Assignment #1 – GENDER AND SEX IN THE MEDIA (worth 25%)

DUE FEB. 24 by 11:59 p.m. to A2L Drop Box (under “Assignments”)

ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Please select one of the three questions below.

DUE: Submit to Avenue assignment drop box on or before February 24th, 11:59 p.m. Choice #1: Gender/Sexuality and School Curriculum/Policy

Recently politicians in North America (e.g. Florida, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan) have passed bills to limit curriculum related to gender identity, sexual orientation and sexual health in schools as well as creating policies that curtail the freedoms of 2SLGBTQIA+ and gender nonconforming students.  Outline the nature of this debate in relation to relevant course material and concepts that we have studied.

Do the following:

1.   Find one (and only one) popular source, i.e. online or print media articles written by a journalist. Examples may include magazine articles, newspaper articles, etc. that deal with sex, gender identity and changes to school curriculums/policies.

2.   Find one (and only one) journal article, also known as a periodical article (scholarly  source) on issues related to gender/sexuality and school curriculum/policy or more generally on children/adolescents and gender/sexuality.

3.   Then, using the popular source, the scholarly source, and all relevant course material (lectures, readings, and videos) answer this question: How are these bans and restrictive policies related to current cultural issues and debates surrounding sexuality, gender and sexual identity in Canada and the United States?  Please make sure you properly cite all these sources, as described below.

Choice #2: Intersex and/or Transgender Athletes in Competitive Sport

In recent years, intersex and/or transgender athletes (remember that transgender and intersex are not the same thing so please don’t conflate them in your paper!) have been discussed and, in some cases, banned from international athletics competition in women’s or men’s divisions.

Do the following:

1.   Find one (and only one) popular source, i.e. online or print media articles written by a journalist. Examples may include magazine articles, newspaper articles, etc.) that deal with debates surrounding banning athletes from women’s competitions.

2.   Find one (and only one) journal article, also known as a periodical article, (scholarly source) with debates surrounding banning athletes from women’s competitions or more generally about trans and intersex issues.

3.   Then, using the popular source, the scholarly source, and all relevant course material (lectures, readings, and videos) answer this question: How do current cultural ideas about gender and sex identity influence debates about intersex and/or transgender athletes and competition?  Please make sure you properly cite all these sources, as  described below.

Choice #3: Gender reveal parties

In some North American contexts, gender reveal parties have become a part of the rite of passage of pregnancy. Critics, however, argue that they oftentimes reinforce gender stereotypes and gender binaries.

Do the following:

1.   Find one (and only one) popular source, i.e. online or print media articles written by a journalist. Examples may include magazine articles, newspaper articles, etc. that deal with gender reveal parties.

2.   Find one (and only one) journal article, also known as a periodical article, (scholarly source) about gender reveal parties or gender and child rearing more generally.

3.   Then, using the popular source, the scholarly source and citing all relevant course material (lectures, readings, and videos) answer this question: How and why are gender reveal parties controversial, and what would an anthropological perspective on this issue look like? Please make sure you properly cite all these sources, as described below.

Your response to the question that you select should be written in essay format. There should be a clear introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs (how many is up to you – in high school,  you are taught the ‘hamburger method’ where all papers are five paragraphs, but in university, papers can be as many paragraphs as needed), and a brief conclusion. Please make sure your  thesis statement answers the question asked in the assignment topic (see questions above).

Your essay should be between 1200 and 1400 words, not including your References Cited page. Note that all in-text citations ARE included in this word count. Please proofread your paper before submitting it as marks are allocated for spelling, grammar, etc. Refrain from using slang; treat this as a formal paper. Remember, you must include one and only one of each of the following sources: an academic source and a popular media source. Marks will be deducted from your paper if you omit one of these sources or add additional sources in either category.

No title page: You do not need a title page, and you do not need to put your name, student number, or page numbers on your paper. We can tell who you are on Avenue’s Dropbox.

Due date/time: February 24thth, 2025 prior to 11:59 p.m. to the Avenue Drop Box. Upload a single file (this should include your paper and References Cited page). Please upload your response as a Word or PDF to the Avenue Drop Box through Turnitin.com. Once you upload, log out of Avenue and then log back in to make sure it attached properly. Submissions of incorrect files will not be graded. Your response will be filtered through turnitin.com once it is uploaded to Avenue.  If you use AI, Turnitin will identify any articles that include any or all plagiarism, duplication of assignments from other sources, or the use of generative AI.  This will be noted, and you will be reported for academic dishonesty to the Office of Academic Integrity.

Citations: You are required to cite all course material as well as your external sources using American Psychological Association (APA) format (see below). However, you may not use any direct quotes. If you use direct quotes, you will be allocated a 0 on the assignment. Instead,  please paraphrase and cite the source of the information. This means that everything must be put into your own words. For the purposes of this assignment, if you take more than three words in succession from any source, then this is improper paraphrasing (and a form of plagiarism).

FONT, SPACING and MARGINS: Please use Times New Roman or Arial 12-point font with 1-inch (2.5 cm) margins. Your paper should be double spaced, and it should be submitted in Word or PDF format only.

Resources: You will find a link under “Content” on A2L toMcMaster’s Writing Centreif you would like help with structuring and editing your paper, as well as other resources.

Use of first person: it is okay to occasionally use first person (eg. “I”) in anthropology papers, but only do so when you are making a supported argument. In other words, any opinion that you express should be backed up by citations/the work of others.

Define your terms: Please make sure you use correct terminology and that you define all terms that you use in your assignment, e.g. “ Intersex” .  Please refer to the lecture material to do this.

Please use appropriate language.  You are writing this as a scholarly assignment not as an opinion piece or as a journalist.  Please use formal language that is not inflammatory.