my detailed essay plan

As this essay should be 3000 words, i would have to go into specific detail and refer to many books and texts (quotes and visual reference to cagney and lacey most likely)
my first paragraph, would introduce my essay and explain my thesis.(a v.brief summary of this is that the essay is about the rep of women in CSI and my thesis will possibly be something along the lines of how CSI subverts stereotypes of women(blonde in particular)and actually shows them as intellectual successful (in every aspect of life, personal and career wise)women that have achieved alot. they are also seen quite equivalent to men in the programme. )

After this comes my second and third paragraphs which will mainly explain the CSI concept in more detail and alongside that analyse the representation of women in the programme. CSI:crime scene investigation is a a series which looks into the investigationof murders, this can be coutned as part of the police genre but almost a soap opera, not only does CSI just look into the murders they focus on the protagonist's personal lives, allowing some sort of relation to be made by the audience. The programme subverts typical housewife stereotypes as still seen in many programmes, therefore allows many females to appreciate the characters. the prominent regular female characters are Catherine willows, a 30 something blonde who got through university by being an exotic dancer(allowing vouyeristic/fetishistic pleasure through th emale gaze) she is second in command, Gill grissom is the "Boss", allowing a man to be in control. the second female is Sara sidle who is a general investigator alongside many males.these 2 are the main females within the show who are featured in almost every episode alongside the males. the females have a 25% share in the main characters which still isn't alot compared to the 75% of males.these females overall have been given strong independant roles, as catherine is a single parent raising a girl and also working, getting by in life, and Sara has proved she can protect herself. [R, G, A] [S]

Relating texts
The main historical texts that i will relate back to CSI in my essay is Cagney and Lacey.C+L started in 1981 and followed two female undercover investigators in their pursue of doing their job, which is tracking down criminals.this can be compared heavily to the female characters in CSI. "working girls" by Yvonne tasker pointed out the fact that when females are put side by side in programmes or films, they will usually have opposite characteristics. as seen in C+L one is blonde one is brunnette, which leads the blonde one to be much more female, has a more feminine appearance, from props costume and personal appearance.the brunnette is seen to be slightlier more butch and more masculine, emotionally stronger etc. This is the same case with CSI. Catherine Willows is blonde and wears dresses, skirts has longer hair, applies make up etc, whereas Sara is brunnette shorter hair,consistently wears trousers is shown more emotionally stable and solid. etc.this is an interesting view to expand on in the essay. these programmes have alot of similarities which can be identified. [R, G, A, N] [H]

Alongside this more recent texts such as legally blonde, which follow the more intellectual approach to stereotyping women...blonde women in particular. women are not just seen as the damsels in distress that need saving, they are independant enough to handle their own problems. Also i f referring back to the Auteur theory, i can talk abotu CSI :NY and CSI:MIAMI, which are both directed by Antony .E.zuiker, who has also directed CSI:crime scene investigation

Theorists and list of titles to refer to
Laura mulvey is a must, her theory of the male gaze fits in well with the topic i will be exploring, somehow CSI is able to subvert many stereotypes but ends up back in order to please the male audience.Mulveys visual pleasures and narrative cinema will be referred to alot through my essay, apart fromt his, as her work is influenced by Freud and Jaques Lacan(i fink thats how you spell the name :S) i will refer back to them to.
apart from that there are some vital books which will help in order for me to write this essay, some of them will be mentioned more than others obviously as some are directly relevant to my study
Working girls by Yvonne Tasker --> this book , even though i borrowed it and didnt read it thpouroughly, i only read the chapters relevant to CSI, has alot of information for my Independant study [R, M, Id, G, N] [S, H]
Defining women: TV and the case of cagney and lacey by Julie D’Acci (1994)
Spectacular bodies: gender, genre and the action cinema By Yvonne Tasker(1993)
Representing women myths of femininity in the popular media By Myra MacDonald (1995)-->this is a very important book(as i have heard) and this will help me out alot with my Independant study, i have read some passages online on the google thing, but i need to find the book and borrow it out for further in depth reading.
Fabrications: costume and the female body by Gaines Jane and Herzog charlotte(1990)-->Although I haven’t had a chance to read through this book because I have to find it first, I’ve read a brief Summary posted up on the internet and this book basically takes Laura Mulvey’s theory and pushes it further with its own ideas, of how costumes helps the representation of women in media, to fulfil the voyeuristic male gaze.

i have lots of other books which can be refered to, and they have been stated in a previous post, but i believe these are the main titles i will refer to.

CSI issues and debates
CSI is able to bring up many issues and debates within the media but also within the audiences.

Racial issues
As CSI is a US programme, alot of the ideas could have been influenced by the rest of the media, e.g the news. alot of the convicts and criminals are portrayed as Black men, creating a moral panic within the society (as stated my michael moore in bowling for columbine), however CSI subverts this and rarely shows a black man as a criminal, it explores all types of races, even though the asian are a minority this may be done in order for a sense of realism, because the programme is set in Las vegas, how many asian do you expect there?

Feminism
CSI is set since 2000 onwards, and within this time frame, women have been much more assertive, in reality and within the media. Catherin and Sara are perceived and portrayed as independant successfull women, who don't need to rely on men for support in any way shape or form.When Catherine is raped she confides in Sara showing a form of female union, even though they aren't shown as best of friends they work together and respect each other.they are supportive of each other, and if any onehas a sexist comment to make, catherine and SAra don't take it lighlty but they actual fight back [R, Id, A, N] [S]

historical texts TASK 12

CaGnEy aNd lAcEy
http://www.cagneyandlacey.com/index.aspx

Cagney and Lacey are two female New York policewomen doing their job as best they can in a male-dominated police department. The weekly program was variously a "cop show", a relationship drama, and an "issues vehicle" The script for the movie was written in the mid-1970's. It took many years for the script to be produced because the networks felt that there was no audience for a realistic show about policewomen. When the TV movie aired, it was a ratings smash and inspired a successful series of the same name. Television police drama starring two female cops as partners. Their contrasting personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) strengthen them as a team, allowing each a different perspective on both personal and professional situations. The show was canceled at the end of the 1982-83 season, due to low ratings. In response, viewers wrote to CBS, protesting the cancellation. This effort, combined with the show's increasing ratings during the summer reruns, prompted the network to reverse the decision. Although the cast members had just been released from their contracts, they were soon brought back to work on the show. The series was reinstated in March of 1984, and ran until 1988.
watched episode "heat"-->cagney and lacey
They have the feminine and masculine feel to them which can be referred back to the book i read, working girls(by Yvonne tasker) , as they referred to cagney and lacey and talked about the feminine and masculine characters between the two females. This specific episode was found on you tube and i watched all 7 parts of the episode :). It was long but it works well with my independent study. 2 females are shown dominant in the episode and the story revolves around them, something that wasn't seen very often back in the 80's.
*Heat won awards for the character roles in that episode*
But the story concept is taken over my men and the only two females around are cagney and lacey, which shows the under representation of women in the police force.(Tuchman symbolic annihilation of women in media)

Cagney and lacey is a historical test which can be related back to my CSI independent study.It revolves around the police and crime genre, however CSI is a more indepth series about murder investigations. other programmes which relate to my sutdy are CSI ny and CSI miami, but cagney and lacey seems like the most related historical text.cagney and lacey's character roles are mostly in-synch with CSI:crime scene investigation. their are 2 females surrounded by males. the feminine/masculaine roles are also adopted by catehrine and sara within CSI, so there are many similarities.both programmes show the women as strong and emotionless. the roles have changed according to society changes but this only relates to the problems and changes in america.both prgorammes stil show relationships important in a females life, but focusing on CSI (because it also has male protagonists) the men are shown fully involved and obbsessed wtih relationship, they either have gambling problems or are devoted to their work. the males personal lives are almost a mystery, whereas everything about the females are known, their past, and their relationships are all on show for the programme.so according tot hese 2 texts its not much of a difference, but as i watch more cagney and lacey i may be able to find differences.
Books that will link to cagney and lacey which I can refer back to in my essay.

• Working girls(by Yvonne tasker)

• Defining women: TV and the case of cagney and lacey by Julie D’Acci (1994)

• Spectacular bodies: gender, genre and the action cinema By Yvonne Tasker(1993)

• Representing women myths of femininity in the popular media By Myra MacDonald (1995)

TASK 11

Laura mulvey’s visual pleasures and narrative cinema summary
Mulvey uses her psychoanalytic approach to uncover the patriarchal codes and ideologies of the sex object stereotype of women. (Phallocentric ideology-where a male dominance is recognized and makes his sex desires and needs a priority). Castration anxiety is also referred to, as she talks about how the media represents women in order for men not feel better about them. The media satisfies and reinforces the masculine ego and represses the desire of women.

Mulvey states two types of viewing fetishistic and voyeuristic, in which both of them the audience is expected to be male therefore in order to create a heterosexual viewing, women will be portrayed as sex objects to please the audience…the male audience.

She refers to lacan’s work in order to try explaining the narcissistic pleasures in viewing. The audience places themselves as the characters and have some sort of pleasure enforced…e.g. James bond allows many men narcissistic pleasure as they substitute themselves for James bond and create their own individual pleasure out of the media text. The screen acts like a mirror for the male dominated audience.

The male gaze is active and the female gaze is passive. Women, in the world of images, are displayed as sexual objects. Women were portrayed at 2 levels,

1. as erotic object for male characters in the screen story,

2. as an erotic object for the spectator in the auditorium

The activity/passivity of the audiences affects the narratives of the media texts, so male characters are shown to be more active and dominant in the media, and are shown as undefeated in order for the audience to relate to the character and enjoy their narcissistic pleasure. Mulvey says that "the power of the male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look both giving a satisfying sense of omnipotence."

Sadistic viewing is stated for film noir. Men blame the femme fatale for the passive thinking of the male characters

How Mulvey is relevant to my study

Laura Mulvey theory is directly relevant to my study as I am focusing on the representation of women in CSI…the media.

Mulvey’s study relates to Freud’s work, about scopophilia, and directly focuses on the objectification of women for the male gaze. She also refers to Jacques lacans work. There are 2 women in CSI and one is portrayed with more masculine qualities whereas the other has more feminine qualities this is portrayed through their costume props etc.

Catherine willows are constantly referred to by colleagues and criminals in ways which connote a sexual innuendo. The directors have probably used this characterization to their advantage, showing they can portray a successful strong independent woman doing her job and having no sexual blatant interests (Sara sidle) but do the complete opposite with Catherine. Mulvey’s theory alongside Freud’s can be used for many points in my argument within my essay, Mulvey’s findings can make my proposal stronger and allows me to back up my points heavily with a lot of proof.

A few episodes starred a certain woman (Heather) and she was represented as a paid dominatrix. Even though her role allowed her to be dominant over many men, she was still paid, and therefore in and under control of a man. The way she is dressed allows a voyeuristic viewing and fulfills the male gaze within the audience