Assignment: Living in an "-ism" World

With this assignment, you continue your analysis and evaluation of societal prejudices with regard to sexism, heterosexism, bisexual-ism, and ageism.

Begin your preparation for this Assignment by asking yourself: Which of the topics I examined struck a familiar chord in me, and for what reason(s)? With which ones was I unfamiliar and/or uncomfortable, and what is/are the reason(s) for these feelings?

For this assignment:

• Review the articles about various "isms" in the resources for this week
• Consider the significance of each "ism" in your professional and personal life, and
• Write a summary essay, at least 3 pages in length, in which you address the following questions:

1. Sexism
   • If I had been a man instead of a woman or vice versa, how would my life have been different?
   • What is the most salient experience in my life that is directly related to my sex?
   • What new insights, professionally and/or personally, about sexism did I gain from this article
2. Heterosexism
   • What, if any, assumptions do I make about people whose sexual orientation is different from mine?
   • What experiences of privilege and/or oppression in my life are directly related to my sexual orientation?
   • What new insights, professionally and/or personally, about heterosexism did I gain from this article?
3. LGBT-ism
   • What do I know now about specific challenges LGBT persons are likely to encounter that I did not know before I studied the resources?
   • What do I think/feel when I hear people say that LGBT persons should not be permitted in early childhood settings?
   • What new insights, professionally and/or personally, about lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgendered persons did I gain from these resources?
4. Ageism
   • When I think back to my early childhood years, in what ways did adults made me feel powerful and significant and/or powerless or insignificant?
   • When I imagine myself to be 90 years old, how powerful and/or marginalized might I feel—and why?
   • What new insights, professionally and/or personally, about ageism did I gain from this article?

Assignment length: at least 3 pages