Instructions:
Pick one question to answer from the five below. Your answer should be about 1 page (250
words) double-spaced.
1. Sex refers to a set of variable biological traits, but sex categories can be described as
a social construction. What does that mean/how is that so?
2. From an evolutionary perspective, how is language an advantageous adaption to the
environment?
3. How is health in biomedicine not just a biological measure, but also something that is
politically, socially, or culturally produced?
4. Antonio Gramsci used the term “hegemony” to describe how a dominant social group
can create consent by controlling forms of cultural production. Explain an example of
this process.
5. A social construction (such as race, class, or gender) is more than just a belief. How
are social constructions/social relationships produced/reproduced in a way that makes
them empirically observable phenomena?
Formatting Requirements:
• Indicate which question you are answering
• Double-space lines
• 12pt Times-New Roman font
• 1-page (approx. 250 words) in length
• You are not required or expected to cite outside sources, but if you do then they should be
properly cited both in-text and in a works cited list
• Upload to Brightspace as a PDF
• Note: Externally hosted documents (like google docs) that are not viewable without
additional permission may receive a 0
Grading Criteria:
Students will be graded on the four following criteria. Each criterion is worth 5 points. For
format and readability, you will start with 5/5 and have points reduced for errors. For
organization/logic and accuracy/argumentation, you will start with 4/5 and particularly well-
articulated answers will grant you an additional point.• Format:
o Meet the requirements listed above for full credit
• Readability
o Writing should be organized and clear, avoiding mistakes and typos that make
sentences hard to parse.
• Organization/Logic
o Writing should follow some sort of organization that a reader can follow
o Any points you make should be rooted in evidence (from the book, additional
readings, lectures, etc.)
o Writing that is clearly organized and easy to follow will receive full credit
• Accuracy and Argumentation
o While these questions ask for your personal analysis (or “opinion”), your
argument should be rooted in evidence
o Clearly articulate a thesis or argument in your answers
o Answers that reflect serious thought and engagement will receive full credit
Additional Information
Citation
• for additional help formatting in-text citations or writing a bibliography, see here:
https://owl.purdue.edu/
• Which style you use (MLA, APA, Chicago) does not matter. What’s important is that I
know which sources you’re citing and can find them without needing to copy/paste a
URL.
• DO NOT just copy/paste a URL in your works cited
Using examples
• When a question asks you to use an example, you are free to use any example you’d like.
That said, we have covered several examples in class and you have them at your disposal
• To help you answer these questions, you may use information from the textbook, optional
readings, powerpoints, lecture notes, or documentaries posted to Brightspace
Full citations for class resources
If you choose to cite class material, you can use these entries in your bibliography. Note that they
are in APA format:
Video
1. Hubbard, J. and Schulamn, S. (2012). United in Anger: A History of ACT UP! Self-
Published.
2. Black, S. (2001). Life and Debt. New Yorker Films: USA3. Singer, E. (2021). “Accent Expert Gives a Tour of US Accents.” Wired, Youtube.
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1KP4ztKK0A
Texts (note: some of these are incomplete, but for our purposes that’s fine)
4. 5. Hasty, Lewis, and Snipes (2022). Introduction to Anthropology. OpenStax. Houston, TX.
Errington and Gewertz (2010). “Excusing the Haves and Blaming the Have-Nots in the
Telling of History.” Questioning Collapse: Human Resilience, Exological Vulnerability,
and the Aftermath of Empire. Patricia McAnany and Norman Yoffee, eds. Cambridge
University Press: Cambridge, MA.
6. Geertz, C. (1972, January). Deep play: Notes on the Balinese cockfight. American
academy of arts and sciences.
7. Levi-Strauss, C. (1963). “The Sorcerer and His Magic” Structural Anthropology. New
York: Basic Books.
8. Goldfarb, D. (2006). “The Sorcerer’s Stone” The Pharos
