GENDER AND
GLOBAL
PERSPECTIVES
Sociology of Gender Conference
TA: Andrew Carvajal
A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO WRITE A
BETTER ASSIGNMENT
SECTION 1: OPINION/EDITORIAL

Topic should be related to a larger class topic
(given limitations of other sections) BUT

Narrow topics for the op/ed are a not bad idea, even
encouraged
It is better to do the op/ed on a specific issue (as
opposed to gender and violence, or sexuality) and
then link this to its larger gender implications as
you construct your argument
 An op/ed can be about an event, a film, a tv ad, a
conversation, something you saw, an anecdote,
etc

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This should then lead to a more general statement
linked to a topic in the class
OPINION/EDITORIAL : A FEW EXAMPLES
Op/ed topic
Op/ed argument
Larger Topic(s)
Your Boyfriend cried
throughout the whole
ending of Titanic
Men and women
express themselves
differently
Gender attitudes in
relation to emotions
and feelings
Recent school shooting
in Finland
Gender is a critical
factor in school
shootings
-Gender and Violence
-Boys’ Socialization
New Britney video
Women constantly
sexualized in the
media
Beauty and modern
beauty standards
Co-worker had a baby
and decided to quit
her job
Women and men
expected to fulfill
different family roles
-Gender and family
roles
- Gender and work
Experience from a
Drag show you
recently went to
Sexuality should not
be placed within a
binary
-Sex and Gender
-Sexuality
OPINION/EDITORIAL

Find stats and/or comments from authoritative
sources to back up your main argument


Better if you find evidence other than class material,
otherwise you will be just repeating the same issues
on section 2 as you presented in section 1
Very casual style of writing (don’t make it sound
like you are writing an essay)
 Nice intro that catches the reader’s attention
SECTION 2: COURSE MATERIAL





Try to aim for about 3 references from class and 3
readings
 Class can include videos, conferences, lectures
Better to be issue-specific and combine lectures and
readings that deal with the same issues rather than
“In this lecture... In this other lecture... In this
reading... In this reading...”
Save the material on the theories for the third section
Writing style is academic (just like regular essays)
Citation

Readings: (Author, Year), (Author, Year, Page), (Author,
Page)


Whatever you use normally as long as you are consistent!
Usually include page numbers only if direct quote
Lectures (Fallon, Lecture Title, Date) or (Fallon, Lecture
Title)
 Movies (Kilbourne, Date Released) or (Kilbourne, Movie
Title, Date released)

SECTION 3: THEORIES




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Socio-biology, structural functionalism, liberal feminism,
Marxist feminism, socialist feminism, radical feminism,
multicultural feminism, post-modern feminism, Queer
theory, Connell, Faludi
Use between 1 and 3 theories - about 2 is good
Describe the theory, show us you understand it and apply
it to your topic
Better to apply the theory as you describe its different
points rather than “Marxists feminism is such and such
and such... Marxists explains beauty because such and
such and such”
Important: don’t switch topics between sections
 If your op/ed is about Britney’s new video and the sexual
image she is presenting, don’t use the theories to
explain how she is a lousy mother, if this is not the
original argument
 Same applies to s.2
Writing is academic in style also
FINAL TIPS



Remember: it is not just the op/ed that matters
Include a bibliography with references to all sources
Page limit
You can go over slightly in one section as long as you are
within 6 pages total
 Microsoft Word has 2.54 cm margins by default, so you can
bring those down to 2.5 cm or 1 inch

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If I or the prof. have overseen your paper, please note
that in the cover page so that we know when we
divide the grading
You can write about the section’s points breakdown in
the cover page or right next to the title of the section
Make sure it is well written and in accordance with
the style of the different sections
Don’t forget to attach the plagiarism statement
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES:
GENDER, CULTURE AND
DIFFERENCE
A MENTAL EXERCISE
Think of a person

Is this what first comes to
mind?
Now think of a woman

Is this who you first thought of?
A MENTAL EXERCISE
Now think of a black
woman

Is this who’s on your
mind?
Now think of a black
lesbian

Is it her?
SOME INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES TO
FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING (FGC)

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1980, UNICEF announced that its anti-FGC program is
“based on the belief that the best way to handle the problem
is to trigger awareness through education of the public,
members of the medical profession and practitioners of
traditional health care with the help of local collectives and
their leaders”
In 1989, the African committee of the WHO passed a
resolution urging participating governments “to adopt
appropriate policies and strategies in order to eradicate
female circumcision" and "to forbid medicalization of female
circumcision and to discourage health professionals from
performing such surgery”
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is ambiguous
about FGC
Article 24: “States Parties shall take all effective and
appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional
practices prejudicial to the health of children.”
 Article 29 (1)(c) call for “respect for the child's parents, his or
her own cultural identity, language and values, for the national
values of the country in which the child is living, the country
from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations

THE RESPONSE OF THE
CANADIAN LEGAL SYSTEM


Canada responded toU.N. initiatives to stop FGC
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (Child prostitution,
child sex tourism, criminal harassment, and female
genital mutilation) - S.C. 1997, c. 16
Modified the Canadian Criminal Code to charge people
conducting FGC with aggravated assault, as well as any
person involved in the process (such as the parents)
 Within the punished behaviour we find: “to excise, infibulate or
mutilate, in whole or in part, the labia majora, labia minora or
clitoris of a person” S.268(2)
 The only two exceptions are:

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S.268(2) (a) if the surgical procedure is performed by a qualified
doctor for the benefit of the physical health of the person or for the
purpose of that person having normal reproductive functions or
normal sexual appearance
 I.e. it still allows for operations on intersex babies
S.268(2) (a) the person is at least 18 and there is no resulting bodily
harm
 Still assault even if consented by anyone younger than 18;
S.268(4)
THE RESPONSE OF THE
CANADIAN LEGAL SYSTEM

Other countries to ban FGC: Australia, Belgium, Cyprus,
Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United
Kingdom

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In the United States, the federal government and 17 states have
criminalized the practice
There is legal precedent in Canada for women to seek refugee
status who are under pressure to undergo FGC against their
will
FGC is considered to be a form of child abuse, and children
who are at imminent risk may be removed from their family
home to prevent its occurrence
Legislation against FGC can be counter-productive in some
cases
It might force the practice to go underground
 Hard for parents to find a doctor that will cooperate, so they may
resort to others
 Women discouraged from seeking medical care because their
parents might be charged with assault

THE RESPONSE OF THE
CANADIAN LEGAL SYSTEM

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Note that the protection provided by the Criminal Code
of Canada includes only genital mutilation (circumcision)
of female children
For more info on the dangers and issues surrounding
male circumcision (as well as FGC) go to the last week of
my site
Interesting case: E. (Mrs.) v. Eve, [1986] 2 S.C.R. 388
A landmark case the Supreme Court of Canada that set the
legal standard for non-therapeutic surgery on people who
cannot give informed consent for themselves
 Created an important precedent in Canadian law that limits
parents' ability to give medical consent on behalf of children
 If circumcision is not necessary for a baby's physical or mental
health, then it is arguable (on the basis of the case) that a
parent cannot legally give the consent to perform it

OUR QUESTION OF THE WEEK


Should female genital cutting be prohibited by
law?
Related sub-questions
Should it be prohibited by Canadian law?
 Should Western governments exert political pressure
on other nations to ban this practice?
 What is our role as North Americans in relation to
this matter?

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Should we have a say in this, and if so how?