...Gender Theory role in The Big Bang Theory In today’s society, technology plays a major role in ones day to day life, especially television. Each television show has its own theme, plot, and setting, which appeals to a particular audience. A popular comedy sitcom, airing on CBS, is The Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory centers around two physicists, Leonard and Sheldon, that are roommates, and their neighbor, Penny. Leonard and Sheldon are extremely socially awkward, and so are their friends, Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali. The television show displays the interaction between these four geeky friends with Penny and other women. Throughout the show, the audience recognizes that many of society’s stereotypes on gender are portrayed through these characters. To thoroughly analyze gender stereotypes and its role in The Big Bang Theory, one must first understand what gender theory is, and its role it plays in society. Gender theory began as the Feminist movement, which was started around the late eighteenth century. The Feminist theory was a proponent of gender equality. Mary Wollstonecraft played a prominent role in this movement (Allen and Felluga). The Feminist movement originally started with women wanting rights with education; but women realized just how unfairly they were being treated. Now they wanted the right to own property, which would come with the right to vote. The movement then went from public to private; women wanted equal rights in home and work (Allen...
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...The field of language and sexuality has gained importance within socioculturally oriented linguistic scholarship. Much current work in this area emphasizes identity as one key aspect of sexuality. However, recent critiques of identity-based research advocate instead a desire-centered view of sexuality. Such an approach artificially restricts the scope of the field by overlooking the close relationship between identity and desire. This connection emerges clearly in queer linguistics, an approach to language and sexuality that incorporates insights from feminist, queer, and sociolinguistic theories to analyze sexuality as a broad sociocultural phenomenon. These intellectual approaches have shown that research on identity, sexual or otherwise, is most productive when the concept is understood as the outcome of intersubjectively negotiated practices and ideologies. To this end, an analytic framework for the semiotic study of social intersubjectivity is presented. (Sexuality, feminism, identity, desire, queer linguistics.)* I N T R O D U C T I O N Within the past decade the field of language and sexuality has emerged as an important area of research within sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, and socially oriented discourse analysis. To be sure, research on a wide variety of sexual topics had been conducted within disparate language-centered fields for at least 30 years, but such studies tended not to engage with broader theoretical concerns about sexuality. Instead...
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...Department of Education study, the paper noted with alarm that across the country, "135 women receive bachelor's degrees for every 100 men. That gender imbalance will widen in the comingyears." As the paper warned, "This is ominous for every parent with a male child. The decline in college attendance means many will needlessly miss out on success in life. The loss of educated workers also means the country will be less able to compete economically. The social implications—women having a hard time finding equally educated mates—are already beginning to play out." USA Today cited some possible culprits for the increasing distaste young men are showing for college, pointing provisionally to our high schools, suggesting that perhaps "female teachers in elementary and middle schools, where male teachers are scarce, naturally enforce a girl-friendly environment that rewards students who can sit quietly—not a strong point for many boys, who earn poor grades and fall behind." One reader countered that in fact, "schedules, curriculum, social politics and teachingmethods have gone overboard to benefit girls" and other officially designated "protected groups"—which essentially amounts to anyone other than white males. In subsequent days, letter writers aptly noted that if such an imbalance cut the other way—if women were turning out to be under-represented at U.S. collegesit would result in a national uproar, including presidential fact-fmding commissions, multimillion dollar ...
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...Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism Introduction A very basic way of thinking about literary theory is that these ideas act as different lenses critics use to view and talk about art, literature, and even culture. These different lenses allow critics to consider works of art based on certain assumptions within that school of theory. The different lenses also allow critics to focus on particular aspects of a work they consider important. For example, if a critic is working with certain Marxist theories, s/he might focus on how the characters in a story interact based on their economic situation. If a critic is working with post-colonial theories, s/he might consider the same story but look at how characters from colonial powers (Britain, France, and even America) treat characters from, say, Africa or the Caribbean. Hopefully, after reading through and working with the resources in this area of the OWL, literary theory will become a little easier to understand and use. Disclaimer Please note that the schools of literary criticism and their explanations included here are by no means the only ways of distinguishing these separate areas of theory. Indeed, many critics use tools from two or more schools in their work. Some would define differently or greatly expand the (very) general statements given here. Our explanations are meant only as starting places for your own investigation into literary theory. We encourage you to use the list of scholars and works provided for each...
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...from French and German decent. I come from different decent, however myself and my family will always identify with American because ourselves and our grandparents were all born here in the United States. I am heterosexual and I have identified as a female athlete most of my child and adolescent life. I was raised going to Catholic Church so I identify as somewhat religious and attend a highly respected university so I am identifiable as student as well. These words that I use to describe myself show the differences between my upbringing and other cultures. I grew up in a pretty well-off family and in a nice area of a small town. As I grew up, the only language that I ever became familiar with was English. As I went through junior high to high school, our community expanded and received a more Hispanic influence. The formal words that I use to describe myself could be different than what other cultures and races would describe me. For example, I would call someone of Mexican decent Hispanic but not when I am speaking directly to them. In...
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...The term social institution is the group that a person lives or is raised in throughout his or her lives. These institutions could be schools, churches, gangs, sports groups, and so on. These institutions shape and mold who the person becomes later in life. School for example is the shaping factor for the people who attend. The social environment a person grows up in, forces the choices they have and choices make a person who they are. A person who comes from a lower socioeconomic status or environment that is gang and crime ridden has a good chance of becoming part of that institution. Institutions influence who people become and when they come from a good one such as a school or church they have a good chance of having positive influences versus bad ones they would get from crime and gangs. Social institutions can become a way of life especially if they are created around crime, gangs, and drugs. People get involved with these negative institutions and do not know how to get out. It is a way of life for them and knows no other way of living. Social institutions relate to organized crime because a person is a product of his or her environment when exposed to it long enough. An example of this is when a student leaves middle school and enters high school and becomes involved with entire new group of friends. This student will dress differently, talk differently, and behave differently. It completely molds who they are and the choices they make. Social institutions can be positives...
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...Transgressions of Transgender, A reading of I Am vidya: A Transgenders Journey by Living Smile Vidya Sajna Hameed Assistant Professor, Dept. of English St. Aloysius College, Elthuruth Introduction “There exists no prohibition that cannot be transgressed.” - Georges Bataille “Concern over a rule is sometimes at its most acute when that rule is being broken, for it is harder to limit a disturbance already begun.” - Georges Bataille Blurring the boundaries of race, gender, nationality, and sexuality has become a common denominator in defining personal identity in the twenty-first century. Exploding previous notions of these categories as fixed and static, artists today are taking an active role in exposing them as mere constructions. Nevertheless, transgressing these boundaries is still a delicate dance, and individuals who succeed in walking the line between identity categories occupy a precarious position. The purpose of this study is to explore the resistance strategies that trans-genders utilize when met with adversity and the ways that trans-genders see their trans identity as providing them with a form of strength and resiliency. Trans-genders are often analyzed from a pathologizing lens within the sociological and psychological literature. I wish to investigate the ways that trans-genders are currently pushing back against the oppressive forces that they encounter every day in hopes of increasing awareness of trans-genders resiliency and strength...
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...At risk families include a change in the nuclear family as we have known it in the past. The families of today have an increase of single parent families, blended or step-families, and same sex families (Arditti, 2015). This paper will discuss societal issues which are impacting families of today, the risk factors which affect the alternative family, resiliency within the individual unit as well as the family unit, the resilience theory in relation to the alternative family, and interventions to support the individual as well as the family. Alternative Family & Risks within the Family Everyone in the United States should attempt to create a harmonious and stable White, heterosexual, middle class family with one husband, one wife, 2.5 kids,...
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...1). Obviously, something intrusively wrong resonated in Gacy for him to make such a statement that negated the intensity of his actions. Gacy buried majority of his victims under the crawl space of his home and discarded other victims in the Des Plaines River (Bell & Bardsley, 2011). People often question what would make someone do such vicious and torturous acts on another person. Criminologists developed theories explaining the reasons people deviate from societal norms and commit immoral acts laws prohibit (Schmallenger, 2003). Particularly, in this case, John Wayne Gacy is a person suitable to study. Certainly, a few crime causation theories explain how his upbringing, life experiences, and other deep, underlying issues led him to committing crimes to the extent he did. Gacy’s Background Information Gacy was the only son of three children born to Marion and John Gacy. He had an older sister (Joanne) and younger sister (Karen). The Gacy’s were a middle-classed, Catholic family who lived on the north side of Chicago. As a young boy in middle school, Gacy kept busy by working part-time as a bag boy, delivering newspapers, and participating in Boy Scouts. Even though he was not popular, his teachers liked him, and he had many friends (Lohr, n.d.). To people on the outside of Gacy’s home, it appeared he had an awesome childhood. However, many people did not know Gacy’s relationship with his father was far from normal. Gacy’s father physically...
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...Being Girl: A Sociological Memoir My first memory of kindergarten was this: dozens of tiny, petrified 5-year-olds being dropped off at their first day of school, and dozens of exhausted, overworked mothers consoling their weeping sons and daughters. I remember it vividly because, despite the terror and chaos, a single thought pervaded my mind, the thought that “these moms are not as pretty as my mom.” I wasn’t entirely biased, either. By North American standards of beauty, I was correct. Here was my mother, a rail-thin, blonde-haired, blue-eyed statuesque stunner, among a sea of frumpy women with visible wrinkles and tangles of black hair. And here I was, the daughter of this perfect specimen, the proud owner of a mother who was more “feminine”, more “womanly”, and therefore, I naively deduced, “a better mother”. In fact, although my vocabulary was fairly limited at the time, I believed her to be the epitome of all mothers. She looked, I told her that morning, “like a mom was supposed to look.” In interviewing my mother, she said that this was my “first brush with what it meant to be a girl.” Throughout kindergarten, I was labeled “weird”. I dug for worms, collected Pokémon cards (which was deemed a “boyish” activity), and none of my friends were girls. My teacher, a young woman who had just recently graduated from university, was often concerned for me, and thought that my lack of female friends would be detrimental to my developing of social...
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...For Diversity Project, aims to bring approximately 25 youth together in one arena to discuss, debate and create ideas and plans around the issue of diversity. Half of the session was spent looking at the individual and group definitions of diversity, with sessions that included both reflective and group exercises. Small groups were formed to further flesh out concepts around diversity—racism, ageism, sexual orientation, access to resources, etc.—to further understand the impact that diversity has had on us and those around us. To add to these sessions, four guest speakers were invited to address the group around particular issues that are present in our communities. The guest speaker topics ranged from immigration and refugee issues, queer youth issues, the Black Loyalists of New Brunswick and hate crimes which involve South-Asian and Muslim youth. The other half of the session was spent trying to understand and raise awareness to the participants about how each...
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...Legislating the Family: Heterosexist Bias in Social Welfare Policy Frameworks Amy Lind University of Virginia Studies in Women and Gender Program This article addresses the effects of heterosexist bias in social welfare policy frameworks on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and families in the United States. It discusses the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), federal definitions of family and household, and stereotypes about LGBT individuals. It argues that poor LGBT individuals and families lack full citizen rights and access to needed social services as a result of these explicit and implicit biases. Key words: Welfare reform; family policy; civil rights; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT); heterosexism Welfare reform is fundamentally about family policy—about promoting and privileging particular kinds of families, and about penalizing and stigmatizing others. (Cahill and Jones 2002: 1). Two pieces of legislation were passed in 1996 that set an important tone for family policy in the United States: The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), an act that expanded welfare-to-work programs throughout the country, restricted people’s access to public assistance, and crystallized the broader restructuring of public-private boundaries; and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as a legal union between a man...
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...Lesbian, Transsexual, Queer, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual they are all just different words for defining individuals. Sexual behaviour whether heterosexual or homosexual is a learnt therefore the focus is on the development of the identity of which they identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or straight is the Interactionist perspective. It is assumed that most individuals define themselves as heterosexual because it is the established norm; therefore do not have to struggle over their identity. This thought of having a choice over identity should be disregarded. The individual is caught trying to define whom they are when subconsciously they already know. This theory is based on the journey that individuals take to define themselves. (Kendall, Nygaard, & Thompson, 2004) The feminist perspective theory that has changed drastically over the last 4 decades. in the late 1960s and through the 1970s sexual orientation was debated by radical feminist and the oppression of women in society. Today feminist argue that “Feminism asserts the right of all women to make their erotic choices, and this includes choosing men exclusively. Feminism also rejects the hierarchy of sexual practices, and do does not seek to substitute a lesbian priority for heterosexism. The goal of feminism in the area of sexuality is to establish true sexual pluralism, where no one choice is presented as ‘the norm’.” (Kendall et al., 2004, p.142) In contradiction Queer theory is that northing is...
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...DJ Sociology of Family Gay Adoption: Race, Identity and Family Millions of children in this country are eagerly waiting to be adopted by loving parent/parents who will care and provide for them. Studies have shown that the role of race and identity in transracial adoption with the added pressure of being raised by gay parents affects children who are part of it. Some believe that these children are receiving a home that many dream of and others believe that these children are being deprived of their heritage and identity. Should children’s heritage and identities be taking into consideration when they adopted? Studies have proven that adoptive parents should be accepting of their children’s heritage and should alter their lifestyle to accommodate their children’s lives. Many children in the system are looking for a second chance for a better life. Adoption is a second chance at this better life, but with this second opportunity it can pose some challenges. Child adoption is complicated and complex situation in a whole, especially when it comes to race. When you mix a transracial adoption and a gay adoption into one household, you get a family with many questions and concerns. In the documentary, “Off and Running,” we see a coming-of-age story about a young teen named Avery Klein-Cloud who is an African-American girl adopted by white Jewish lesbians. She is one third of an adoptive set of children. Her older brother is a black and Puerto Rican boy and her younger brother...
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