Assignment #1 – Current Issues in Sex/Gender and Sexuality
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Assignment #1 – Current Issues in Sex/Gender and Sexuality
Worth: 25%
Due Date: February 23rd, by 11:59 p.m.
Submission: Avenue Drop Box (under "Assignments")
Assignment Overview
Choose one of the three research questions below. Follow the outlined steps, citing sources properly, and adhering to formatting and submission guidelines.
Assignment Choices
1) Gender/sexuality and school curriculum and policy
Recently politicians in North America (e.g. Florida, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan) have passed bills to limit curriculum related to gender identity, sexual orientation and sexual health in schools as well as creating policies that curtail the freedoms of LGBTQ+ and gender nonconforming students. Outline the nature of this debate in relation to relevant course material and concepts that we have studied.
Task:
Find one popular media source (journalistic article e.g. from magazines and newspapers) related to Gender/Sexuality and School Curriculum and Policy.
Find one scholarly journal article related to this topic or more generally about gender/sexuality and youth.
Using these 2 sources only plus all relevant course material
(instructor lectures, spotlight talks, readings, videos), analyze:
• How these bans and restrictive policies relate to current cultural issues and debates surrounding gender/sex, sexual identity, and sexuality in Canada and the United States
2) Intersex and/or transgender athletes and competitive sport
In recent years, intersex and/or transgender athletes (remember that transgender and intersex are not the same thing so please don’t conflate them in your paper!) have been discussed and, in some cases, banned from international athletics competition in women’s or men’s divisions.
Task:
Find one popular media source (journalistic article e.g. from magazines and newspapers) related to that deal with debates surrounding banning athletes from women’s competitions.
Find one scholarly journal article related to with debates surrounding banning athletes from women’s competitions or more generally about transgender and intersex issues.
Using these 2 sources only plus all relevant course material
(instructor lectures, spotlight talks, readings, videos), analyze:
• How do current cultural ideas about gender and sex identity
influence debates about intersex and/or transgender athletes and competition?
3)Gender reveal parties
In some North American contexts, gender reveal parties have become a part of the rite of passage of pregnancy. Critics, however, argue that they oftentimes reinforce gender stereotypes and gender binaries.
Find one popular media source (journalistic article e.g. from
magazines and newspapers) that discusses gender reveal parties.
Find one scholarly journal article discussing debates surrounding gender reveal parties or gender and child rearing more generally.
Use these sources and all relevant course material (instructor lectures, spotlight talks, readings, videos) to examine:
• How and why are gender reveal parties controversial?
• What would an anthropological perspective on this issue look like?
Essay Structure
• Introduction: Introduction to your topic with a clear thesis statement. Please make sure your thesis statement answers the question asked in the assignment topic (see questions above).
How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement – McMaster Library
Video about how to write a strong thesis statement
• Body Paragraphs:
o Analyze sources and integrate course material.
o Provide well-supported arguments and critical insights.
• Conclusion: Summarize key points and final thoughts.
Formatting Requirements
• No title page: You do not need a title page, and you do not need to put your name, student number. We can tell who you are on
Avenue’s Dropbox.
• Font: Times New Roman, size 12
• Spacing: Double-spaced
• Margins: 1 inch (2.5 cm)
• Word Count: 1200–1400 words (excluding References Cited page)
o 70-word grace limit for going under or over the word limit.
Anything above (or below) this will receive a deduction of 2/10 marks from the Style & Organization marks category (see rubric below).
Writing Guidelines
Use of First Person
• Occasional first-person use is allowed in anthropology papers, but only when making a supported argument.
• Any opinion expressed must be backed by citations and scholarly sources.
Define Your Terms
• Ensure correct terminology is used throughout.
• Clearly define all key terms in your assignment (e.g., MAID).
• Refer to course material for accurate definitions and context. Appropriate Language
• Write in a scholarly tone, avoiding opinion-based or journalistic styles.
• Use formal language that is not inflammatory or biased.
Citation Guidelines
• APA citation style required.
• No direct quotes—paraphrase sources (if you include a direct quote, you will receive 0 out of 10 in the In-Text Citations & Sources marks category; see rubric below)
• Use one scholarly journal article & one popular media article.
Helpful resources:
• McMaster Writing Centre(link also available under "Content" on A2L).
Submission Details
• Upload: A single Word or PDF file via Avenue Drop Box.
• Turnitin: All submissions will be screened for plagiarism and AI- generated content.
• Verify Upload: Log out and back in to ensure correct file submission.
• Late Penalties: Please see late policy on the course syllabus.
Grading Breakdown
• In-text citations & sources: /10
• References Cited page: /5
• Content & analysis: /25
• Writing style & clarity: /10
• Total: 50 points (divided by 2 for a final grade out of 25)
Citation Style Guidelines
APA Formatting Overview
• Required Format: APA (American Psychological Association)
• No endnotes or footnotes—use in-text (parenthetical) citations
• Reference list must follow APA guidelines
Helpful Resources:
McMaster APA Citation Guide
Purdue OWL APA Guidelines:
• In-Text Citations: Author/Authors
• Reference List: Author/Authors
• Reference List: Articles in Periodicals
• Reference List: Electronic Sources
Video Tutorial:
“How Library Stuff Works: How to Write APA Citations (7th edition)”
DOIs: Including DOIs is optional for this class.
Citation Examples
Newspaper/Media Article Known Author:
• In-text citation: (Aw, 2018)
• Reference List Entry:
Aw, J. (2012, June 12). Stopping the soda bulge: Why we need to consider restricting sugary beverages. National Post.
https://nationalpost.com/health/stopping-the-soda-bulge-why-we-need- to-consider-restricting-sugary-beverages
Unknown Author:
• In-text citation: ("Get on board", 2012)
• Reference List Entry:
Get on board for train safety. (2012, June 17). Toronto Star, A14.
https://torontostar.com/getonboard
Scholarly Journal (Periodical) Article
• In-text citation: (Smith et al., 2018)
• Reference List Entry:
Smith, A.B., Khan, J., McGarry, L., & Elshahat, D. (2018). Evolution and physical anthropology: new findings. American Journal of Physical
Anthropology, 127(1), 345-347.
Online Content
• In-text citation: (Price, 2018)
• Reference List Entry:
Price, D. (2018, March 23). Laziness does not exist. Medium.
https://humanparts.medium.com/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01
Video:
• In-text citation: (Scribbr, 2020)
• Reference List Entry:
Name of director or organization that produced it (year and date if there is a date). Title of video [Video]. Platform, e.g. YouTube. URL
e.g. Scribbr (2020, August 20). Develop a theoretical framework in three steps [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/4y1BAqOnhMM
Lecture Material
• In-text citation: (Spence Morrow, Lecture 2, 2025)
• Reference List Entry:
Spence Morrow, G. (2020). Evolution: Facts, proofs, theories, & myths [Lecture 3]. Retrieved from http://avenue.mcmaster.ca
Main Textbook (plus two additional chapters added from two different textbooks)
• In-text citation: (Brewis et al., 2025), (Spencer Larson, 2020), (Soluri and Agarwal, 2019)
• Reference List Entry:
Brewis, A., Knudson, K., Stojanowski, C., SturtzSreetharan, C., & Wutich,
A. (2025). Chapter 9, The human story: An introduction to anthropology.
W.W. Norton & Company.
Spencer Larson, C. (2020). Chapter 13, Our origins. Discovering biological anthropology, Fifth Edition. W.W. Norton & Company.
Soluri, K.E. and Agarwal, S.C. (2019) Lab 7, Laboratory Manual and
Workbook for Biological Anthropology. Engaging with Human Evolution, Second Edition. W.W. Norton & Company.
Important Reminder: Use a mix of course materials (instructor
lectures, spotlight talks, readings, videos) in your assignment paper.
Grading Rubric
In-Text Citations & Sources /10
√ Proper in-text citation format
√ Appropriate use and placement of citations √ All sources paraphrased correctly
√ All sources (including course materials) are cited appropriately—no missing citations
No direct quotes (0 out of 10 if any quotes are used)
No endnotes or footnotes
√ One and only one scholarly article & one media article plus relevant course material
References Cited Page /5
√ All sources listed alphabetically by author’s last name √ APA format followed correctly
√ All sources cited (including course materials) in your work must be listed in References Cited
√ Single-spacing within each entry with a space between entries
Content /25
√ Key terms/ideas outlined & defined using anthropological terminology (Do not use Wikipedia, encyclopedias, etc.)
√ All opinions are INFORMED opinions backed by academic sources
√ Evidence of critical thinking—demonstrating a strong understanding of course material
√ Integration of relevant examples from readings and lectures
√ Use of course materials (textbook, lectures, videos must be cited)
√ Appropriate selection of course material—content must be relevant to the chosen question
Style & Organization /10
√ No grammatical problems
√ No spelling errors
√ No redundant or repetitive writing √ Thesis is clear & well-articulated
√ Writing style is eloquent, concise, and structured effectively
Do not go over or under word count (2 out of 10 deducted for not following word count)
Total Score Calculation
◆ Total: 50 points divided by 2 = Final grade out of 25
2026-02-02