GNDR 103 A and B
8/31
1) What are the characteristics of hegemonic masculinity?
• What is hegemony?
• What is gender?
• How does this get enforced in every day interactions? That is, how does
on "do" hegemonic masculinity?
2) What are the characteristics of hegemonic femininity?
3) Does challenging hegemonic femininity have the same consequences as challenging
hegemonic masculinity? Explain, provide examples, and theorize why this may
be the case.
4) How does Fausto-Sterling’s essay about sex help us to rethink gender?
5) What would it mean to think about transgender expression as hegemonic? What
changes would need to occur?
9/2
1) Why is it important to explore the history of heterosexuality?
2) Think about the questions that Katz poses on p. 147. In particular, whose
interests have been served by the division of humans into heterosexual and homosexual?
3) What connections can you make between Bordo's discussion of Viagra and Kimmel's
discussion of hegemonic masculinity?
4) Most insurance companies cover Viagra while many of the same health insurance
companies do not cover birth control. How might the readings that we have done
thus far help us to understand this phenomenon? For a perspective, go to: http://www.fwhc.org/health/viagra.htm
5) Given the readings from Tuesday and today, do you think that birth certificates
or driver's licenses should record gender/sex? Why or why not? What implications
might not recording such information have for how we think about sex?
6) On p. 164, Rust notes that: "Any attempt to create stable bisexual identities
or bisexual communities will eventually encounter the same problems that lesbian
and gay identities and communities now face." What does she mean by this?
What does it suggest about the relationship between language and reality?
9/7
1) What do Omi and Winant mean by "racialization"?
Do we see similar processes of genderization or sexualization? If so,
how are they similar? How do they differ?
2) Ibish's essay was written prior to 9/11. How do the arguments that he makes
help us to understand US responses to and policies since 9/11?
9/9
1) What does it mean to talk about "social class"?
That is, what does it mean to be working class? middle class? upper class?
2) What does it mean, as a couple of authors do, to talk about class as systemic?
3) In what ways are class and race/ethnicity interconnected?
2/5/04
This is a set of readings that I want us to connect to real data on wage distributions. So, as you read, keep track of some of the factors that lead to gender and race differences in the types of jobs that people have and the consequences of this financially.
2/17/04
1. Historically, why did people marry? That is, what purposes has the institution
of marriage served? What does it mean to talk about marriage as an institution?
2. How has marriage worked to encourage/consolidate gendered relations?
3. Does marriage serve the same purposes today that it did in the past? Specifically,
what continuities do you see? What changes do you see?
4. What social forces create obstacles to sucessful marriages?
2/24/04
1. Are there spaces at St. Lawrence that you would consider
"high risk" for women?
2. Spaces that are more high risk for women also tend to bemore homophobic.
How can you use the readings to explain this?
3/2/04
1. What arguments do the authors make about masculinity?
How do these fit with other readings that we have done?
2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this research methodology?
3/4/04
1. What do these readings tell you about the purpose
of schools in the United States?
2. Use these readings to reflect on the strengths and weknesses of the schools
that you attended.