• Name of Faculty Advisor: Professor Efrat El-Hanany
• Advisor’s home department: Women’s and Gender Studies and Art History
• Tutorial number: LBST 391 – 07

This term, Professor El-Hanany and I explored the representation of men and masculinities throughout Western art history. This was done primarily through meetings on and off campus (one of our meetings took place at an art exhibit), assigned readings and academic films, two 500-word response papers to various readings, and a final 2000-word synthesis and critical research paper. The direction that this tutorial took was guided both by my academic interests and by Professor El-Hanany’s expertise. The structure of this tutorial and all related assignments required that I initiate, execute, and take responsibility for self-directed interdisciplinary research and thus satisfies PLO 1 – Self-directed learning.

The assigned readings and educational films for this tutorial approached men and masculinities in Western art from the disciplines of: Art History, for example, by exploring the ideal male nude in Western art; Sociology, for example, by examining the construction of masculinity among boys in contemporary society; and, Women’s and Gender Studies. Specifically, my first response paper synthesized “The Body” by Margaret Lazzari and Dona Schlesier, “The Body in Society” by Alexandra Howson, and
“Public Bodies” by Efrat El-Hanany. My second response paper synthesized Kenneth Clark’s “The Naked and the Nude” and Richard Leppert’s “The Male Nude: Identity and Denial”. Both of these response papers required that I produce well-written, University-level, critically searching interdisciplinary work. Therefore, these assignments satisfy PLO 1, PLO 4 – Synthesis, and PLO 6 – Communication.

My final assignment for this tutorial was a critical research paper titled ‘A New Ideal’. This paper explored men and masculinities in contemporary Western art by asking: “How are contemporary artists challenging the ideal male nude in Western art?” The topic of this research paper came about as a culmination of the shorter investigations undertaken with Professor El-Hanany over the course of the tutorial. This paper applied Art History theories and concepts with feminist theory to explore how contemporary artists are breaking away from the muscular, heroic, male archetype in Western art. This assignment required that I apply foundational learning and holistic problem-solving skills. As well, I had to synthesize the knowledge I gained over the course of this tutorial with the research materials that I gathered for this paper (peer-reviewed articles, news media, and academic/Art History blogs). From this research, I produced a well-organized, coherent, critically searching, and interdisciplinary university-level paper. Therefore this assignment satisfies PLOs 1, 3 – Application, 4, and 6.

In the Fall 2019 term, I will be conducting a tutorial with David Kirk. In this tutorial, we will explore traditional and contemporary First Nations gender relations. Staying on trend with my previous tutorials, I also intend to explore traditional and contemporary First Nations masculinities.

For my graduating project, I plan to create an interactive exhibit on the topic of masculinities. For example, I might construct a moving picture collage (short film) to showcase societal pressures surrounding men and masculinities from popular media. The knowledge I gained from this tutorial with Professor El-Hanany has provided me with the foundation necessary to embark on this type of project, for example, by providing me with the knowledge (and language) to formally analyze images from popular culture.

• Name of Faculty Advisor: Professor Maureen Bracewell
• Advisor’s home department: Women’s and Gender Studies and Anthropology
• Tutorial number: LBST 390 – 05

This term, Professor Bracewell and I explored the social construction of gender in relation to masculinity, both in Canada and other cultural contexts. This was done primarily through bi-weekly meetings, assigned readings (chosen by Professor Bracewell and myself during our meetings), three 500 word response papers to various readings, and a final 1500 word critical research paper. This tutorial required that I initiate, execute, and take responsibility for self-directed interdisciplinary research and thus satisfies PLO 1 – Self-directed learning.

The assigned readings for this tutorial approached masculinity from the disciplines of: History, for example, through examining coureur des bois masculinity; Sociology, for example, through examining how sports both shape and are shaped by masculinities; Indigenous Studies, through exploring Indigenous perspectives on Indigenous masculinities; Queer Theory, for example, through exploring arguments which use Queer Theory to explain the oppression of queer masculinities in Canadian culture; and, Women’s and Gender Studies. In each meeting, Professor Bracewell and I critically discussed the concepts, theories, and practices present in each of the readings and often paralleled our findings to current events or other contemporary examples. These aspects of this tutorial satisfy both PLO 2 – Knowledge and PLO 7 – Local and global consciousness.

The topics of my response papers include the construction of masculinities, Indigenous masculinities, and queer masculinities. Specifically, my responses include: a synthesis of Robidoux and Laberge’s ideas concerning the construction of masculinity, a critical response to “Remembering the Sacredness of Men” in Masculindians by Sam McKegney, and a critical response to “Que(e)rying Canadian Manhood: Gay Masculinity in the Twenty-First Century” by James McNinch. These assignments required that I apply my knowledge on the construction of gender and of masculinity (especially from a Women’s and Gender Studies perspective) to produce well-organized, university-level, critically searching, and interdisciplinary works in written forms. Therefore, these assignments satisfy PLO 2, PLO 3 – Application, PLO 4 – Synthesis, and PLO 6 – Communication.

My final assignment for this tutorial was a critical research paper on ‘Incels’ (shorthand for “involuntarily celibate”)—a (mostly) online subculture of anti-feminist men’s activists. The inspiration for this research paper came out of a discussion with Professor Bracewell. This paper examined the history of the anti-feminist men’s movement, contemporary anti-feminist men’s movements or subcultures, and the Incel subculture. An important aspect of this paper considered and critically assessed the impacts of this and other toxic masculine subcultures on the general population, especially, on women. This assignment required that I apply foundational learning and holistic problem-solving skills. As well, I had to synthesize the knowledge I gained over the course of this tutorial with peer-reviewed research articles and some popular media sources on the topic. From this research, I produced a well-organized, coherent, critically searching, and interdisciplinary university-level paper. This assignment satisfies PLOs 3, 4, 6, and 7.

I will continue to pursue my interest in masculine hegemony and alternative representations of masculinity in a tutorial in Summer 2019. In this tutorial, Professor Efrat El-Hanany and I will examine representations of men and masculinity in art throughout the ages.

I do not yet have a clear idea of what I will focus on for my graduating project, however, I do expect to continue with the theme of masculinity in my final project.