Academic Writing for LGBTQ Studies (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer)

Review the 2 selections from David Halperin’s How to Be Gay—the chapter linked on Bb and the handout that I gave you in class. Review the Power Points on Bb entitled “Camp” and “Consumption, Appropriation and Play.” Select a quote from Halperin and, much like you did after reading Foucault, find one concrete example from current popular culture of a text that you believe is engaging in camp, consumption, appropriation, and/or play, and write at least one page explaining how it is doing that and how it relates to the quote you have selected from Halperin. As a reminder, when we use the word “text” in Cultural Studies, we are referring to anything that can be “read,” or analyzed to teach us something about a particular culture. Ideally, the text that you find will be related to LGBTQ studies. You might want to review some of your class notes to get you thinking. Examples of possible texts include, but are not limited to, advertisements, web sites, conversations between friends, youtube videos, television shows, facebook pages, a comment that a professor makes, magazine covers or articles, architecture (probably of public spaces like gyms or libraries), clothing, etc. Think widely.