final 2

Summer 2022

Selling Sex, Gender and the American Dream

Final

100 points

Name:

Protocol: You are not to discuss or consult with any of your peers after the final is distributed. Doing so is cheating and a violation of the University of Denver’s Honor Code.

When answering questions, please make sure to cite your work. This means providing the author’s full name, page numbers and/or quotation marks when warranted. Failing to do so constitutes plagiarism. You do not need to provide a works cited page or bibliography. However, be weary of overusing direct quotes. Remember that you are being graded on your ability to synthesize and connect authors’ arguments, not on your ability to regurgitate them.

Please note that you will be graded on the content and the quality of your writing. This means spelling, punctuation, and proper grammar will be factored into your grade.

Due Date:

Post by or before Wednesday, 7/13 by or before midnight to the allotted assignment slot on Canvas.

Late exams will not be accepted .

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Long Essay: Tracing Consumer Identities and The American Dream from Past to Present (100 pts)

Throughout this class we have studied the various ways consumerism (or capitalism) has engaged individuals of various backgrounds, social movements, and even political ideals, and incorporated them into what many have come to define as “the American Dream.”

For this final question, please select one “group” below and trace their role in the USA-nation state and the USA marketplace from the 1950s to the present day.

General Requirements:

· You must cite a minimum of four (4) readings from the quarter.

· You must also engage with at least four (4) keywords.

· This essay must be a minimum of five (5), double-spaced pages. Ideally, when you’re engaging with the readings, it should be longer.

“Group” Options

· Feminism (as a social movement/political ideal)

· Ethnic minorities (you can select a specific ethnic group, including white people, or talk more broadly about multiculturalism, colorblindness, post racial, etc.)

· Women/and/or the notion of “femininities”

· Men and /or the notion of “masculinities”

· LGBTQ+ individuals (Feel free to focus exclusively on lesbian, gay men, bisexuals, etc. or discuss them together” )

· Families (e.g., family structure(s), suburbanization, children, etc.)

· *Another social group or topic of your choice that you feel you can trace from the 1950s to present. Please email me for permission before proceeding.

Answer the following questions in your essay:

· What role has advertising and print capitalism had in symbolically (or literally?) representing this group’s role in the USA nation? (Inclusion? Exclusion? etc.)

· Has this changed over the last sixty years or so based on social/political/cultural circumstances in the USA? If so, how?

· If so, what specific historical events or social movements have shaped this evolution?

· What specific ideologies, values, behaviors, and NORMS (think ideology!) etc. have been “sold” or marketed to this particular group? Have they changed over time? If so, how?

· Do these techniques hold universally true for the entire group or have advertisers’ techniques evolved to target different niche markets (or subgroups?) (e.g., differences between class, race, religion, etc.)?

· What are some of the consequences – culturally and politically – for this group as individual consumers, citizens, consumer-citizens, and/or as human-beings? Be specific.

· Where does this group “fit” in relation to your own understanding of the “American Dream” today? (This is subjective opinion; however, it should be an informed opinion based on the texts we have read this quarter.)