Sociology 135: Sexual Cultures
Due: Wednesday, November 14 by 8:30am on bCourses in “Assignments.”
Keep response to 2-3 pages double-spaced. Response should be in your own words–do not use quotes!
First: Draw upon Scherrer (“Coming to an Asexual Identity”) and/or Przybylo (“Introducing Asexuality, Unthinking Sex”) and Ritchie and Barker (“There Aren’t Words”) to discuss the importance of language and naming in the construction of identities and communities. How do language and naming also influence feelings and experiences of sexuality?
Next: Discuss how naming and language has impacted your own sense of identity, community, feelings, or experience of sexuality. Share only as much as you feel comfortable sharing.
This is an analytical paper where you begin by explaining how language and naming impact sexuality. You will apply this work to your own life.[unique_solution]
This paper asks that you do two main things:
- Demonstrate that you understand the course material by discussing it in your own words. Be sure to explain thoroughly and carefully. Articulate your response as if the reader does not know about the topic.
- You will be analyzing your own experiences in light of course material. An analysis requires an application of the course materials that leads to insights about your real life experiences. An insight should be a conclusion or realization that is illuminated through the application of course concepts or theories. In other words, you are using sociological concepts to make sense of your life.
| Soc 135: Fall 2018 | Reading Response 2 | !1 of !2 |
| Jill Bakehorn | University of California, Berkeley |
Some tips:
- You do not need a formal introduction or conclusion; I’m more interested in your articulation of the questions posed here.
- Just because you are writing about your personal experiences doesn’t mean this paper is just a reflection or an opinion piece. It should be sociological— you must apply theory. Subjective interpretation should not be used in lieu of sociology.
- You may not agree with the authors’ theories, but you still have to demonstrate your mastery of their arguments.
- Be sure to explain any examples you give. Define and explain any concepts.
- Because this paper is short, you must be concise. You can’t talk about everything in the readings or your own life. So be selective. Write a longer paper and then cut it down to four pages by eliminating any redundancy, wordiness, etc.
- Proofread your paper and edit several times. Reading out loud can help with this.
- Give credit where credit is due: cite your sources! See the Citations Handout for guidance. But remember—no quotations are allowed in this paper.