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genetics and chemistry? Or is the issue more
complicated than such an “either/or” scenario? What
influence does mass media and popular culture
(television, films, music, advertisements, etc.) have
upon how “maleness” and “femaleness” are defined so
very commonly in American society? In the end, how
do individuals’ perceptions of gender, both their own
and others’, affect their identity: how they see
themselves?
With this sort of conversation at the heart of this third essay,
the students were asked to critically analyze their very own
“gender socialization.” How exactly did they learn what it
means to be a “man” or a “woman” in American society and culture
and how did this influence their perception of the reality or
“truth” of “sex” and “gender”? Were those perceptions narrowed
or broadened because of such influences? Furthermore, what has
been expected of them as “men” or “women” in this society, how
have they responded to such expectations, and, lastly, to what
influence upon how they perceived their identities – their
“selves”? To undertake such an exploration, the students were
required to use one of the readings as well as an “outside
source” found through their own research to analyze their own
experiences with “sex” and “gender.”
The fourth and final unit of the class was structured
around the students’ final writing assignment: a Research
Paper. The basic question of their research paper was this:
“How does the mass media influence the perceptions of its
audience?” In many ways, this question had pervaded the
conversation of the class from the beginning of the semester.
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