Defining the Concepts of Class, Race, Gender, and...

Sociology 4373: Take Home Exam Fall 2008 Section 1: Defining the concepts of Class, Race, Gender, and Intersectionality Every society known to man has used either race, class, ethnicity, gender or all of the above to determine placement in civilization. Sometimes one or more of these categories comingle and we characterize this as: intersectionality. Finding the words, however, to define class, race, gender, or intersectionality is not an easy feat. Throughout the past few weeks we have read many articles that allowed us many clear descriptions. Prior to this course I would have described class as being a way in which society groups individuals based on economic positions or social status. In my opinion, sometimes†¦show more content†¦An unintentional yet major classification occurs as soon as the baby is placed in his or her incubator. Nurses and other medical staff wrap the tiny babies in one of two colors – pink or blue. It has even been researched that our speech and tone changes according to the babies sex as well. If we see a baby boy, for example, we quickly begin to daydre am of tossing the old pigskin around in the yard or rough housing the baby. For the baby girl, however, we speak in softer high pitched tones and fantasize about planning make believe tea parties with baby dolls as guests. In essence, Lorber believes that gender behavior is learned and is being taught – not necessarily an expression of how we see ourselves. Another gender specific study was examined in R.W. Connell’s â€Å"Gender Relations†. In this article we learned of 2 separate studies conducted. Barry Thorne’s research in which teaching roles in American elementary schools were mostly comprised of females and playgrounds were divided based on gender. The second study was performed by Dunbar Moodies, who researched South African mines that were, not surprisingly, dominated by the male workforce. Another theory learned in Connell’s article was that of trailblazing British feminist – Juliet Mitchell- who taught that there were four element s of gender that subjugate women. Those four facets were believed to be: production, reproduction, socialization, and sexuality. It isShow MoreRelatedGiving An Education By Adrienne Rich Essay1459 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstanding of their history, however, education cannot provide the necessary means in order to live life actively and allow women to become committed to themselves. In Adrienne Rich’s piece titled â€Å"Claiming an Education†, Rich delves into this concept of having women as subjects. 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