For this 5–page typed, double-spaced paper (NOT including one title page and a
one-page references list, you will need to gather data on how children (aged 18 and under; choose your
specific age range) get socialized into gender norms of the binary and then
write up your findings—using your “gender lens” as proto-sociologist. I expect
you to use the textbook concepts to help you explain your findings.
For examples, I expect to see terms and
theories like Gender Binary, Non-Binary, Performances, Social Construct, Social
Construction, at least one of the 3 perspectives, Intersectionality, or any
other theory, ideologies, and vocabulary as related to your analysis and represented
and articulated by media you examine.
You can find data in a variety of ways. If
you are systematic in your method, it will work. Remember that you are
looking for norming patterns and generalizations. Use media as your primary
data source. This gives you lots of options! You can watch ads for toys on a television
station that focuses on children (or public television in the daytime) or
character traits in a few of the main characters on children’s cartoons, 2 to 3
episodes of tv shows, or movies; you can peruse your own library of children’s
books (if you have them) to see what kinds of things boys and girls do in the
books; you can look up girls’ and boys’ clothing at Target or Carters and
compare/contrast messages and images on shirts, etc.
As you can see, there are many ways to gather
data for this short paper; you can use one of the examples above or come up
with your own data source just so long as your research is systematic. Do not base your research on memory or
impressions. You need actual data
and evidence! Please do not hesitate to e-mail me if you want to talk about
ideas!
Here’s what your paper
should look like:
1. Introductory
half-page to one page that summarizes why you chose the particular
media/company/ads/commercials/tv episodes/movie, and one page that details how
you gathered your data. Be specific
here! Tell me exactly what you did. For example, “I went to the Target website
and looked up toddler t-shirts boys and toddler t-shirt girls. I selected the
first 20 shirts for boys and girls each.”
2. One
to two pages giving a description of your data (what you found when you
gathered data). Again, be very specific here. For example, “ In
the first 20 shirts for boys, 8 had images of trucks, 3 had dinosaurs…” Feel
free to include a chart of your findings if that helps you to organize your
data.
3. One
to two-page explanation of your data, using the vocabulary and theory from our
textbook and PowerPoint(s). Which vocabulary and theory best explains the
patterns and symbols of gender socialization you observed and documented? Why? This is where you make generalizations based on your
findings and use ideas from the PowerPoints to explain the generalizations.
4. A
concluding page that details at least 2 things learned about gender
socialization from this process. You can also hypothesize
about what you foresee/see coming regarding gender socialization within that
particular media.
5.
A Works Cited reference list of at least
4 sources, in APA-format. Your textbook must be included along with at least 3
other sources.
USE THESE SOURCES
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-paying-attention-how-tiktok-rewiring-your-brain-aidan-brotherhood
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/the-value-of-tiktok-advertising
TikTok and Youth Mental Health: Weighing the Pros and Cons
https://doi.org/10.25273/equilibrium.v11i2.17374
