Reference no: EM133731777
Case: We all have different levels of exposure and comfort with diversity. Some may come from relatively homogenous communities, where difference is not especially present. Others may come from communities of various races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, and so forth.
Take a moment to reflect on your own exposure to diversity, now and throughout your life. Do you typically occupy spaces where everyone thinks like you, looks like you, and acts like you, or are the settings more diverse? Would you ever consider yourself a minority in a given setting? Think about your workplace, neighborhood, schools growing up, and places of worship.
For this Assignment, you will intentionally inhabit a space where you are in the minority in terms of your social identity. You will then reflect on the experience and what meaning you can draw from it.
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources on social identities, systems of oppression, and privilege. Consider your social identity based on the dimensions of race/ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, age, and/or ability.
Engage in a social activity or visit a public space where the majority of people have a social identity that is different from your own. You may go to another side of town than you usually do, shop at an ethnically diverse market or grocery store, attend a religious service, etc. For example, if you were born in the United States and have rarely been abroad, you might attend an event focused on local immigrants. If you identify as cisgender and straight, you might visit a space within the LGBTQ+ community.
Afterward, reflect on the experience of being a minority in this situation.
Main Assignment
The Assignment should address each of the following points:
Describe the experience.
Reflect on the experience and consider:
What were your preconceptions/assumptions or expectations before the experience?
What were your reactions to, thoughts about, and/or emotional responses to the experience?
What did you gain or learn from this experience?
Explain privilege in relation to this experience. For example, you could explore the privilege of the majority group or ways in which you have privilege even as a minority in the situation.
Apply concepts and material from this week's Learning Resources to inform your paper. A standard academic paper is written in 12-point font and double-spaced.