4 pages 24 hours (Q10)

Communication and the Sexes: Application Essays

You are expected to apply the lecture and text material to your own experiences and thought processes in a series of brief essay assignments. These assignments constitute 50% of the course grade and you must turn in all FOUR of the assigned essays to pass the course. Late essays will receive a reduction in grade. These 3 page essays should integrate our course topics and theoretical information with actual communication situations you have experienced or witnessed. These are not interviews or research papers! I am confident that you will learn more about gendered communication if you apply constructs to what you see and do in the world.

In most of these essays, I will ask you to analyze a communication interaction of your own. You will most likely be more proficient at seeing theoretical constructs when you regularly apply them as part of your everyday existence. You will be analyzing your own communication behaviors, others’ behaviors, cultural/societal attitudes, family interaction, etc. and how these influence or are affected by gender, biological sex, and/or sex roles. You need only to use our text, lectures, films, and e-Resources to find your constructs.

Here’s how to do it… Be a social scientist when you are applying the course material: (1) define/clarify the constructs you are using as the basis for your analysis, (2) describe the situation and communication in detail while applying and analyzing the construct(s) as you have seen or experienced them in your examples, then (3) give your interpretation of the meaning, importance and/or implications regarding what you have just analyzed and evaluate the behaviors analyzed: what was done well or might have been done differently to improve communication?

NOTE: The essay descriptions have “thought questions” to get you brainstorming. You are choosing a set of ideas/concepts/constructs to analyze – from text, lecture, or other class resources. Please do not treat the descriptions below like a list of questions to answer one by one! Use good writing skills: a clear thesis, thoughtful main points, and detailed support. Your intro can be short and your conclusion should wrap it up nicely, but don’t bother summarizing in the conclusion (you don’t want to waste that space – use it for a better ending). Due dates are listed for Tues/Fri

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Essay # 1 - Rhetorical Movements: Choose one, or maybe combine two, of the political and social movements described in the text and explain why it is one you do (or could) identify with. Is the ideology more liberal or cultural? Analyze the values and/or beliefs of this particular movement or group in relation to your own values and beliefs. Give examples of how you have acted in response to these philosophies (whether you knew about the movement/rhetoric at the time or not). Be observant and careful in your personal examples and your analysis. Have you been exposed to any of these movements in other classes or in your own life? How have these beliefs and values influenced your attitudes and actions – and how has this shown up in your communication? DUE: Sept 22/25 or Sept 29/Oct 2

Essay # 2 – Communication & Gender (CHOOSE ONE):

Language/Verbal Communication: Use some of the text constructs of conversational style (or other constructs from this course section) to analyze men’s, women’s and/or transgendered communication – what are the expectations and messages about gender and/or sex roles? You may apply the constructs to one person’s verbal behavior, or contrast the behaviors of two people. Give enough detail regarding the situation(s) so that your application of constructs to “real” language use makes sense to someone who wasn’t there! You may compare & contrast gendered language between cultures if you have observed (or lived) it. DUE: Oct 13/16

Nonverbal Communication: Observe and describe the nonverbal behavior with an eye toward the communication of gender and/or sex roles in this culture and/or in another culture. What behaviors are associated with particular groups or with specific attitudes regarding gender? What meanings can you identify in the nonverbal behaviors observed? What values, beliefs or cultural attitudes can you infer? You may want to compare and contrast: which behaviors are different from those in your family? Although this is primarily YOUR analysis, feel free to refer to text or other information you may have run across regarding nonverbal communication in this culture or another. (It may help you make sense of what you see.) DUE: Oct 13/16

Essay # 3 – Relational Expectations: How have societal attitudes about sex roles and gender influenced a relationship that you have, have been in, or are familiar with? You may analyze romantic relationships, but may also choose to observe family dynamics, friendships, or work relationships as well. Do these relational partners have shared ideas of gendered behaviors and attitudes, or are there distinctly different expectations? How are these communicated in the relationship? What models of gender did/do the relational partners (lovers, friends, family members, coworkers) have as influences? How is your (or their) cultural background a factor?

DUE: Nov 10/13

Essay # 4 – Society & Gender (CHOOSE ONE):

Institutions: Using text or lecture constructs, analyze how your schools communicated opinions about gender and/or sex roles to students. Or were attitudes at your workplace indicating the acceptance of particular gendered behaviors over others? How were these communicated? How did you feel about these messages and how did you respond? Did any experiences help or hinder your gender development or understanding? What about your ability to learn, work, or fit in socially? DUE: Dec 1/4

Media Portrayals: What influence has media (radio, music, newspapers, magazines, TV, films, books, ads, marketing campaigns, internet sites, etc.) had on your perception of gender? Are your gender roles, choices, and/or attitudes represented? If so, how? What have you been exposed to with regard to other beliefs and attitudes about gender and/or sex roles? What (if any) are the media’s responsibilities and how we can influence them?

DUE: Dec 1/4

OPTIONAL ESSAY (If you choose to do this fifth essay, and do a good job of it, I will bump up one previous essay by one grade, but otherwise it will be the FOUR essays for this 50% of your course grade. See me beforehand.)

Essay # 5 - Sexism/Violence: Have you ever been a victim of, witnessed, or engaged in sexist behavior? What about gender stereotyping or prejudice ? Have you known anyone who experienced powerlessness or violence because of their sex role or gender identity? How did the communication relating to the situation (before, during, after) reflect attitudes regarding gender? Give an example of a specific situation – who was involved, what happened, what your reaction was. What do you think about it now? Or perhaps you may want to discuss genital mutilation – had you heard of it before? Should it be discussed more openly and can communicating about it change anything? What can or should be done – locally, nationally, or globally? DUE: At the Final

*ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Application essays will be due at the beginning of each class meeting. I would prefer them to be typed (and will require that you do so if I cannot read your writing). However, I’d rather have an essay come to me on time and handwritten, than late. Late essays will lose grade points. Individual essays will be graded A, B, C, D, or F.