Conversation Starters: Prewriting on the Issues of This Chapter

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Part 3: Gender

This activity contains 3 questions.

Gender is such an important issue because it helps to define us as individuals and/or members of groups. In order to prepare you for conversations about the readings in this section of Conversations, you might pause to consider the ways in which your own gender identity has influenced who you are. Try the following writing exercise: How do you imagine your childhood would have been different if you were the opposite gender? What specific childhood experiences might disappear, or be significantly altered, if you were a male rather than female (or vice versa)? How would your relationship with your parents have been different? You might either focus upon one specific aspect of yourself that would change, or cite a number of changes. Also, discuss whether thinking about such a gender switch feels uncomfortable or intriguing, and why.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Language is one key area of study and concern for those interested in gender issues. Most simply, the question can be framed like the title of this section of Conversations: "Is English Sexist?" However, that simple question cannot be answered without some very complex analyses. Before you read the selections in this section, make a list of all the "gendered" words you can—words that refer primarily to one gender or the other. Then analyze those words to consider whether any of them might lead to stereotypes or other forms of bias.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

For some, pornography is a harmless form of entertainment; for others, it is the cause of stereotypes about women or even violence against women. Before you read the various conversations on this issue in Conversations, you might first consider the difficult question of definition: How would you define "pornography"? As you attempt to write such a definition, note how difficult it would be to say conclusively what is, or is not, pornographic.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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