1. You will also need to analyze a piece of media this week about how it portrays stereotypes. Stereotypes are overgeneralizations that we have about a group of people. We might think that women are emotional–that is a stereotype. So when you analyze one piece of media you will want to think and see if you can identify a particular instance, in this case, where women are portrayed as emotional (portrayed in a stereotypical way) or a time when maybe the media shows them defying stereotypes. overall, do you think that the media contributes to the ways in which we tend to stereotype different people? Do you think that people are often portrayed in this stereotypical light?
2. Socialization is the process through which we learn the norms, values, and beliefs of our society. Norms are the rules and expectations that we follow. Socialization is very important because having a shared set of understandings helps us all get along and understand our social world. However, what we come to learn as “norm” or the rules of our society can also some lead to us stereotyping others or can contribute to inequalities. One thing you will think about this week is gender socialization. This refers to how even from a young age we are taught that certain things are for boys or for girls. How might that type of gender socialization contribute to inequalities that men and women face in society?
