/ethnic/sexual orientation) stereotype for (humor/plot line/dramatic effect). The media has made this stereotype (more/less) apparent over the last few years and it is (harmful/beneficial) to society because ____________.

II Body Paragraph 1

a) Discuss the stereotype and why the producers chose this character to build humor/plot line/dramatic effect.

1. Assertion: Discuss the events/dialog of the show/character leading up to the quotation

2. Support (Should be a direct quotation from a character in the show or an example from a scene). Remember to include the time in the parenthetical citation (“The Hole in the Heart” 00:32:15 – 00:32:35)

3. Commentary (how does this in-text citation support your thesis?)

III Body Paragraph 2

a) Discuss the second example of the stereotype in the show.

1. Assertion: Discuss the events/dialog of the show/character leading up to the quotation

2. Support (Should be a direct quotation from a character in the show or an example from a scene). Remember to include the time in the parenthetical citation (“The Hole in the Heart” 00:32:15 – 00:32:35)

3. Commentary (how does this in-text citation support your thesis?)

IV Body Paragraph 3

a) Discuss the third example of the stereotype in the show.

1. Assertion: Discuss the events/dialog of the show/character leading up to the quotation

2. Support (Should be a direct quotation from a character in the show or an example from a scene). Remember to include the time in the parenthetical citation (“The Hole in the Heart” 00:32:15 – 00:32:35)

3. Commentary (how does this in-text citation support your thesis?)

V Body Paragraph 4

a) Discuss whether this show is harmful to the public’s perception or if it changes the public’s perception for the better.

b) In addition, discuss whether this show and/or the media has made this stereotype less apparent or more apparent over the years.

III) Conclusion

a) Restate the thesis (do not restate verbatim or copy and paste it)

b) Summarize the support.

Works Cited Page

Your works cited entry will depend on which source you used. Please note that there is a different entry format for the

Broadcast:

“Episode Title.” Series Title, season #, episode #, Station, Date aired.

“Episode Title.” Series Title, performance by Performer, season #, episode #, Station, Date aired.

Streaming:

“Episode Title.” Series Title, season #, episode #, Station, Date aired. Hulu, URL (without the http://) (Links to an external site.).

DVD:

“Episode Title.” Date aired, DVD Set Title, episode #, Publisher, Date released, disc #.

All citations should be listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name or the first major word in the title if there is no author.

Please be sure to use MLA 8 style guidelines. For more information, please review the OWL at Purdue MLA  website.

Be sure to double-check your work with the CitationMachine or EasyBib citation generator websites.