Contemporary American Issues
Ms. Portman

Read "The Cycle of Socialization" by Bobbie Harro and the excerpt of "Prejudice and Discrimination" by Warren J. Blumenfeld and Diane Raymond

When did you first notice race? Class? Sexual Orientation? Were these first experiences positive or negative? What specific institutional and cultural practices influenced your understanding of these various identities? How has the treatment of these various identities changed over time?

Read "Domination and Subordination" by Jean Baker Miller (page 86)

What are some power relationships you have in your life? What power relationships have you noticed in society? Who are dominants in our society? Who are subordinates? Are these power dynamics changing? Are power hierarchies part of human nature?

Read "Ah, Ya Throw Like a Girl!" by Mike Messner (page 57) and "In a Male-Centered World, Female Differences Are Transformed into Female Disadvantages" by Sandra Lipsitz Bem (page 60)

Bem says, "The problem for women thus is not simply that they are different from men, whether biologically or in some other way. The problem for women-and what limits their chances for equality-is that they are different from men in a social world that disguises what are really just male standards or norms as gender-neutral principles." Do you agree with this assessment? Does biology have more to do with these differences than what the authors say?

Read "Masculinity as Homophobia: Fear, Shame, and Silence in the Construction of Gender Identity" by Michael S. Kimmel

What kinds of behavioral pressures are put on men in our society? What are some specific examples that you have witnessed of this prescribed behavior? Do women have more freedom in their behavior?

Read "Defining Racism: Can We Talk?" by Beverley Daniels Tatum (page 100) and "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh (page 163)

How does Tatum define racism? Do you agree with her assessment? Write your own definition of racism in your own words. Have you ever thought you were privileged the way McInstosh describes?

Read "Class in America: Myths and Realities" by Gregory Mantsios (page 168)

Create an American Profile based on either your mother or father or both parents' information. After reading the profile, be prepared to discuss how much their class growing up played a role in determining what they do now.

Writing Assignment
Based on the reading and discussion, you should have a pretty good idea of how gender, race and class are socially constructed. Now, let's put theory into practice. Choose to interview an adult (not your parent) and gather information about how that person has experienced gender, race and class. Ask him/her a series of questions about how these factors have shaped his/her life. The questions can come from the reading and discussion. You will record and transcribe the interview and then write a 1-2 page