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Social Constructs of Self

Social Constructs of Self. English 12 Self-Reflection Unit. Facets of Self-Reflection. If our goal is to better understand why you are the way you are, we are missing one major area We have covered the unique situations in which you were raised through our personal narrative reflection

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Social Constructs of Self

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  1. Social Constructs of Self English 12 Self-Reflection Unit

  2. Facets of Self-Reflection • If our goal is to better understand why you are the way you are, we are missing one major area • We have covered the unique situations in which you were raised through our personal narrative reflection • We have covered the biological aspects of who we are through our psychological survey • ONE major area remains which has greatly influenced who we are • This area is also the most difficult to recognize or, sometimes, accept in our own lives

  3. Social Constructs • The culture in which you were raised and, more importantly, how your culture views your unique collection of traits, has greatly affected who you are. • Social Constructs – Definition – A perception of an individual, group, or idea that is constructed through cultural or social practice

  4. Social Constructs • There are countless individual constructs that are simple to understand and that have minimal impact on you • Height, fashion, hobbies and interests • There are others that are a little more impactful and a little more complicated • Attractiveness, Gender, Dialect • Then there are those that are hugely complicated and difficult to understand and discuss • Race, Social Class, generation

  5. Our Approach to Social Constructs • There are people who spend their entire lives studying just ONE of these things • In other words, we could never come close to “understanding” how these things can impact people if we spent the entire year on it, much less a few weeks. • Instead, we will focus on a few of the major social constructs and how they impact YOU, not how they have impacted society

  6. Our Approach to Social Constructs • All of the work we do will be completed in a “Social Construct Journal” • Make this a section of your notebook, or its own collection of loose leaf paper • The “journals” will be a combination of responses to the texts we explore in class AND personal reflection on these factors • The journals will be collected at the end of this study and will earn participation credit as a group

  7. An important Caveat • Before we start this journey, you MUST accept one simple fact. This is not a matter of opinion or interpretation. This is hard to accept, but it is true. • Everyone is affected by all of these elements. • Take race. • If you are African American living in Western Wisconsin, it is relatively easy to understand that race is important to your life. • If you are white living in Western Wisconsin, all of the comfort and advantages brought by being a part of the racial majority have affected you just as profoundly as being a part of a minority.

  8. Social Construct Entry #1: The Constructs • What follows is a list of some of the most major social constructs. Working with a partner (with each person recording your answers in the journal), rank them in order how big of difference this trait makes in people’s lives. • Race • Gender • Generation • Sexual Orientation • Language • Religion • Social Class • Political Views • Attractiveness • Geography

  9. Social Construct Ordering Questions • How difficult was it to construct this list? How did you ultimately determine which one had the biggest impact on people? • How does your list change for different groups of people (high school students, Eau Claire residents, Wisconsin residents)? How does being in a homogenous group change this discussion? Personal Connection: Which one of these has affected YOU the most? Which one of these has caused the most benefit? The most struggle?

  10. Social Construct #2: Gender • While gender’s function in society is extremely complicated, it is relatively simple to talk about how our genders have affected ourselves • Read “Ah, You Throw Like a Girl,” by Mike Messner (my apologies to my former English 9 students).

  11. Gender Journal Entry • Beside sports, what other activities or traits do we define by gender? How do we treat people who cross those gender lines? • Where do these gender expectations come from? Are they a good or bad thing? • In what ways does our society struggle with gender? In what ways have we “equalized” this social construct? Personal Connection: How has gender functioned in your life? Has it ever been an advantage or impediment? How much are you aware of the effects of your gender on the rest of your life.

  12. Social Construct #3: Social Class • Social class can occasionally be difficult to talk about, because we have to acknowledge that we all have different opportunities and things. Jealousy and guilt are common emotional reactions. • However, the outward signs of social class are largely external, so that makes it a little easier to talk about. • We will start with Alfred Lebrano’s article “Blue Collar Roots, White Collar Dreams” • We will then watch an episode of the show 30 Days (once again, with apologies to my English 9 students)

  13. Social Class Journal Entry • How accurate are our stereotypes of the classes (poor, working, middle, and wealthy)? How do our stereotypes affect our understanding of these classes? • Why are so many people willing to blame lower class people for their problems, instead of society? Why are so many people willing to give upper classes credit for creating their own situations, instead of acknowledging other cultural factors? • Was Spurlock’s experiment valid? How well can anyone “understand” a social class of which they are not a part? Personal Connection: How has social class functioned in your life? What class are you from? How well do you recognize the advantages or impediments your class presents to you?

  14. Social Construct #4: Generation • There are six generations currently living in America • GI Generation – 1901-1926 • Silent Generation – 1924-1945 • Baby Boomers – 1946-1964 • Generation X – 1965-1980 • Millenials – 1981-2000 • Generation Z/??? – 2001-? • The generation you are a part of and the historical events of your formative years have affected you • Generation is so huge that it can be difficult to accept that you have commonalities with such an otherwise diverse group, but there are clear trends in values, political views, world views, interests, etc.

  15. Generation Activity • You will be given two articles (or one long one). • Read your articles. In your journal, complete the following responses. • Write a one-two sentence summary of this article • What definition of millenials does the article contain that you believe is accurate? • Are there any inaccuracies in the article? • What are the advantages to a society in catering a certain generations characteristics? Are there any drawbacks? Personal Connection: How well do you fit in with your generation? In what areas of your life has being a millenial benefitted you? In what areas has it been an obstacle?

  16. Social Construct #4: Race • Race is one of the most controversial social constructs, because of its history, ongoing racial disparity, and its arbitrariness • Race is a fluid category which changes over time • Current major racial categories – Black, Latino, White, Asian, Native American • Former major racial categories – Irish, Italian, Jewish, Mediterranean • In order to approach race, we will be filling out a White Privilege Inventory, much like the social class inventory • We will then be reading a college-level selection on what defines race.

  17. Race Activity • Why is talking about race so awkward for so many people? Why does your teacher(s) dread bringing this up in class, unlike the other social constructs? • If race does not have a strict biological basis, why do you think it has become such a significant social construct? Why not other physical characteristics? • How far does our society have to go in dealing with race? On a scale of one to ten, how “good” are we doing with the issue of race discrimination and equality? Personal Connection: How has your race affected your life? In what ways has it benefitted you, and in what ways has it been a hindrance?

  18. Social Construct #5: Everything Else Personal Connection: At the beginning of this exercise, we listed numerous social constructs. Of that list… • Sexual Orientation • Language • Religion • Political Views • Attractiveness • Geography …which other social construct has impacted your life the most? Which one has had the least impact on your life? Finally, what do you think of the topic of social constructs? Easy? Difficult? Uncomfortable? Necessary? Respond to the work we have done over the past few weeks.

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