Week 5 Discussion: Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Identity
Initial Post Instructions
The lesson and textbook readings for this week emphasize that race, ethnicity, and gender are all
social constructs. For the initial post, address the following:
• Compare and contrast what is meant by the social construction of race with what is meant
by the social construction of ethnicity and what is meant by the social construction of
gender.
• How or why is it beneficial to view these as social constructs?
• For you personally, are your racial, ethnic, and/or gender identities more matters of how
you view yourself or of how others view you? Please explain.
• In what ways is how you view yourself influenced by the larger society and culture?
‘DNA studies do not indicate that separate classifiable subspecies (race) exist within modern
humans. While different genes for physical traits such as skin and hair color can be identified
between individuals, no consistent pattern of genes across the human genome exist to distinguish
one race from another”[Ken186]. When I was young, I was not aware “race” existed. It wasn’t
until we came to America that I learned that people are not just people and they just unique in
their own way, but that they are categorized by their color of skin and where they originate from.
I am not sure who or when in the history of man decided who is “white” and who is “black”, but
this retching concept was a shock to me. I was not aware, that my older sister, which is my
mother’s first born from her first marriage was half black until I was eleven years old. I just
thought she was browner then me and had curlier hair. When I discovered race and racism, I
cried of the history behind African-Americans and the ugly truth of American history. After a
while, I began to be “normal” for me to categories people with their color of skin, and their
ethnicity. [Hod16].
Therefore, one must question, is race real? “Scientists generally do not recognize races as
biologically meaningful. Yet scientists, including me, discuss race and describe the racial
composition of our samples. To be clear, I am not advocating that we ignore race. In fact, there
are many dangers in ignoring race as a social topic. Race is “real”. But race is socially real, not
biologically real. Socially important categories can be very real and meaningful, but arguably
This study source was downloaded by 100000861168648 from CourseHero.com on 03-12-2023 05:57:00 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/40858186/Week-5-Race-Ethnicity-Gender-and-
, Week 5 Discussion: Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Identity
Initial Post Instructions
The lesson and textbook readings for this week emphasize that race, ethnicity, and gender are all
social constructs. For the initial post, address the following:
• Compare and contrast what is meant by the social construction of race with what is meant
by the social construction of ethnicity and what is meant by the social construction of
gender.
• How or why is it beneficial to view these as social constructs?
• For you personally, are your racial, ethnic, and/or gender identities more matters of how
you view yourself or of how others view you? Please explain.
• In what ways is how you view yourself influenced by the larger society and culture?
nonetheless arbitrary in nature”[Hod16]. This socially constructed reality has resulted to specific
construction, and imposition. Furthermore, race has categorized “people who have been singled
out as inferior or superior, often on the basis of real or alleged physical characteristics”[Ken186].
In United States there is a “One drop rule” theory, which means one drop of “black” blood
will categorize you as a Black person. “This is in sharp contrast to how race is conceptualized
in the US, where the “one drop rule” has long dominated. Although American culture
recognizes the biracial category, people are generally considered Black (and treated as such) if
they have descended from any Black relatives to any degree. That is, even a “drop” of Black
blood has rendered someone Black (but even this varies depending on whether the perceiver is
White or Black, among other factors). As such, even being 1/16th Black historically resulted in
your categorization as Black. (Incidentally, the Nazis held similar views, where having Jewish
ancestry, even in a distant sense, categorized one as Jewish). This is known as hypodescent, a
process whereby a biracial person is categorized fully or primarily in terms of the lower status
(or disadvantaged) social group. The fact that status plays a role in social categorization clearly
demonstrates that categorization (e.g., as White, as Black) is a social construction”[Hod16].
Ethnicity as compared with race refers to individual’s cultural background or national origin
[Ken186].
This study source was downloaded by 100000861168648 from CourseHero.com on 03-12-2023 05:57:00 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/40858186/Week-5-Race-Ethnicity-Gender-and-
Initial Post Instructions
The lesson and textbook readings for this week emphasize that race, ethnicity, and gender are all
social constructs. For the initial post, address the following:
• Compare and contrast what is meant by the social construction of race with what is meant
by the social construction of ethnicity and what is meant by the social construction of
gender.
• How or why is it beneficial to view these as social constructs?
• For you personally, are your racial, ethnic, and/or gender identities more matters of how
you view yourself or of how others view you? Please explain.
• In what ways is how you view yourself influenced by the larger society and culture?
‘DNA studies do not indicate that separate classifiable subspecies (race) exist within modern
humans. While different genes for physical traits such as skin and hair color can be identified
between individuals, no consistent pattern of genes across the human genome exist to distinguish
one race from another”[Ken186]. When I was young, I was not aware “race” existed. It wasn’t
until we came to America that I learned that people are not just people and they just unique in
their own way, but that they are categorized by their color of skin and where they originate from.
I am not sure who or when in the history of man decided who is “white” and who is “black”, but
this retching concept was a shock to me. I was not aware, that my older sister, which is my
mother’s first born from her first marriage was half black until I was eleven years old. I just
thought she was browner then me and had curlier hair. When I discovered race and racism, I
cried of the history behind African-Americans and the ugly truth of American history. After a
while, I began to be “normal” for me to categories people with their color of skin, and their
ethnicity. [Hod16].
Therefore, one must question, is race real? “Scientists generally do not recognize races as
biologically meaningful. Yet scientists, including me, discuss race and describe the racial
composition of our samples. To be clear, I am not advocating that we ignore race. In fact, there
are many dangers in ignoring race as a social topic. Race is “real”. But race is socially real, not
biologically real. Socially important categories can be very real and meaningful, but arguably
This study source was downloaded by 100000861168648 from CourseHero.com on 03-12-2023 05:57:00 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/40858186/Week-5-Race-Ethnicity-Gender-and-
, Week 5 Discussion: Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Identity
Initial Post Instructions
The lesson and textbook readings for this week emphasize that race, ethnicity, and gender are all
social constructs. For the initial post, address the following:
• Compare and contrast what is meant by the social construction of race with what is meant
by the social construction of ethnicity and what is meant by the social construction of
gender.
• How or why is it beneficial to view these as social constructs?
• For you personally, are your racial, ethnic, and/or gender identities more matters of how
you view yourself or of how others view you? Please explain.
• In what ways is how you view yourself influenced by the larger society and culture?
nonetheless arbitrary in nature”[Hod16]. This socially constructed reality has resulted to specific
construction, and imposition. Furthermore, race has categorized “people who have been singled
out as inferior or superior, often on the basis of real or alleged physical characteristics”[Ken186].
In United States there is a “One drop rule” theory, which means one drop of “black” blood
will categorize you as a Black person. “This is in sharp contrast to how race is conceptualized
in the US, where the “one drop rule” has long dominated. Although American culture
recognizes the biracial category, people are generally considered Black (and treated as such) if
they have descended from any Black relatives to any degree. That is, even a “drop” of Black
blood has rendered someone Black (but even this varies depending on whether the perceiver is
White or Black, among other factors). As such, even being 1/16th Black historically resulted in
your categorization as Black. (Incidentally, the Nazis held similar views, where having Jewish
ancestry, even in a distant sense, categorized one as Jewish). This is known as hypodescent, a
process whereby a biracial person is categorized fully or primarily in terms of the lower status
(or disadvantaged) social group. The fact that status plays a role in social categorization clearly
demonstrates that categorization (e.g., as White, as Black) is a social construction”[Hod16].
Ethnicity as compared with race refers to individual’s cultural background or national origin
[Ken186].
This study source was downloaded by 100000861168648 from CourseHero.com on 03-12-2023 05:57:00 GMT -
https://www.coursehero.com/file/40858186/Week-5-Race-Ethnicity-Gender-and-
