1/  Assignment: For the essay, choose one television show/character that relies on stereotyping to develop the character. Write an essay discussing how the plot or humor relies on either a gender, ethnic, or sexual orientation stereotype (ONLY PICK ONE). Also, please discuss whether this stereotype has become more apparent or less apparent over the years and whether it has deepened our understanding of people or perpetuated the stereotypical point-of-view in America. For example, the sitcom show Will and Grace premiered in 1998 and ran until 2006 (imdb.com). The show deals with issues with gay men and has won several Emmy awards and nominations. However the show’s humor relies on the over-the-top gay character named Jack McFarland. Just Jack is a one dimensional character whose comedic value depends strongly on an unflattering gay stereotype (gay men are theatrical, judgmental, promiscuous, and catty). One could make the argument that Jack’s character is either detrimental to the public image of gay men or take the other opinion that Jack’s exuberant character positively influenced the American perception of gay men (since the series ran so long). The show was so popular and had such a strong following, that NBC (Links to an external site.) brought the show back in October 2017.  We have already looked at stereotyping in general on your Festival of Knowledge, but for this essay, we are going to focusing on one of the three specific stereotypes mentioned above (gender, ethnic, or sexual orientation stereotype).  Stereotypes: The difference between stereotyping and generalizing can be tricky to define. According to Cortes, when speaking about groups of people: Stereotypical statements tend to use or imply “all“ or “almost all“ when dealing with certain groups or group members. By speaking or writing in this sweeping manner, stereotypes encourage other to internalize those perceptions and apply them broadly to ‘all’ or ‘almost all’ of a group’s members” (6). Gender stereotypes are “simplistic generalizations about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of individuals and/or groups. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but they rarely communicate accurate information about others” (“Oversimplified”).  You can pick any television show. However sitcom shows may be an easier subject matter than dramas or reality TV shows. In order to find the back-story on television shows, you can look up the shows on the internet by the title or search for the show on the network’s website. I encourage students to look up facts and statistics from the Internet Movie Database  as well as through the show’s web site or any free streaming service ** Television sitcoms are the easiest subject matter to use for this essay and reality TV shows may be more difficult. By this point, most of you can identify stereotypes, but I have listed some below as examples. These are just sample stereotypes that are used in the media and not my personal beli.

1. 1/
Assignment:
For the essay, choose one television show/character that relies
on stereotyping to develop the character. Write an essay
discussing how the plot or humor relies on either a gender,
ethnic, or sexual orientation stereotype (ONLY PICK ONE).
Also, please discuss whether this stereotype has become more
apparent or less apparent over the years and whether it has
deepened our understanding of people or perpetuated the
stereotypical point-of-view in America.
For example, the sitcom show Will and Grace premiered in 1998
and ran until 2006 (imdb.com). The show deals with issues with
gay men and has won several Emmy awards and nominations.
However the show’s humor relies on the over-the-top gay
character named Jack McFarland. Just Jack is a one dimensional
character whose comedic value depends strongly on an
unflattering gay stereotype (gay men are theatrical, judgmental,
promiscuous, and catty). One could make the argument that
Jack’s character is either detrimental to the public image of gay
men or take the other opinion that Jack’s exuberant character
positively influenced the American perception of gay men
(since the series ran so long). The show was so popular and had
such a strong following, that NBC (Links to an external site.)
brought the show back in October 2017.
We have already looked at stereotyping in general on your
Festival of Knowledge, but for this essay, we are going to
focusing on one of the three specific stereotypes mentioned
above (gender, ethnic, or sexual orientation stereotype).

2. Stereotypes:
The difference between stereotyping and generalizing can be
tricky to define. According to Cortes, when speaking about
groups of people:
Stereotypical statements tend to use or imply “all“ or “almost
all“ when dealing with certain groups or group members. By
speaking or writing in this sweeping manner, stereotypes
encourage other to internalize those perceptions and apply them
broadly to ‘all’ or ‘almost all’ of a group’s members” (6).
Gender stereotypes are “simplistic generalizations about the
gender attributes, differences, and roles of individuals and/or
groups. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but they rarely
communicate accurate information about others”
(“Oversimplified”).
You can pick any television show. However sitcom shows may
be an easier subject matter than dramas or reality TV shows. In
order to find the back-story on television shows, you can look
up the shows on the internet by the title or search for the show
on the network’s website.
I encourage students to look up facts and statistics from the
Internet Movie Database as well as through the show’s web site
or any free streaming service
** Television sitcoms are the easiest subject matter to use for
this essay and reality TV shows may be more difficult. By this
point, most of you can identify stereotypes, but I have listed
some below as examples. These are just sample stereotypes that
are used in the media and not my personal beliefs.

3. Examples of Gender Stereotypes:
Women’s roles are to marry and have children
Women are bad drivers
Women are too materialistic
Men’s roles are to be the financial provider
Men are tough (physically and emotionally)
Men are insensitive
Ethnic /Racial/Religious Stereotypes:
Caucasian people all go to college and have good jobs.
African-American people are good dancers and athletes.
Latino people don’t speak English and are illegal immigrants.
Asian people are all intelligent and get good grades.
Arab people are all Muslim.
Sexual Orientation Stereotypes:
Gay men are effeminate, flamboyant, and enjoy Broadway
musicals.
Lesbian women are masculine.
Gay people are more interesting.

4. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT+) people
choose not to be heterosexual.
Purpose:
To write an organized expository essay that clearly
communicates a main point or thesis, supports the point(s), and
connects the support.
Format:
Please be sure to use the MLA 8 Essay TemplatePreview the
document to create your essay. Your essay should include
Introduction – one or two sentences that take the reader from
the big picture to the
specific topic.
Thesis statement (multi-part). Tell the reader what the topic is,
why it should be
discussed, and how it is important to the reader. PLEASE
UNDERLINE THE THESIS.
At least three quotations and examples from the essay that
support the thesis.
Transitional techniques between thoughts and paragraphs to
make the essay flow.
Conclusion – restate the thesis and recap the support.

5. Works Cited page – lists all the sources that were quoted/cited
in the essay, alphabetically by author’s last name. Note that the
entry will depend on the format you used and whether or not
you used both the video and the article.
Develop a draft essay according to the following formatting
guidelines. Papers submitted that do not meet these formatting
requirements will be returned to you ungraded.
Minimum of 3 typed, double-spaced pages (about 600–750
words), Times New Roman, 12 pt font size
MLA formatting
8. Submit your prewriting and draft as a single file PDF
upload.
Note.png
*Please note the following:
Television series titles must be italicized and “episode titles”
must be enclosed in quotation marks.
Please use the episode title like "Dancing in the Streets" instead
of "Episode 1".
Your works cited formatting will be dependent on what type of
container your source is from (streaming, broadcast, or DVD).

6. 2/ Outline Reference.
Please note that this outline is for your prewriting activity. This
does not need to be turned in. However, it is important to
review because these are the points I will be grading your paper
on, so be sure to include the points on the outline in your essay.
I) Introduction
a) Define the stereotype being discussed and whether it is a
gender, ethnic, or sexual orientation stereotype. Be sure to cite
your source!
b) Transition from the stereotype to the character or show that
personifies it.
c) Give a brief background on the show, including how long it
was/is on the air, and if it won any awards.
d) Discuss whether the show or the actor won awards or its
ratings. Discuss whether you believe that the entertainment
industry and/or the general public accept this character and
what he/she represents.
e) Thesis: The television show _________ relies on
(gender/ethnic/sexual orientation) stereotype for (humor/plot
line/dramatic effect). The media has made this stereotype
(more/less) apparent over the last few years and it is
(harmful/beneficial) to society because ____________.

7. II Body Paragraph 1
a) Discuss the stereotype and why the producers chose this
character to build humor/plot line/dramatic effect.
1. Assertion: Discuss the events/dialog of the show/character
leading up to the quotation
2. Support (Should be a direct quotation from a character in the
show or an example from a scene). Remember to include the
time in the parenthetical citation ("The Hole in the Heart"
00:32:15 - 00:32:35)
3. Commentary (how does this in-text citation support your
thesis?)
III Body Paragraph 2
a) Discuss the second example of the stereotype in the show.
1. Assertion: Discuss the events/dialog of the show/character
leading up to the quotation
2. Support (Should be a direct quotation from a character in the
show or an example from a scene). Remember to include the
time in the parenthetical citation ("The Hole in the Heart"
00:32:15 - 00:32:35)

8. 3. Commentary (how does this in-text citation support your
thesis?)
IV Body Paragraph 3
a) Discuss the third example of the stereotype in the show.
1. Assertion: Discuss the events/dialog of the show/character
leading up to the quotation
2. Support (Should be a direct quotation from a character in the
show or an example from a scene). Remember to include the
time in the parenthetical citation ("The Hole in the Heart"
00:32:15 - 00:32:35)
3. Commentary (how does this in-text citation support your
thesis?)
V Body Paragraph 4
a) Discuss whether this show is harmful to the public’s
perception or if it changes the public’s perception for the better.
b) In addition, discuss whether this show and/or the media has
made this stereotype less apparent or more apparent over the
years.
III) Conclusion

9. a) Restate the thesis (do not restate verbatim or copy and paste
it)
b) Summarize the support.
Works Cited Page
Your works cited entry will depend on which source you used.
Please note that there is a different entry format for the
Broadcast:
“Episode Title.” Series Title, season #, episode #, Station, Date
aired.
"Episode Title.” Series Title, performance by Performer, season
#, episode #, Station, Date aired.
Streaming:
"Episode Title.” Series Title, season #, episode #, Station, Date
aired. Hulu, URL (without the http://) (Links to an external
site.).
DVD:
"Episode Title.” Date aired, DVD Set Title, episode #,
Publisher, Date released, disc #.
All citations should be listed in alphabetical order by author's
last name or the first major word in the title if there is no
author.
Please be sure to use MLA 8 style guidelines. For more
information, please review the OWL at Purdue MLA website.

10. Be sure to double-check your work with the CitationMachine or
EasyBib citation generator websites.