Cultural Anthropology: Gender

Assignment Summary

For this assignment you will explore gender roles, either through performing gender or observing someone else performing gender. You will track your reactions to this experience and reflect on the ways that certain behaviors are gendered, what this means about the genders, and the ways that culture reinforces the expectations surrounding gender.

Note: your descriptions of behaviors should be as neutral and objective as possible. Derogatory comments violate the rules of this class and fail to meet the standards of ethnographic methods. Therefore, such comments will result in a failing grade for this assignment.

This assignment is due Sat. Oct. 17th.

Assignment Directions

You will have two options for this assignment – please choose one.

As a reminder, gender is not the same thing as sexuality! Be sure to focus on gender specifically throughout this assignment, though you may also include tangential connections to sexuality if they help you gain further insight into gender norms.

Option 1: Perform Gender

Begin by reflecting on your understanding of gender roles. What genders do you recognize currently? Do different genders have different behaviors associated with them? In what ways do they overlap in terms of behavior?

Next, make a plan for how to “do” a particular gender. This should be done in front of others so that you can track how individuals in society respond to those that conform and violate gender roles. You should devote at least 20 minutes to both of these conditions. Decide what general activities you will engage in, how you will dress, and if you plan to alter any other aspects of your presentation to perform a gender.

Depending on your planned activities, you may need to take notes on your experiences after the experiential sessions if note-taking interferes with your performance.

Part A: Normative Gender Behavior
For this part of the assignment, you will consciously perform in front of others in ways that conform to your self-identified gender.
Do this for at least 20 minutes.
Describe the setting and those around you – where when, who, etc.
What gender do you identify with?
Describe the behavior you are engaging in that reinforces gender norms in detail.
Record your ongoing feelings and reactions through this experience. Are your feelings having any effect on your performance, such as motivating you to enhance or minimize it?
Record how those around you are responding to you – positive (smiling, compliment, etc.), neutral, negative (frowning, teasing, chastising, etc.) reactions
Any rewards/punishments for upholding gender norms?

Part B: Violating Gender Norms
Engage in behaviors that violate gender norms in your society. I recommend starting out with subtle violations before trying larger ones.
Do this for at least 20 minutes.
Describe the setting and those around you – where when, who, etc.
Describe the behavior you are engaging in that breaks gender norms in detail.
Record your ongoing feelings and reactions through this experience. Are your feelings having any effect on your performance, such as motivating you to enhance or minimize it?
Record how those around you are responding to you – positive (smiling, compliment, etc.), neutral, negative (frowning, teasing, chastising, etc.) reactions
Any rewards/punishments for violating gender norms?

Examples of breaking gender norms: Wear clothes that do not conform (e.g. dress in binary manner, such as very feminine or masculine, if you identify as non-binary), engage in activities that do not conform (e.g. painting your nails if you identify as a man), interact with others in a ways that do not conform (e.g. taking up a lot of physical space as a self-identified woman). The ways you break gender norms may depend on your audience, since such may rules vary in the larger society compared with the those in the home/neighborhood.

When breaking gender norms you may feel a bit silly (and you should write down your reactions!) and you or others may laugh, but the purpose of this activity is not to violate gender norms merely for comical purposes. In short, this isn’t really about performing for laughs as if the experience is a joke. Instead, approach this as a cultural experiment where you get to more clearly identify how gender norms are structured and kept in place.

Option 2: Observe Gender Performance

Begin by reflecting on your understanding of gender roles. What genders do you recognize currently? Do different genders have different behaviors associated with them? In what ways do they overlap in terms of behavior?

Next, make a plan for how you plan for your normative gender observation session. Where will you conduct your observation? Whom will you observe? What will you do if your subject goes leaves the area before the 20 minute observation session is complete? If necessary, you can choose a new subject to watch, but try not to watch more than three individuals total.

For the second part of this assignment, you will either watch one of the provided video clips or recall a time when you or someone else violated gender norms. If you choose to recall an experience (instead of watching a video) be sure that you have enough material to discuss in your write-up. You should be able to clearly recall the setting, participants, the ways you or someone else broke gender norms, and how others responded to this.

Disclaimer: Behaviors that people engage in via media (tv, movies, etc.) do not necessarily reflect the way they would behave when they are not knowingly being observed by large audiences. Keep this in mind and how this might influence how someone performs gender in the spotlight.

Part A: Normative Gender Behavior
For this part of the assignment, you will observe another person. You will focus how their behavior conforms to their perceived gender (based on the dominant cultural norms in the U.S.).
Do this for at least 20 minutes.
Choose a location (anywhere is fine, but try to choose something outside of your home).
Describe the setting and individuals present.
Describe the person (your subject) that you are observing and their perceived gender (according the dominant norms in the U.S.).
Describe the behavior that your subject engages in that reinforces gender norms in detail.
Record your ongoing feelings and reactions through this experience.
Record the perceived feelings or reactions of your subject as they interact with others.
Record how individuals are responding to your subject – positive (smiling, compliment, etc.), neutral, negative (frowning, teasing, chastising, etc.) reactions.
Any rewards/punishments for upholding gender norms?

Part B: Violating Gender Norms
Recall a time when you saw someone else violate gender norms OR watch one of the following video clips where individuals break the norms of their perceived gender.
Video clips
Drag My Dad (watch anyone in drag)
(Links to an external site.)
Rain Dove: Androgynous Supermodel
(Links to an external site.)
Jonathan Van Ness (of Queer Eye fame) Interview With Kelly and Ryan
(Links to an external site.)
Tig Notaro Interview with Stephen Colbert
(Links to an external site.)
Describe the setting and individual(s) present (from a clip OR prior experience).
Describe the person (your subject) observed and their perceived gender (according the dominant norms in the U.S.).
Describe the behavior that your subject engaged in that breaks gender norms in detail.
Record your ongoing feelings and reactions through this experience. Did anything confuse you?
Record the perceived feelings or reactions of your subject as they violated gender norms.
Record how you and anyone else present in the setting responded to your subject – positive (smiling, compliment, etc.), neutral, negative (frowning, teasing, chastising, etc.) reactions
Would any of these reactions constitute rewards/punishments for violating gender norms?

Reflection and Write-Up

Reflection: Reflect on your experience making your observations for Part A and Part B (for either option)
Why did you select the specific place for your observation (and video clips if you chose those)?
How did these experiences make you feel? Did conforming to gender norms (or watching someone else do this) feel different than violating them (or watching someone else do this)? What was it like to consciously perform in gendered ways?
Did anything surprise you?
How many genders do you recognize? Do these genders have distinct roles and behaviors in society? If so, what are they?
Consider specific behaviors that seem to be gendered – what values do you think these behaviors communicate about different genders? Do you think these behaviors are natural or culturally constructed?
What have your prior experiences with gender norms been like? How might these experiences have shaped your observations (and performances if you chose Option 1)?
How might your worldview have influenced this experience? Do you think that your ideas about gender had an impact on what you noticed (and how you performed if you chose Option 1)? Or how you interpreted the gender norms?
How important is your gender to how you think about yourself, to your “identity” or self-definition, to your everyday life? Reflect on what it would be like to be a different gender.

Short Essay Content
Summarize your observation session(s)
Provide a “thick” description to set the scene in the minds of your reader
What was the observation location like?
Could you see/hear everything that was happening clearly?
What activities did individuals engage in generally?
How did you or your subject behave in gendered ways? Make sure to give a thorough description of this so that it clearly supports your interpretation below. This should not merely be a few sentences, but rather at least a couple of paragraphs.
What gender norms did you adhere to/break during your observation?
Provide your interpretation of gender norms in this specific cultural context
What were the gender norms you identified?
Were these norms flexible or strict in this setting?
Did you notice any relationship between personal attributes or status and gender norms? For example, one’s age or status as an authority (e.g. an elder) might be associated with gender norms.
Did you notice any differences between those that occupied the space alone versus with companions (with friends/family)?
How did individuals enforce the norms? What positive or negative reinforcement (if any) did you observe?
Consider specific behaviors that seem to be gendered – what values do you think these behaviors communicate about different genders? Do you think these behaviors are natural or culturally constructed?
Do these gendered meanings influence how you think about your identity?
Engage in self-critique/acknowledge your bias
To what extent did you participate vs observe? How do these two aspects of the experience influence each other?
Did your behavior have any impact on how others behaved?
What was your reaction at the time to what you observed?
Was there anything you might have misunderstood or missed?
Given your prior experiences with gender norms, how might this have influenced your what you paid attention to and your overall interpretation?
How might your worldview have influenced your observations? Do you think that your ideas about gender had an impact on what you noticed? Or how you interpreted gender norms?

Formatting
Write at least 750 words
Include an introduction, body paragraphs (containing the content above), and a conclusion that wraps up this assignment for you.
Use paragraphs to organize your essay (no long blocks of text please)
Use 12-point font (any font style is fine), 1-inch margins, double spaced lines
Check spelling and grammar
Format your document as a pdf, doc, or docx file

Show your work
Upload your field notes (images of notes you took during observations and/or typed up notes)