September 2018 – Page 20 – English 1102: Television and Feminism

Adventures of a sOpHoMoRe bY cReDiTs

On September 2, 2018

Hey guys! Its ya boi Sunny Singh, back at it again with another youtub- I mean blog post. I’m a Mechanical Engineer and I am expected to graduated in 2022 but we all know that’s probably not gonna happen.

This is actually my first English course here at Tech, but I am super grateful that I got such an interesting theme (television and feminism) instead of the history of snails or something. I did take AP English Language and English Literature in high school and those really helped me hone my oral communication skills through the various discussions throughout the years. I feel most adept at communicating verbally because it allows for actual conversations and allows both persons to express their first and most natural thoughts on a subject. However, the element that I struggle with most is written communication. I feel that my ideas get lost in my thoughts before I am able to get them down on paper. This results in my writing being all over the place and simply not flowing. And besides not flowing I feel like writing is also the form of communication that I am most afraid to initiate. I don’t know what it is exactly, but maybe the thought of actual words being written down with pen and paper makes the ideas seem so permanent. I think this psychs me out because I feel like it must be perfect and then I end up not writing anything. So, I definitely hope to work on improving that element of communication this semester but I also want to refine my non-verbal skills because I feel like they can be a major sign of respect or disrespect so it could never hurt to make them better, or well try to at least.

I was a very inconsistent TV fanatic in high school but I will say this last summer before college I did attempt to redeem myself. After dinner me and my brother would watch a few episodes of Gotham before going to bed and some nights those “few episodes” will turn into half a season and a bag of Takis mixed into a bowl of popcorn for the perfect spice-to-butter ratio. I prefer comedy and action TV shows but generally I will start a TV show, binge watch up to the latest season, forget about it, and then start over again with a new series.

I have chosen to review Fresh Off the Boat, which is basically about an immigrant kid trying to fit into American culture. I picked this show because I find the premise of the show to be extremely relatable and I think Randall Park is just hilarious. I’m excited to start watching and can’t wait to see what underlying messages the writers try to poke at through the comedy of the show!

How I feel about getting to watch another TV show for class

Woman Up! Intro to Me ENG 1102

By Hyunjin Kim

On September 2, 2018

In Intro Post

Hi, I’m Angelina Kim, a current Public Policy major with a minor in Spanish, and I plan to graduate by 2022.
This is my first English class at Georgia Tech. My other English classes have followed a more “traditional” route, meaning reading books, writing essays, and the occasional class discussion. I think the emphasis on developing writing skills in my former English classes brought me to become more comfortable with written communication. Writing is something that I’ve been practicing for quite some time, and I definitely enjoy expressing myself through it. The mode of communication that I feel most uncomfortable with is probably oral. I’m a naturally introverted person, so any form of oral communication requires a lot of preparation and practice from me. This is probably the one form of communication that I would love to improve this semester.
As for my TV experience, my parents cut off the cable around second grade, so my childhood was mostly deprived of TV. Thankfully, Netflix came into my world and filled the void. I had hours of free time everyday this summer, so Netflix was my best friend. I binged so many TV shows and definitely dropped quite a few of them. Usually I need to watch TV shows season by season as they come out or I start to lose interest or the motivation of continue. My favorites from this summer on Netflix were Tabula Rasa, Dark, and The 100.
I also watched Big Little Lies this summer which I think really fits with the theme of Television and Feminism. Definitely became one of my favorite TV shows along with True Detective. Unfortunately, it falls short of the minimum episode requirement for the shows to review, but I highly recommend it regardless. Great direction, cinematography, characters, script, editing…Basically everything you could want from a TV show.
The TV show I’ve chosen to review is The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt about a girl who chooses to reclaim her life after being rescued from a cult by going to New York City. I don’t really venture into comedy shows, and the ones that I’ve tried like The Office and Parks and Recreation have yet to capture my interest (BUT I’m very willing to give them another try). I think The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt could be a good leeway into comedy shows, so I’m very excited!

So excited to start Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt!

WHO AM I

By Frank Ketchum

On September 2, 2018

In Intro Post

Hey! I’m Frank Ketchum, a BME major here at tech. I’m looking at graduating in 2021 if I keep up the current pace.

I took English 1101 here last spring because I made the mistake of skipping out on AP Lang/Lit in high school. In the past, English courses have been like pulling teeth for me, which was a big part of my reasoning behind this choice. I’m in the STEM field for a reason- I don’t do well with digging into deeper meaning behind works of writing (just tell me what you mean!). I have to say I didn’t hate English 1, which was unexpected considering how much I usually dislike English classes. It forced me back to the roots of the composition process and allowed me to be a lot more free and involved in composition than English classes in the past, which I appreciated. I also enjoy how English classes here break away from the mold of traditional classes and focus on new things.

Me in high school English classes >:(

When it comes to communication, I’m pretty lacking. I especially struggle with written communication. Sometimes I can’t even bring myself to read over what I’ve already written because I hate it so much. However, this semester, I’m looking forward to improving all of my communication skills. Specifically, I want to improve on my oral communication. I enjoy speaking and talking with people, but I also feel like my oral communication skills could use some work. A proficiency in oral communication is very impressive in my opinion, and it would help me out a lot in the future.

Having an English class on television is going to be interesting, to say the least. I used to watch a lot of TV when I was younger, but more recently it’s lost its effect and television just hasn’t been doing it for me. I can’t find a series that keeps my attention for more than a couple episodes. I think this has to do with the fragmentation of the television industry and the move away from larger, higher-budget channels to more smaller networks, like Netflix. I’m also pretty new to feminism- I get the general idea and I’m down for it, but it just goes so much deeper than I initially expected. There are so many things to consider through the lens of feminism that I had never thought of.

I’ve chosen to review Fresh Off the Boat for my blogs this semester. It’s been on my list of things to watch for a while now, so this is the perfect opportunity to force myself to go ahead and watch it. It seems like a pretty funny and entertaining show, and I think it’ll also provide me some insight on how my experiences have differed from others’ based on my upbringing.

The Abridged Katie Chronicles

By Katherine Roberts

On September 1, 2018

In Intro Post

Hi – I’m Katie Roberts, a first year Biomedical Engineering student. I’m currently planning on graduating in 2022, but check back in 4 years to see if that actually happens.

My experience thus far with English classes has been typical – I read a lot, I annotated a lot, I analyzed a lot, and I mastered the formulaic 5-paragraph essay. I truly love reading and my Goodreads history will prove it. English 1102 – Television and Feminism will be my first GT English experience and my first class focused around a central theme where everything is interconnected. I really enjoy written communication, partly because its what I’ve practiced the most, but also because it allows me to reflect and then revisit my arguments. However, even though it is my favorite form of communication, I believe I can still become better at it – especially with more creative pieces. I really hope to strengthen my oral communication, as I dread speaking in front of crowds. I’ve made a lot of progress from when just commenting in class turned my face red and caused my entire body to shake, but I need to improve my ability to convey my arguments clearly through words.

I’ve watched TV my entire life – from the Disney Channel as a child to my current frequent Netflix binges. My TV habits encompass a wide variety of shows – from Madam Secretary to Parks and Recreation to Below Deck. Unpopular opinion: I love spoilers. I cannot watch an episode without stalking the wiki page or reading reviews online. This prevents me from watching shows live because I must know what happens before I watch it. I haven’t watched shows on a physical TV for over 4 years; I watch everything through my laptop. Furthermore, I definitely consider myself a feminist and try my best to stay well versed in everything surrounding that topic. My introduction to feminism stems from a gender studies unit two years ago: it opened my viewpoint to intersectionality and the important aspects of feminism that I had never considered before because I had never experienced them.

I have chosen to review The Mindy Project. It’s been in my personal queue for a long time and I’m excited to finally watch it. This show focuses on a New York based OB-GYN and her struggles within her practice and personal life. I’ll admit my primary motivation for choosing this show is because I’m thoroughly obsessed with The Office, and I’m hoping this show’s writing will fill my sassy humor quota. Also, based on my love of Greys and Scrubs, I evidently have a fascination with medical shows. To sum up: Mindy Kaling + medicine + comedy = strong contention for a new favorite show!

A picture of me at my first time visiting Georgia Tech’s campus

English 1102: Television and Feminism

Dr. Casey Alane Wilson • Georgia Institute of Technology

Month: September 2018 (Page 20 of 20)

Adventures of a sOpHoMoRe bY cReDiTs

Woman Up! Intro to Me ENG 1102

WHO AM I

The Abridged Katie Chronicles

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