Freshman Seminar UCOL 1022.015 

 

"Body Image vs. Reality"

 

My name is Yaisa Mann ([log in to unmask]).  I am a Ph.D. candidate in
the English department and will be teaching a class at OU titled "Body
Image vs. Reality", which is listed under UCOL 1022.015. If are a
freshman or know of incoming freshmen, please recommend my class to
them! It is worth 2 credit hours and will be a great foundation course
that will explore body image, a hot topic for both men and women at the
college level, and we will use an interdisciplinary approach to focus on
this topic by looking at different female cultural experiences relating
to body image. We will address questions such as: 

 

1. Why is there so much focus on body image in our society? 

2. Where does the notion of an "ideal" body come from? 

3. How does the ideal image of a female's body differ in other cultures?


4. How does this compare to the ideal image of a man's body? 

5. Who controls the images that we see? 

6. What does it mean to be a female and what does self esteem mean for
females from different racial/ethnic groups in different social
settings? 

7. What is beauty? 

8. Is there any relationship between beauty and popularity, or beauty
and self esteem? 

9. What defines beauty? 

 

To answer these questions, the class will use media, cultural
traditions, and fashion trends. And we will focus on various ways
females deal with these external pressures, which can lead to plastic
surgery, eating disorders, and a damaged self esteem. The class will
combine brief lectures, guest speakers, small and large group
discussions, film, music, and homework assignments that include
journals, readings, and group projects.