This assignment is intended to demonstrate your understanding of sex and gender using the course mat ...
This assignment is intended to demonstrate your understanding of sex and gender using the course materials and outside sources. You will need to clearly express your analyses and/or critiques of key arguments about the social construction of sex and gender and apply them to outside contexts. At minimum, this assignment should be 1,500 words, which is around 6 pages double spaced (not including references). You can be creative but will need to define and build on at least 3 key words and/or themes from the course content within Unit one (i.e. readings, videos, lecture) Your grade will be based on quality of analyses and arguments about course content, rather than length, as well as appropriate and consistent formatting (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc). Please refer to the rubric for a breakdown. Prompt: In his article “The Social Construction of Race,” Ian López argues, “social renditions of masculinity and femininity are inseverably a part of racial constructs, just as racial stereotypes invariably embody some elements of sexual identity” (55). In different ways, all of the authors we have and will continue to read in the first unit discuss the theory of social construction. Like López, these authors also consider intersectionality. Consider how your own way of “doing gender” has been socially constructed. Develop an argument about how one other aspect of your identity has influenced how your gender is constructed. For example, your sexuality or your racial identity may shape your ideas about how to do gender. Or, a set of religious beliefs might affect expectations for how you do gender. Choose from one of these identity categories: economic status, race or ethnicity, sexuality/sexual orientation, dis/ability, religious affiliation, cultural identity, age, or nationality. (Check with your ISA, Dani, first if you wish to use a category other than those listed here.) Although this assignment entails telling a personal narrative, your essay will only be successful if it clearly explains the concepts of social construction and intersectionality, and clearly conveys how those concepts apply to your personal example. Your essay should draw on course material to support your ideas. Abu-Lughod, Lila. “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?: Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others.” American Anthropologist 104.3 (Sept. 2002): 783-790.
