I have just finished reviewing snapshot 5 for all of you. Most of you are neglecting to include the URL where you found the image, hyperlinking the image itself, or adding citational materials. Please start making this a habit. If you are posting work that you did not create and you aren’t crediting the creator, then it is plagiarism. At the very least, you need to link us to the image. Even better is if you find out who made the image and you type that out in your post. When reviewing your snapshot posts, you must make it possible for your audience to access the original work you are citing. You should make this a practice in this class, as well as on all of the social media you use outside of this class.

Please note that this week we are moving from more general understandings of gender/sex/sexuality to understanding the systems that maintain the status quo:

Privilege and Oppression

You have two readings for the week: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh and Oppression by Marilyn Frye. These readings focus on two different, but complementary concepts that help us understand HOW the gender binary is thought to be common sense (even though we now know from previous readings it is not). Snapshots are due Sunday, September 19 and Content Responses are due Tuesday, September 21.

We will focus on understanding how privilege and oppression work both this week and next week. Even though many of us think we understand these concepts, we often cannot explain them with much depth. The readings for the next two weeks are there to help you have a deeper understanding so that you can explain them…eventually. Please take your time with the readings, as they may be more difficult than those we have already covered. Feel free to ask me any questions about them on the discussion board or via email.

REMINDERS

Your Content Responses should be a minimum of 500 words. I have been lenient about this so far, but from now on, if your post does not meet this requirement, it won’t receive full credit. Additionally, you should respond to both the readings and a classmate’s snapshot in your content response. Many of you are doing these things already – thank you for that. For those of you who are not doing this, please start now in order to receive full credit for your work.

And a note: more than a few people used he/him/his pronouns when referring to our last week’s author, Alok Vaid-Manon in their content responses. Alok made it clear in their book that they use they/them/theirs pronouns. You should reflect this in your writing. Additionally, if you are referring to a classmate or an author who has not disclosed their pronouns, please defer to using their name and/or the neutral pronouns they/them/theirs.

1.) Thank you for the work you have done so far. I want to remind you that the snapshots do not require any text. The point of this assignment is to respond to the readings using a form of expression other than writing. For example, see Samantha’s snapshot. You respond to the readings in writing in your content responses.

2.) Content responses should be 500 words. Please check your word count. In addition, your content response should show you responding to BOTH the reading assignments for the week AND one (or more) of your classmate’s snapshots. These are separate posts, not comments. For strong examples, see Emely’s, Isabella’s, or Samantha’s Response 1.

3.) I want to make a note about religion because many of you have addressed it in your writing. While bell hooks addresses Christianity as the foundation for the United States, much of what she writes is not limited to Christianity but pertains to all monotheistic religions. Additionally, she is writing about the institution of religion, not individual spiritual practices that may provide more openness in terms of gender constructs.

4.) Finally, this week and next week have a number of holidays. As such you have one reading assignment to do across the two weeks. You should read the scanned excerpts from Alok V. Manon’s Beyond The Gender Binary. You should also create your snapshot 2 and content response 2. Due dates are in the course schedule.

It seems as if some of you are confused regarding how to make a post. No worries. I have tried to make a tutorial here.

The screenshots below are detailed and should help you understand. This is how you will submit work. Once you submit your posts, they will begin to appear in the proper categories on the menu of our course site.

When you select “post,” you will the next screen.

Before you submit, make sure all of the post settings are correct.