Gender and Cultural Studies

Final Project
My reasons were pretty superficial when
deciding which class I was going to take to fulfill the
credit. I briefly looked over each description and
this class caught my eye, simply because I believed
it was something I could genuinely get interested
in- giving me a somewhat easier class to take
alongside my Nursing prerequisites. Now reaching
the end of the semester, Ive realized this class
wasnt exactly easier, but rather contradicting,
perplexing, and insightful- which I believe was the
intent.

The study of gender and culture is a

complex web, linking intersectionalities such as
race, sex, gender, class, age, and sexual orientation
together, resulting in oppressed persons around
the world. I wanted to gain empathetic power, with a rather important angle of education that I feel is undervalued among the
masses. Some of the concepts throughout the course, were difficult to decipher, but once I was able to wrap my head around
the teachings, I felt enlightened. Often I would feel this way, and I looked forward to discussing reflections and projects with
people outside of class. This made me realize too, from my personal experiences, that most people are willing to listen and
actively show interest in what I have learned.

Ive decided to showcase the very first project we were assigned. I chose this project, because I believed it was the
most impactful, and helped me to see this class through a revised lens. I was expected to show my fellow classmates how I
perceived the complexities of gender, using my creativity and knowledge in the class thus far. I went through many trials and
errors to figure out how to develop my thoughts into a visual representation. The project turned out wonderful, and portrayed
the tangled webs we weave as human beings.

~Reflection~
What did you learn in the creation of your signature assignment? What assignments, readings, activities, or classroom conversations helped
to facilitate a change in your assumptions or understandings?

Above all with this project, I familiarized myself with the belief that gender is not definitive. The Genderbread Person
gave me the initial idea of having a spectrum to illustrate a wide range of diversities related to gender; these included gender
identity, gender expression, biological sex, and sexual orientation. However, one critical piece I felt was missing from this popular
reference, was that gender is not everlasting. Gender can be dependent on many variables, which may encourage someone to
reflect themselves in specific ways, at any given time. This allows people to tap into the many personas that any and every person
has the capabilities of benefiting from.

In addition to the first project, there were a couple of other assignments that are worth mentioning. I had the
opportunity to reflect on Roxane Gays article titled The Bad Feminist Manifesto. I related to her feeling of self-contradiction.
Before the assignment, I would have never considered myself a feminist. I didnt see myself being associated with those extreme
activists I see all over social media, but I just simply didnt understand. There will always be an extremist or a left or right view
on any matter, and feminism is no different. I consider myself a feminist as I believe in equality and practice this in my everyday
life.

Another interesting assignment was toward the end of the semester, and focused on a foreign, artsy movie that
brought up an interesting thought. XXY tells the story of a young person growing up with both male and female sex organs.
Initially the parents raise the teen to be a her, but later in the movie, she realizes that she has the power to decide. She then
chooses not to chose- to be who they are naturally. This contradicts the popular idea that the gender someone chooses to
portray, reflects on a single variable- biological sex. This was a game changer for me, as it was not a specific situation that had
crossed my mind, but relates so perfectly. She doesnt differ from the rest of us. We all want to be accepted for who we are-
body, gender, personality and all.