1) Choose a critical lens & a key question (or two) to serve as your focus.
Feminist Criticism & Gender Studies
How are the sexes depicted in the text?
What are the power relations between the sexes?
How is sex and sexual identity depicted in the text?
What sorts of dualisms are present in the text (man/woman, straight/gay)?
Does the text present identities that are alternative to the gendered or sexual norms?
Does the text present these depictions as accepted or abnormal? In either case, how does the depiction
complicate our understanding of gendered and sexual “norms.”
Ethnic Literary Studies
How does race appear in the text and how does it shape the way we interact with one another?
What is the significance of depictions race in the text?
How does the text reflect or undermine dominant cultural perceptions of race?
How does the text depict a distinct ethnic identity?
How does the text depict the lived experience of an ethnic identity in American society?
How does the text depict racism as a persistent force in American society?
How does the text accurately reflect the experiences of victims of racism?
2) Choose ONE film to serve as the focus for your investigation.
Sample Solution
