CAPSTONE FINAL 9

Gender identity is the self-recognition of an individual's own gender about their traits. As early as three years of age, children start developing individual behavior that is linked to a specific gender, either female or male. In the early stages of childhood, gender identity is evaluated based on the interests that the children develop. Typically, male children are attracted to masculine objects and activities as toy cars and toy guns.

On the other hand, small girls tend to be attracted to soft toys such as dolls and colorful items. Social identity refers to who particular regard themselves to be based on the social groups they often engage with, or they were born to. The development of social status is mainly dependent on the characteristics of the group that an individual identifies themselves with, (Wood & Eagly, 2018). A person's behavior is mostly influenced by their decision to conform to certain social groups. At older ages, gender identity can be expressed through hobbies and interests in individual careers while social status can be expressed mainly through dress code.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a public research university, introduced a program to address gender, race, and identity. The program offers the opportunity for scholars and learners to explore and study extensively about social status as well as gender identity. Setting up an entirely autonomous department for the program has promoted successful research into the issues that revolve around gender identity and social identity. The University also offers a range of courses in the field of gender, race, and identity and has continuously produced intellectuals in this specific field, (Coates, 2015). The LGBTQ community has fully been recognized by the institution since 2015. Members of the LGBTQ community often get counseling services from the institution's counseling department. Despite the University's commitment to promoting free gender expression, the institution has often failed to safeguard the freedom of expression for the LGBTQ community. Several cases have been reported where members of the LGBTQ community have been harassed or stigmatized within the institution. There lack clear guidelines and policy that dictates the action to be taken against perpetrators of gender harassment within the University (Harry & Watson, 2017).

However, it is imperative to note that the University of Nevada has remained firmly committed to the development of gender and social identity. Funding of research and support of gender-related programs by the University has played a significant role in promoting and spreading awareness on identity-related issues both within and outside the University.

Oral Roberts University and Development of Faith, Disability Identity & Social Class

Faith can be defined as complete trust and belief in a particular doctrine and the willingness to uphold the required standards associated with a specific religion of choice. The development of faith has well been noted to start right from the upbringing of children (Parks, 2018). Raising a child to believe in a sure religion often has a lasting impact on their lifetime beliefs and actually influences every decision they shall make in life. As humans, we often fail to question what has been fed to us by people whom we fully trust. It is therefore unlikely that a person who was raised in a family solidly founded in Christianity will at any time dispute or question Christianity. Social class refers to the various classifications that people are grouped into based on certain notable aspects of their lives such as marriage, wealth, royalty, and dynasties or even the people they often engage with. Disability identity can be defined as the personal sense of attachment and belonging that an individual develops towards a particular form of disability or incapacitation. With disability identity, individuals tend to actively support and have positivity while associating with persons with disability.

At Oral Roberts University, religion is a significant aspect that guides every activity within the institution. Oral Roberts is a private community-based evangelical university whose core values are grounded in the Christian faith (Synan, 2018). The institution was founded, not only to educate academic wise but also to serve as a religious institution of higher learning to Christian scholars. The mission statement of the University is emphatic on the life skills that are necessary to Christian scholars. The sole mission remains to be the creation of world leaders who are well grounded in the holy spirit of Christianity and who will positively impact the world.

One thing that the University does best is to teach positive values to all the learner at the institution. Christian values taught at the University are very much relevant in Christian society. Also, the University offers full support to underprivileged Christians who wish to further their education but lack financial aid. The University provides scholarships for students from all over the world for them to pursue their desired career goals. However, the institution does not fully extend its support to non-Christian individuals who seek opportunities at the University. Setting a strict policy that requires all students enrolled at the University to be Christians is not quite a good practice in the current world. We live in a free society where freedom of expression and freedom of worship is guaranteed (Zdor et al., 2018). Therefore, the University should come up with revised guidelines that are not discriminative against non-Christians.

References:

Coates, J., (2015). Women, men, and language: A sociolinguistic account of gender differences in style. Routledge.

Harry, K., & Watson, J. (2017). Shaping Identity in Prehispanic Southern Nevada.

Parks, S. D., (2018). Faith Development. The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Education, 103.

Synan, V. H., (2018). The Pentecostal Roots of Oral Roberts' Healing Ministry. Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology, 3(2), 12.

Wood, W., & Eagly, A. H. (2015). Two traditions of research on gender identity. Sex Roles, 73(11-12), 461-473.

Zdor, R., Henson, S. M., Murray, M., Navia, B., Wells, R., & Goodwin, T. (2018). Fostering Student Faith Development and Integration across the Curriculum: The Andrews University Biology Department Experience.