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GENDER SOCIALIZATION FIELDTRIPESSAYWe may be born male or female, but we learn how to become a man or a woman (as deemed by society) through the process of socialization.OBJECTIVE: This exercise is going to explore socialization by looking at some of the ways gender is learned and reinforced by material culture in American society. LEARNING GOAL: To develop an appreciation for the mechanisms of socialization in America. DIRECTIONS:Take a trip to a store with a large kid section, like Walmart or Target. Move through each of the toy aisles, taking note of the items you find in each aisle. Consider the following questions:What kind of gender socializing messages would a person in contact with these items get?Are gender stereotypes reinforced with these materials?Could the items be used by either gender? Find examples and explain.Take notice of the color schemes, active/passive toy characters, advertisers, and other themes of the toys from each aisle. Even the font can contain socializing messages. Find examples and explain your observations. What items did you find that were only “meant for girls,” and items that were “only meant for boys” (meaning, the opposing gendered item did not exist)?Where would you go if you wanted to get away from gender socializing messages? Or how would you handle these items if they were the only ones available to you? How did you feel about this experience? How do you feel you would handle the socialization of your own kids, despite your findings from this experiment? ESSAY: Write a minimum one page, single-spaced, 12 pt. font essay of your observations (or two page, double-spaced, whichever you prefer). Make sure you include the answers to all of the above questions in detail, as well as the store you visited to view the gender socialization methods. DUE DATE________________________ ................
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