NU Navigating Preexisting Categories and Reconstructing Identity Questions

1: Berger and Luckmann state that we are born into an ‘objective social structure’ and that we have only a limited ability to subjectively appropriate and interpret it for ourselves. Discuss how the categories of race, gender, and class predate any one individual, and how we are bound to identify ourselves in relation to them. To what extent can an individual redefine themselves in relation to these categories, and what are the possible social sanctions they may face for doing so?

Try to make your answer around 500 words, and cite any pertinent sources from the course.

2:Though Sociologists have long studied race, class, gender, and other categories of identity, those who argue for the merits of Intersectional Theory claim that it offers a distinct advantage in understanding the power of such categories. What do you believe is that advantage? Put in terms of this course, how would studying diversity through the lens of Intersectional Theory give you a better understanding than studying diversity without it?

Try to make your answer around 500 words, and cite any pertinent sources from the course.

3:Matters of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality are often in the public eye, and tend to be at the center of many passionate (and unfortunately even violent) conflicts. While discussing diversity in the context of institutions and organizations remains important, it is as important to ask to what extent we accept diversity and difference as a society. One such case occurred August 11th, 2017 when a white nationalist group marched in protest of the potential removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from the campus of the University of Virginia. Local organizations such as the NAACP and citizens of the town had argued that the statue (erected in 1924) needed to be removed as it was a symbol of the enslavement and oppression faced by blacks in the South. You may read more details of the case at the following link:

The New York Times—The Statue at the Center of Charlottesville’s Storm – HTML

The New York Times—The Statue at the Center of Charlottesville’s Storm – PDF Document (204 KB)

Using the knowledge you’ve accumulated in this course, write a short letter to the editor of your local newspaper arguing why or why not you believe the removal of the statue from public view is in the interest of cultivating a more diverse society. Try to make your response between 750-1000 words, and cite at least two scholarly sources from course readings or your own research to support your argument.