Exam 1 Questions
Sociology of Gender, Fall 2006 (Erbaugh)

The first exam is worth 15% of your grade. You will take the exam on Wednesday, September 27 in class. You will have the whole class period to write the exam. There will be some multiple-choice questions in addition to the following short answer and essay questions. The study guide (available on the website) will help you prepare for those. You may bring with you one 3x5" or 5x7" card with notes for yourself. You do not need to bring a blue book. There are multiple right answers. If you have any questions, please ask via email or in class. Have a good weekend!

Short answer. Read each question carefully and prepare to answer all parts of it.

1. According to Johnson ("Patriarchy, the System") and Renzetti & Curran (chapter 1), does the sex/gender system that is currently dominant in the U.S. benefit all men equally, or some more than others? Why/how are benefits equally/unequally distributed?

2. Does it make sense to look at gender in isolation from other dimensions of identity? Why/why not? Make reference to an assigned reading of your choice.

3. According to Peggy McIntosh, what is "conferred dominance," and why does she prefer that term to "privilege?" How does "conferred dominance" challenge the "myth of meritocracy?"

4. What does a "transformative account of gender development" suggest about the interaction of biology and culture in the formation of gender? (To start, see Renzetti and Curran chapter 2).

5. How does intersex challenge traditional thinking about the relationship between sex and gender? In your response, use an example/reference from the video Intersex: Redefining Sex or the articles by Fausto-Sterling and Coventry.

6. Sandra Bem argues that gender acquisition involves the enculturation of three "lenses of gender." Choose two; for each, give a brief definition and an example of how that "lens" contributes to gender acquisition.

7. What are three main ways that gender inequity occurs in schools? As part of your answer, define gender "micro-inequities" and give a specific example of how they occur in educational settings.

8. Choose ONE of the articles we read by the following authors on gender and the body: Silko, Haubegger, Nelson, Thompson, Staples, Kriegel or MacDonald. Identify and clearly state a dominant social message about gender and the body that the article addresses. How do(es) the author or subject[s] of the article respond to that dominant social message?

Short essay. Drawing from Lorber's essay "The Social Construction of Gender," and incorporating at least one example or reference from the textbook, the in-class student panel and/or other assigned articles, what is gender socialization? In your essay, identify two main processes by which it occurs and give a specific example of each in your own words.