Cultural Autobiography
Instructions
Purpose:
Evaluate our historical and contemporary perspectives on gender, sex, and sexuality. Before we are fully immersed in our readings, we must come to understand ourselves and how our own perspectives have been socially constructed over time. By doing so we will begin to see our own intersectionalities that can translate into understanding the experiences of others.
*Please note this assignment should be done in a way that feels safe and supportive. Do not disclose information that makes you uncomfortable, but do try to safely push your boundaries to gather a deeper understanding of your own cultural autobiography.
Part 1: Who Am I? (½ Page)
This section explores your origin and identity; please draw from your own experiences to introduce yourself.
Introduce yourself as it relates to (but is not exclusive to): gender, sex, sexuality, race, ethnicity, (dis)ability, language, class, and religion
How would you describe your individual identity? (Example: how do you see yourself as a male, female, non-binary, or queer person?)
What messages have you heard about these identities?
Part 2: My World Narrative (1½ Pages)
This section explores your personal narrative of the world you live in. Please use 1-2 resources to help support how you have come to conceptualize gender memory, life experiences, and beliefs about cultural differences.
Gender Memory:
How did you learn your gender? Where did you learn about gender? What helped shape this understanding?
How does your experience compare with the ways that the resources say most people learn about gender (for example, observation or socialization)?
Life Experiences:
Share one experience you had with people who are different from yourself – this can be from any period of your life, but one that helped you think about difference in terms of gender, sex, sexuality, race, ethnicity, (dis)ability, language, class, and religion.
Describe your upbringing regarding your neighborhood, community, school, church, clubs, courses, etc. What did these experiences teach you about gender, sex, and sexuality?
My Beliefs about Cultural Differences:
How has your background shaped your understanding of different groups of people?
