Paper Assignment
Analyzing Gender Around Us : The goal of this paper (6 to 8 pages) is to apply your sociological perspective on gender to the world around us using your sociological research skills.
In this paper, you should explore how roles of males and females are differentiated, created, and maintained by society, and the consequences these gender roles have for men and women in society.
You MUST substantially incorporate class readings, lecture, AND discussion. You must also organize your paper using subheadings and themes. You many not use any direct quotes. You need to put the information into your own words, but make sure to cite properly! CITE!!!
There are 3 options for this paper. Choose 1 of the following options:
1) Content Analysis: Gender and the Media: Using content analysis, you can analyze a cartoon episode, one magazine's advertisements, a song's music lyrics, a television show or series, a fictional book, or a movie to see how each are gendered. Please choose one example from the media for your paper.
How are women and men depicted differently and why are they depicted in these ways? What are the consequences of these depictions? You must include the pictures, description of the scenes, ads, song lyrics etc. of what you are analyzing as an appendix to your paper. If you choose this assignment, you must have at least 5 gendered themes/concepts to discuss. An example of a gendered concept/theme might be hegemonic masculinity, emphasized femininity, or any other major concept we have read about this semester.
This means, you need at least 5 substantive sections in this paper. In each section you need to discuss the concept/theme that is illustrated in your content (How are women and men depicted differently and why are they depicted in these ways?
What are the consequences of these depictions?, etc...), and link the theme back to the course (i.e.: articles, info from readings, lecture, film...etc). This is a major part of the assignment. You need to show me that you have been reading the course material and that you can apply what you are learning.
2) Participant Observation: The Gendering of Interactions and Institutions: Using participant observation, you can analyze how particular settings and institutions are gendered.
You will choose a setting and observe the gendered interactions going on. The setting you choose must be considered a public place and your goal is to simply observe gender, not interact with those you are observing. Also, do not choose a setting or a situation in which you are observing any kind of sensitive or otherwise private issues, such as illegal activity, sex, etc...
The setting you choose can range from observing gender in a social setting such as a bar or beach, to observing a sporting event (in person not on TV), to observing the interaction of women and men in the workplace such as the wait staff in a restaurant, to observing little boys and girls interacting on a playground. You can be creative on the setting you choose, and I will be happy to "approve" it for you ahead of time if you are not sure.
You want to be sure that you do not identify either the specific setting of your observation (e.g., name of the bar or restaurant) nor the subjects of your observation (i.e., include no names of people or any other identifying characteristics).
You must include field notes (typed notes) from your observation as an appendix to your paper. Field notes are notes that you will take while you are observing the setting. You must take copious notes, as this will be the data for your project. So, you will most likely take these by hand, but then you will type them to turn them in. Again, like the last paper that you turned in, you will need to identify concepts/themes that have been discussed in class and link them to what is going on in your data. For example, doing gender.
If you choose this assignment, you must have at least 5 gendered concepts/themes to discuss. This means that your paper will have at least 5 substantive sections. In each section you need to discuss a portion of your data (a gendered interaction) and link the data back to a theme or concept from the course (i.e.: articles, info from readings, lecture, film...etc). This is a major part of the assignment. You need to show me that you have been reading the course material and that you can apply what you are learning.
3) Visual Sociology: Visual Dimensions of Gender: Taking photographs, you can analyze and interpret the visual dimensions of gender. Think of this as a content analysis of original photographs taken by you. For example, how are particular settings (e.g., a football game, a bar, a drag show, a parade) gendered, and how does one "do gender" in particular settings?
How are masculinities and/or femininities constructed, performed, maintained, or undermined/transgressed etc. in particular settings or subcultures/communities? The photographs you take must be incorporated into your paper to illustrate your points/arguments. If you choose this assignment, you must have at least 5 photographs that each illustrates a gendered concept/theme we have studied this semester, like hegemonic masculinity.
This means that your paper will have at least 5 substantive sections, with at least one photograph each. When you discuss what is going on in the photograph, you must support your claims with examples from the readings, lecture and films. In each section you need to discuss the gendered nature of the photograph and link the concept/theme back to the course material (i.e.: articles, info from readings, lecture, film...etc). This is a major part of the assignment. You need to show me that you have been reading the course material and that you can apply what you are learning.
IMPORTANT: You must receive written permission (i.e., signatures) of all individuals that can be singled out and identified in your photographs. These written consents (i.e., signatures) must be included as an appendix to your paper. Do NOT submit any photos: 1) without the signed consent of the subjects in the photos, 2) that capture any illegal, private, or otherwise sensitive behavior/scenes (I will be happy to "approve" of your photographs ahead of time if you are not sure).
A good example (on Blackboard) of how to present and write in the vein of visual gender sociology is: Brown, J. Brian. 2001 "Doing Drag: A Visual Case Study of Gender Performance and Gay Masculinity." Visual Sociology 16(1): 37-54.
All information from the book, articles, lecture and other sources must be referenced and cited within the body of the paper as well as properly listed in a reference page at the end of the paper.
In-line references should include the author(s) last name(s) and the year (e.g.,Cragun and Nielsen 2009). At the end of the paper you should have an alphabetized list of references that includes all of the articles you read and discussed in ASA format:
Cragun, Ryan T., and Michael Nielsen. 2009. "Fighting Over "Mormon": Media Coverage of the FLDS and LDS." Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.
Please ask me if you are not sure about how to cite correctly in your paper.