Yes, suggesting there are "boy books" and "girl books" seems horribly politically incorrect, but there it is. There are, and there have been since the early days of books written expressly for children.

Remember,

don't just settle on the obvious: "American Girl books feature girls, so they are for girls" is not going to earn you many points. Look at the implications of the books and consider how specific passages from the books illustrate different values, roles, limitations, stereotypes.

Answer one of the questions below.

  1. Tom Sawyer is considered one of the finest examples of "bad boy" books (popular around the end of the 19th century), and Little Women is the first major "girl's book" in children's literature, and each reinforces traditional roles of males and females. Just how much have things changed since Tom Sawyer and Little Women? Feel free to use other classic titles such as Treasure Island or The Secret Garden). In any case, be sure to cite passages from the books that you discuss that support your observations.

  2. This topic allows you to take a little break and watch some movies or television shows (perhaps cartoons or teen movies); you could even look at images in magazines or on billboards or on television ads. You are on a stereotype hunt. Look at an example from popular media (there are tons of shows on TeenNick that work) that actually makes wide use of male/female stereotypes. Describe some scenes or images; explain how they are specifically directed at stereotypical male / female audiences.

    Note: if you do choose this topic, you are actually required to seek out the examples now; trying to piece together general descriptions of shows you watched years ago or ads you sort of recall seeing last month aren't enough. We want the exact details recorded as you see them. This might even be a great time to attach image files or include links to sites with examples, if you'd like.