Gender Identity Autobiography

Gender Identity Autobiography

You are required to write a 1 page, single-spaced paper that explains how you see yourself with respect to gender.  The paper should focus on your gender as expressed and experienced through your life events, family dynamics (i.e., birth order, family expectations, etc.), culture (how you learned to act as a male or a female), and sex have formed your worldview (“...the way in which we perceive the world --and our behavior” Gamble & Gamble, 2003, p.59) and ultimately influenced your communication. You may include your feeling about gender, how your family sees gender, cultural influences on gender development, how you have been privileged or marginalized as a result of your gender, how your sexual orientation has influenced your gender, media influences on gender, how your communication is influenced by gender, and any other relevant issues regarding gender. The theme of communication and gender should be woven throughout the paper. Submissions should provide ample explanations and be descriptive.

This is the ONLY paper this semester that should be written from the first person (I, me, my, etc.).  

 It is important to know the difference between sex and gender as you write your autobiography. According to module one:

"Sex refers to a person's biological or physiological makeup (Ivy & Blacklund, 2004), and it is determined primarily by one's internal sexual organs and external genitalia (Wood, 2007). Sex is innate, not learned. It is the biology of being either male or female. For example, most people are born with a vagina or a penis.

In contrast, gender is socially constructed and identifies what is considered feminine and masculine in a culture (Stewart et al., 2003). It is learned through observation and interaction with others. Gender deals with how you are socialized to act in relation to your sex (Perry & Ballard-Reisch, 2004). Neuliep (2000) asserts that gender comprises behavioral, cultural, and psychological characteristics attached to a person's sex."

Your assignment must also:

· include a brief introduction (with a clear preview) and a brief conclusion.  

· be typed using a 12-point Times New Roman font.

· be single-spaced (without unnecessary spaces in the document -nothing should be double spaced)

· have a title page (that contains only the title, student's name, and UMUC) -Remember that the title page is numbered page 1

· have one-inch margins on all sides

· use the American Psychological Association (APA) format for citations (both in-text and reference page) -However this particular assignment does NOT require outside sources.  If you use them, they should be appropriately cited.  You may NOT use Wikipedia for this paper or any other assignments this semester.   

· be free of errors, typos, etc.  

· meet the specified page requirement

 

 Some students really get carried away with this assignment.  Self-examination and personal reflection are very valuable.  However, the page requirement is one full single spaced page.  Please do not submit more than two pages of actual text.