Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Socialization

Name ______

Gender, race, ethnicity and socialization

Bridge activity: Unit 3 & Unit 4

Sociology

Honor Code Level 2

Unit Four Essential Questions

Provide a brief journal response to each of the three essential questions below.

1. In what ways does society view class, race, gender, and age?

2. How do class, race, gender, and age affect individual behavior?

3.How do class, race, gender, and age affect group behavior?

Toy Department Investigation

Do the types of toys/games that children are exposed to play a role in the type of people they become? Are toys/games biased toward girls or boys? Do certain toys increase the likelihood of aggression among children? Are toys/games biased to target “upper class,” “middle class,” or “lower class” customers? Are toys/games designed to appeal to children of a certain race or ethnic group? These are questions to ponder as we conduct our investigation in the toy department during our (virtual) field trip.

Gender: Pick out 3 toys/games that are specifically aimed at a MALE audience.

Name of toy: / Age range: / Purpose of toy: / Price:
Toy #1
Toy #2
Toy #3

Do you think girls would play with these toys? Why or why not?

What could be done to make these toys less gender-biased? Could changes be made to the toys?

Gender: Pick out 3 toys/games that are specifically aimed at a FEMALE audience.

Name of toy: / Age range: / Purpose of toy: / Price:
Toy #4
Toy #5
Toy #6

Do you think boys would play with these toys? Why or why not?

What could be done to make these toys less gender-biased? Could changes be made to the toys?

Aggression: Pick out 3 toys/games that you believe promote aggression.

Name of toy: / Age range: / Purpose of toy: / Price:
Toy #7
Toy #8
Toy #9

Are these toys for males, females or both?

What is it about these toysthat make you believe they promote aggression?

What could be done to make these toys less aggression-oriented? Could changes be made to the toys?

Class: Pick out 3 toys/games that are specifically aimed at a specific class, one for “upper class,” one for “middle class,” and one for “lower class.”

Name of toy: / Age range: / Purpose of toy: / Price:
Toy #10
Toy #11
Toy #12

Briefly explain why you think each toy is targeted to a specific class:

“Upper class”

“Middle class”

“Lower class”

What could be done to make these toys less class-oriented? Could changes be made to the toys?

Race and ethnicity: Pick out 3 toys/games that are specifically aimed to a specific race or ethnic group.

Name of toy: / Age range: / Purpose of toy: / Price:
Toy #13
Toy #14
Toy #15

Briefly explain which races or ethnic groups these toys are targeted for and why:

What could be done to make them less oriented toward race or ethnicity?