Instructions

For this assignment, you are going to consume the relevant media texts listed below, and then answer 5 essay questions. 

Relevant Media Texts

1. Dolly Parton's America Episode 3 "Dollitics"

2. Dolly Parton's America Episode 4 "The Only One for Me Jolene"

Jolene Variations

3. Brown Girls Season 1 on OpenTV

We'll watch several episodes in class and then you will just need to finish the season. The full season is about 70 minutes and you can find the show's main page here, but the episodes are below. 

4. Nadine Hubbs "Jolene," Genre, and the Everyday Homoerotics of Country Music: Dolly Parton's Loving Address of the Other Woman

PDF

5. One or more media texts of your choosing that tell a story about sexuality (any kind of sexuality including queer sexualities, heterosexualities, asexualities, pansexualities, etc.).

This/these can be selected from TV shows, songs, films, magazine articles, books and shorts stories, social media, etc. Be prepared to provide links, screen captures or quotes. 

Questions

(You should copy these questions, hit submit, and then paste them in to get started on the answers. Use the buttons at the top of the screen to embed media, links, etc.).

1. Explain the media text(s) you selected and provide links to them or to more information. Why did you select this? What story/stories are told about sexuality in your selection(s)?
2. What are Dollitics? How does Dolly explain and defend them? What kinds of criticisms have been leveled against Dollitics? What is your position? 
3. Looking across the two episodes of Dolly Parton's America, the episodes of Brown Girls, and your selected media text(s), how would you describe the types of stories that are told about sexuality in these forms of storytelling? Try to get at some of the variations but recognize that you won't be able to capture all of them. 
4. Using Nadine Hubbs as a model, and using at least one quote from her article, provide a queer reading of another song (the song can be your additional media selection). 
5. Choose one of the concepts from the unit on sexuality not covered in the above questions and use the episodes of Brown Girls to illustrate it. Explain why the illustration works. Imagine you are teaching the concept to someone younger and make sure you really explain on clear terms. 

Extra credit alternate question: For item 4 above, write that lost last verse that makes the queer connection. OR: Write a personal response to Brown Girls.