1. What are the major ideas in the article?
This fact sheet is concerned with not only the
amount of adolescents who view pornography, but the lasting impact it has on
them. It cites multiple studies to show that, “exposure to pornography has
negative effects on healthy development and relationships” (p. 2). The sheet
also observes the link between “pornfied culture,” mass media, and child sexual
abuse and exploitation: “This pornified environment paired with the lack of
healthy messages and images affects their vulnerability to victimization, perpetration,
and effective bystander action” (p. 1).
2. What serious questions/issues does the reading
raise regarding gender and sexuality and young people?
How can we provide positive sexual health education
in the classroom in a meaningful way, so that adolescents do not feel the need
to turn to resources such as pornography to learn about sexual behaviour? Is
this even possible? Or will students always turn to stimulating material such
as pornography?
3. In what ways does this article reinforce, extend,
challenge, or oppose your own views on gender and sexuality
study/research/practice?
The statistics cited herein are surprising.
Depending on the study used, the numbers vary, but an overwhelming majority of
adolescents are accessing pornographic materials. Particularly troubling was the
finding that some children, “grow, develop, and learn about themselves, their
gender and relationships through the lens of pornographic culture” (p. 1).
Learning about sexual education through the twisted representations in pornography
can lead to relationship issues and, as the text suggests, violent and aggressive behaviour toward women.
4. What do you take away from the reading in terms
of your own gender inclusive practice as a future educator?
It’s important to be aware of the prior knowledge
and experiences that our students bring to the classroom, and the use of
pornography is no different. I will be aware of this topic as I teach sexual health education and actively seek to engage students in real discussions around pornography use and its effect on their lives.
SEXTING: CONSIDERATIONS FOR CANADIAN YOUTH
1. What are the major ideas in the article?
This fact sheet is concerned with the prevalence of
sexting in youth demographics. It clearly outlines the dangers of sexting by
articulating the permanence of media in the digital world. While a sext may be intended for a specific audience, it is often shared or viewed by many others as well. Legal ramifications
are explored through scenarios, which outline that, while child pornography
laws prohibit the distribution of nude photographs of minors, as long as they
are sent between consenting parties, legal action is rarely, if ever, pursued; the laws apply when those photographs are shared by third parties.
2. What serious questions/issues does the reading
raise regarding gender and sexuality and young people?
Sexting is an illegal practice with potentially devastating legal and social outcomes but teens continue to do it. Why? How can the implicit dangers of sexting effectively be communicated to
students? And in what setting is this best done? In a sexual health class? In a
media class? In homeroom?
3. In what ways does this article reinforce,
extend, challenge, or oppose your own views on gender and sexuality
study/research/practice?
This fact sheet reinforces the notion that teenagers are sexually active, and will continue to find new ways of exploring and expressing their own sexuality. As educators, we must be aware of technology, and the new opportunities it affords students to express themselves -- in both positive and negative ways.
4. What do you take away from the reading in terms
of your own gender inclusive practice as a future educator?
This fact sheet is a text I could use in a classroom with students today. It is a useful resources because it outlines the harmful effects of sexting, and even the legal ramifications. I think it's important to address this issue, and not ignore it. Ignoring the issue of sexting has the effect of implicitly condoning it, so it must be openly discussed in the classroom.
Hartley, J. E., Wight, D., & Hunt, K. (2014). Presuming the influence of the media: teenagers’ constructions of gender identity through sexual/romantic relationships and alcohol consumption. Sociology of health & illness, 36(5), 772-786.
1. What are the major ideas in the article?
This study explores teenagers’ experiences with
media, gender identity, relationships, and alcohol through a series of
individual and group interview sessions. Hartley et al. find their results align
with an “influence of presumed influence” model of understanding, whereby media
has power of influence through how an individual perceives that media to
influence others in their social group. For example, girls believe boys watch mainly pornography, so base their gender performances around those media.
Teenagers are influenced by media in this indirect way. This influence was
strongly associated with ideas of gender identities, and romantic relationship
ideals, whereas the relation with alcohol use was much weaker.
2. What serious questions/issues does the reading
raise regarding gender and sexuality and young people?
The power of media to shape teenagers' minds is explicitly stated, as Hartley et al. observe about one teenager that, "she uses the relationship in Titanic as a model for understanding what went wrong in her relationship, and how she might act differently in the future" (p. 779). How are media that students are exposed to in school affecting their identities? As an English teacher, I have the freedom to choose diverse texts, and I think being cognizant of the impressionability of the teenage mind is crucial in text selection. If I am going to choose a text that deals with sexual topic such as gender identity, or sexual violence, I need to ensure I frame the discussion in a positive manner, and guide their mental processing of the text.
3. In what ways does this article reinforce,
extend, challenge, or oppose your own views on gender and sexuality
study/research/practice?
It provides for me a new framework to understand
how media shapes our gendered identities. Our relationship with media is more complex than I had realized, and operates on multiple levels of influence simultaneously. Being aware of these influences will allow me to be more self-reflective, and even self-aware of the way in which I engage with media content.
4. What do you take away from the reading in terms
of your own gender inclusive practice as a future educator?
As an English teacher, I have the ability to
include media in my curriculum-- a discussion around the influence of
media would be incredibly worthwhile to have with my students. Media literacy is an integral part of citizenship, and encouraging students to question the platforms and content they engage with daily would be a step in this direction -- not only asking students to be aware of how media influences them, but challenging them to disrupt this influence where possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment