Applied Exercise: Consuming Gender
This assignment has you explore how the goods we buy uphold or overturn conventional gender roles and impact gender inequalities. You will report and discuss your findings in a 1-page paper.
Getting started:
Go to a store that has either toys or greeting cards. You are limited to these items. Pay attention to the both the items and the context, while considering some of the items below*. Perhaps record what you see. This will enable you to make thoughtful insights when you present your discussion.
a. What colors are the cards for girls, boys, moms, dads?
b. How are these individuals portrayed in the cards?
c. If the cards are not people-centered, what is?
d. What pictures are shown?
e. What messages are conveyed?
f. Are the messages different, similar? In what ways?
*For toys:
a. Looking at the dolls, do they appear marketed to boys or girls? How do you know?
b. Looking at the variety of guns, do they appear marketed to boys or girls? How do you know?
c. Are there other toys that are marketed to either girls or boys?
d. What color packaging seems to be used for toys geared toward girls or boy?
e. What personality characteristics are promoted by different toys?
f. What roles are these toys teaching/training girls and boys for?
Content:
1. Describe what you found in relation to the questions prompts outlined above. Feel free to offer other insights gathered that might not be listed. Provide enough detail to give the reader a clear picture.
2. Critically discuss the gendered messages conveyed by the toys and/or greeting cards. Offer a sociological analysis working to explain how what you found pertains to our material on gender and gender inequality (and/or other relevant course material).
3. Critically reflect on how and why you, and we, “do gender.” Think relative to your own upbringing, comfort with gender roles, related expectations and your daily experiences. Consider the following:
a. Do you ever question or veer from them?
b. How have they become embedded in your mind and behaviors?
c. In what ways/how do they contributed to gender stratification?
d. How do our gendered constructs permeate other social institutions?
These are but a few items to address in this reflective portion; feel free to offer other insights that may not be listed.
Key terms and concepts I expect to see used and applied in your writing: gender, gender roles, socialization, and gender inequality. It is not required that you use every single one. But, if none of them show up, your grade will suffer. Us the textbook and lecture material for refernce.
Formatting
1. Papers will be typed, using 11-12 point font with 1-1.25 inch margins, SINGLE-SPACED and printed in black ink.
2. Indentifying information will be put in the top, left hand corner of the first page. You will include:
Your name
Course name and number
Name of the assignment
Due date
*These items will also be single-spaced
3. Leave one space below this identifying information and begin the body of text, using complete sentences and full, indented paragraphs and edited for grammatical errors. ANY REFERENCES MADE WILL NEED CITED PROPERLY, including a works cited page.
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