English

If Men Could Menstruate

  • Identify, summarize, and understand the concepts and arguments presented in the Steinem reading, If Men Could Menstruate that is attached.
  • Identify a different situation, concept, or identity that is associated with socially constructed ideas of power and privilege
  • Develop your own political fantasy to share with classmates.

For this assignment, you will do the following:

  • At the heart of the Steinem piece is the following quote, In short, the characteristics of the powerful, whatever they may be, are thought to be better than the characteristics of the powerlessand logic has nothing to do with it. Use this quote as the guide for how to write your own political fantasy.
  • Write a brief (500 750 words) discussion post that is inspired by the reading If Men Could Menstruate. For this discussion you will identify a concept, practice, or policy this is built around the social construction of one groups identity.  Similar to the Steinem piece, you will have to identify what the assumptions are of the group who holds less power and imagine what would happen if that characteristic was a part of the group who holds more power. An example could be to imagine if men could give birth, or if heterosexual people were asked how they knew they were heterosexual.  You will then describe how that concept would become appropriated or understood as source of pride, strength, or justification of their social position.