In this essay you should develop your observations about the futuristic world portrayed in this science fiction novel in which a virus compromises human fertility and fundamentally alters social life. You should focus on how gender themes shape individuals’ experiences with the family construction process.
Your task is to reflect on the diverse issues presented in the noveland develop a critical analysis that explores the dimensions of the story that you find most compelling, troubling, or refreshing. Your approach can: •highlight your own views on how gender power dynamics might unfold relative to a world experiencing the fertility crisis described in the book, •identify new issues not covered in the book that you believe would be significant and life altering, •note other institutional forces beyond those mentioned in the book that you believe would play a significant role in how men would perceive and construct families, •refine, expound on, or challenge patterns depicted in the book and explain your reasoning, •share insights about how interpersonal dynamics relevant to the romantic arena might change that differ from what is presented in the novel, •present your creative interpretations and assessment of the storyline’s socially significant aspects. In short, your essay needs to go beyond merely summarizing or describing the events depicted in the novel. Your essay should showcase your ability to apply a gender lens with an emphasis on masculinities as you think sociologically and critically about a futuristic social world that is likely to be quite different from our current reality. Purpose: The assignment provides you a unique (and potentially fun) opportunity to think “outside the box” and consider how the procreative realm is shaped by gender norms , masculinities,and institutional forces. By engaging with this futuristic novel, students should develop a deeper appreciation for how our current socially constructed gendered order contextualizes how individuals develop and express their repro ductive and familial identities. Using fiction as a literary medium, you should see more clearly both the social psychological and institutional dimensions to sexuality and the family construction process.
