Masculinity मर्दानगी

This plan is based on a lesson prepared by Professor Dalpat Rajpurohit for “Working with Film and TV Shows in the Three Communicative Modes” Workshop at NYU:

Satyamev Jayate: Teacher notes on this T.V. program:

  • stories within a story — useful  for reporting and story-telling practice
  • exposure to diversity through authentic material  — access to speakers of different occupations, gender, regions of India, accents, etc.
  • real-life content — basis for class discussions on social issues
  • theme-based advanced level vocabulary and grammar used in a real life context
  • inspirational stories — useful for problem solving

Episode: 

Proficiency Level: Intermediate High/Advanced Low (College) – useful for classroom differentiation

 Objectives: Students will be able to:

  • contrast and compare stories, plot, themes
  • understand and discuss how certain notions of masculinity:
  1. are embedded in our societies
  2. are reinforced by our popular culture (i.e. cinema)
  3. govern our actions and social behavior
  • formulate and suggest strategies how these issues can be solved

Language Targets: Students use consistently:

  • passive voice: e.g. क्या किया जा सकता है? 
  • conditional sentences, including contrary to fact: e.g. अगर आप इस शॉ में मेहमान होते, तो किस समस्या पर बात करते?

Performance Assessment: 

Interpretive Task: In pairs, students view assigned segment of the TV show and develop a concept map on the elements of masculinity, based on it.

Interpersonal: In pairs, students compare and contrast their segments of the episode and their concept maps to develop a new richer one. They discuss a question and agree on the specifics they will provide.

Presentational: Students write and video/audio record an entry on the topic for their class blog.

Learning scenarios:
1. Brief intro by the teacher of the episode on the main issue and the interviews. A handout  is provided with at least 20 key words from the episode which the teacher uses and draws attention to. (full glossary word or pdf)

2. In pairs students play charades with the new vocabulary.

3. Students view short excerpts of the show, introduced by the teacher, and in pairs formulate  questions about the issues.

3. (Out-of-class-assignment or in-class) In same pairs, students view an assigned segment of the episode and fill out a concept map ‘elements of masculinity’ (if in class, students use personal devices and earphones). While viewing the episode, students use as needed the glossary (word or pdf) provided by the teacher. They are asked to take notes, list in two columns (a) key phrases and (b) new words from the glossary list to develop the concept map.

Note: Students with lower proficiency level are assigned to view excerpts from the first half with various stories and narrations (appropriate for Intermediate level), whereas students with higher proficiency level are assigned excerpts from the second half, which has more abstract content (appropriate for Advanced level).

4. With a new partner, students report and tell the stories from their segments, compare and develop further their concept maps.

5. Each pair is given a question which they discuss and come to a consensus to answer: 

  • छोटी-छोटी बातों के लिए सड़कों पर जो हिंसा होती हैै, क्या वे सिर्फ़ दुर्घटनाएँ हैं या इस हिंसा का मर्दानगी से भी कोई जुड़ाव है? (Are road-rage (random violence of streets) just accidents or a demonstration of masculine power?)
  • काॅलेजों में  रेगिंग क्या सीनियर और जूनियर छात्रों का मेल-मिलाप है या यह सीनियर छात्रों  का अहम् है जिससे वे जूनियर छात्रों को तंग करते  हैं? (Is ragging/bulling/hazing a college tradition of interaction among senior and junior students or does it show seniors’ power/ego to junior students?)
  • क्या मर्दानगी से जुड़े व्यवहार हम अपने परिवारों और हमारी परवरिश से भी सीखते हैं? (Do we learn the elements of masculinity from our family. Why and how?)
  • क्या आप सहमत हैं कि मर्दानगी का संबंध सत्ता से है? कैसे? (Is masculinity related to power?)
  • क्या सिनेमा हमें मर्दानगी के तत्व सिखाता है? कैसे? (Does our popular cinema reinforce the elements of masculinity and how?)

6. In pairs, students write and record a video/audio file as a blog entry using:

  1. 15 new words/expressions from the glossary or from their notes (highlighted in the written entry)
  2. 5 times each construction
  3. the guiding questions below:
  • क्या मर्दानगी से जुड़ी समस्याएं अमरीका में भी होती हैं? कैसे?
  • अगर आप इस शॉ में मेहमान होते, तो मर्दानगी की किस समस्या पर बात करते?
  • क्या सत्यमेव जयते जैसे शॉ लोगों की मानसिकता को बदल सकते हैं? कैसे?

NYU student’s sample answers:

Follow-up activity: Students participate in debates: Can Masculinity be considered a virtue?