Heteronormativity
I want you to read the short essay by Agustin Fuentes called “Anthropology helps us bust myths about human nature: for example, are men and women really that different?” In the article Fuentes busts the myth of differences between men and women and reminds us how our assertions of a man/woman dichotomy is almost entirely culturally constructed. Now, your assignment. Heteronormativity is the idea that heterosexuality is the normal form of human sexual expression. Please answer these questions in a thoughtful essay: 1) How is this notion of heteronormativity reinforced and replicated in daily life? 2) Considering the what you’ve learned earlier in the course, how do culture, language, symbols, etc. work to suggest that heterosexual relationships are the norm? Provide at least one example. 3) Finally, what sorts of effects can heteronormativity have on people of various sexual orientations and gender identities? This is an opportunity to bring in other aspects and topics of the course, such as enculturation, race, sex, gender, stratification, kinship, or other topics you find relevant. Be sure to show that you understand the concept(s) you discuss. Especially gender and sex – reread Chapter 13 if you need to. You shouldn’t need to do much outside research, but if you do, please use a standard citation style, such as MLA. Your essay should be no less than 400 words and no more than 600 words. Your essay will be graded on content and style. Please note that the document you upload should be in Word format or .txt or .rtf. If you are using Pages on a Mac, simply export your document to one of these formats.
