Gender in the Slasher Film Genre

Abstract

Slasher films typically involve a lone killer/monster stalking a group of people, often picking them off a few at a time. Formulaic and full of long-lived franchises, it is relatively easy for students to pick up on themes and patterns in the slasher films. Moreover, I always find that many students in my class have seen some of these films, and even...

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Sex and Gender

Resource Type(s):

Lecture

Class Level(s):

College 300

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

I use this lecture in my Sociology of Mass Media class, where we look at mass media representations of gender, race, and class. My Sociology of Mass Media class always attracts a diverse group of students, with many majoring or minoring in English, Advertising and Public Relations, Marketing, Film, Journalism, Communication, Political Science, Psychology,...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Learning Goal 1: Identity key differences between male and female killers in the slasher genre, and the role of femininity and sexuality in Final Girls and slasher victims.
2. Learning Goal 2: Apply sociological concepts such as emphasized femininity and hegemonic masculinity to the portrayal of male and female villains, the Final Girl, and slasher victims. Evaluate debate surrounding alleged misogyny of slasher genre.
3. Learning Goal 3: Compare and contrast representations of gender in slasher films with representations of gender in mass media that the student consumes, as well as mass media in general.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. Assessment 1: In-class discussion allows students to generate examples (or counter examples). Learning is also assessed through in-class discussion of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 video clips at the end of the slides.
2. Assessment 2: Essay assignment asks students to apply sociological concepts to slasher genre and debate the alleged misogyny of the genre.
3. Assessment 3: Essay assignment asks students to compare representations of gender in the slasher genre with examples of media that they consume, and compare it to representations of mass media in general.