Humanities Homework Help

THIS IS THE PROMPT

The name of this assignment is weird. What’s it mean?

GEA2_GAP(a) is just a way of indicating that this is a General Education Assignment (GEA) that allows this course to apply to your USF General Education requirements. The GAP part is the important part.

Okay, so what’s GAP stand for?

GAP stands for “Grassroots Activism Project” — and the key is doing something yourself to make a change in the world. (It’s like a service-learning project, if you’ve done those in other courses.) Our “GAP” assignment will help you fill the “gap” between our course materials and the world beyond our class. It’s your chance to take something you personally care about or that relates to your career or family and then make a change. Grassroots means right here, right now. We’re not talking laws and judges and books and celebrities and big money and industries. We’re just talking about that feeling we sometimes get when we say, “Hey, that’s not fair! Let’s make it fair!” Or “Hey that doesn’t really work! Let’s fix it!” An attractive part of grassroots activism is that anyone can do it almost anywhere and almost any time.

GAP(A): Does that mean there’s a GAP(B)?

Yes, there is a GAP(B) assignment near the end of the semester when you will report back on the action you took and discuss whether it worked or not and how you might do things differently in the future.

What are the instructions for this assignment?

You’ll need to do something to address your issue — whether it’s attending a webinar or training, creating a professional infographic, doing a clothing or food drive, or something else. Be sure to see the two samples from previous students that I’ve posted below! They will really help.

For this assignment, compose an essay/proposal of four paragraphs using the following prompts. Each paragraph should address one of the following prompts and you should include the prompt in your essay/proposal. You will need to do some some research using legitimate sources.

1. Identify an injustice or inequity in (y)our community (broadly defined — your own life, your neighborhood, your city, etc);
2. Provide a brief synopsis of the issue and include background/statistics from at least one legitimate source;
3. Using terminology from our course (and defining those terms!), discuss how you the issue is related to our course materials in some way; and
4. Provide details (who, what, when, where, etc) of the “grassroots action” plan you will take to address the injustice. Please note that once your GAP(a) action has been graded and approved, you will need to do it and then report about it in the GAP(b) assignment later this semester.

What are some tips for success in this assignment?

1. CHOOSE YOUR ISSUE WISELY: As you’re thinking through this assignment, remember that an injustice or an inequity is different than a mere inconvenience. For example, we all know that parking on campus is difficult and annoying but that’s more of an inconvenience than it is an injustice. It might rise to the level of an injustice, however, for folks who have mobility issues and need designated handicapped parking spaces. What if your research determines that out of all the parking spaces at USF only 2% are designated handicapped? Now, there’s an injustice or inequality. See the difference?
2. MAKE SURE YOU CAN “DO” SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR ISSUE:You will need to take action and do something that addresses the issue. Donating money or signing a petition on Facebook isn’t really taking meaningful action. (There are some ideas below, but I encourage you to get creative!) There’s no specific amount of time you need to devote to your action; it’s more important that you show effort and a real connection to creating change. Please note that once your GAP(a) action has been graded and approved, you will need to do it and then report about it in the GAP(b) assignment later this semester.
3. RELATE THE ISSUE TO YOUR PERSONAL INTERESTS, CAREER, ETC. A fun, useful way to approach this project is to think about what you care about or what affects you or what issues might help you be better in your career. For example, if you’re going into health care actions that help you learn more about diversity and inclusion would be good — e.g., SafeZone LGBTQ+ Training, a webinar on communication with patients who are elderly, volunteering with an organization that focuses on Black women’s health needs, do a health and personal care needs supply drive for homeless or underprivileged folks (i.e., Band-Aids, tampons, toothpaste and toothbrushes, etc).
4. HAVE SOME FUN AND GET CREATIVE! Invite friends or family to work with you, whether it’s attending a webinar, participating in a food drive, etc.

Are there any examples to help me?

Here are two sample GAP(A) submissions from previous students. Check them out because they provide a format for your assignment and give you an idea of ways to do your best work.

How does COVID-19 affect this assignment? I need some more ideas.

Because we are all still puzzling through how COVID-19 will continue to affect our lives, you should not propose any actions that will require you to put yourself or others in harm’s way. A good idea might be to focus on education and advocacy. The following list of actions might help as you brainstorm:

• Research your topic and then create an infographic or PowerPoint that helps you and others learn about this issue and ways to address it.
• Attend an online/virtual training or workshop on an issue of concern — e.g., LGBTQ+ sensitivity, anti-racist strategies for change, etc.
• Conduct an online/virtual “consciousness raising group” in which you and a few friends share insight about your issue of choice and strategies for addressing it.
• Create a resource list of materials related to education and change on your issue.
• Design a lesson plan (for kids? for seniors?) that would help others learn about this issue.
• Get creative and connect the issue to your career plans or goals!

Most important?

Contact Dr. W for help. Trust me, I’ve been working with students on this GAP assignment for a while and I know we can brainstorm an idea that works for you, meets class requirements, and connects to your interests and career/educational goals. 🙂

Here are sample examples

SAMPLE GAP(A) SUBMISSION #1 1. Identify an injustice or inequity in (y)our community

An injustice that I have recognized resides within the LBGTQ+ community, specifically pertaining to transgender health care. This particular group of people continue to face hardships due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. Upon recent events, the federal government plans to eliminate health care protections for transgender Americans. The plan was to narrow down the legal sex discrimination definition, which would not include transgender protections. This effects communities nationwide, including my hometown in Tampa, Florida, and its surrounding cities. The Government is taking away rights, which leaves an already vulnerable population at an increased risk. Health care is a necessity but is now considered a privilege through socially constructed institutions and ideologies. Today, transgender health care is unequal, unfair, and unjust.

2. Provide a brief synopsis of the issue and include background/statistics from at least one legitimate source

The LBGTQ+ community has been around for decades, yet they still remain underrepresented, oppressed, and discriminated against. The Trump Administration “finalized a regulation that will erase protections for transgender patients against discrimination” (Sanger-Katz, 2020). Even before this new rule, transgenders have had issues in the past with health care and health services. They often face barriers when seeking out care such as harassment, stigmatization, and health care denial. An article from the Commonwealth Fund reports “only 40 percent of trans people report being out to all their medical providers” because they fear they might be denied appropriate care in regard to their health (Lewis, 2020). Serious problems can arise when a patient conceals their identity, causing their provider to “miss important information that should inform screening, diagnosis, and care” (Lewis 2020). An additional “19 percent have been refused medical care” due to their gender identity (Lewis 2020). Judgement and discrimination can trigger fear therefore “28 percent of trans people avoid care all together” due to widespread stigmatization and harassment (Lewis, 2020). Those who actually step foot into a doctor’s office or hospital, end up teaching their providers about appropriate needs and care. Part of the issue is the severe lack of awareness and education when it comes to medical training for transgenders needs.

3. Using terminology from our course (and defining those terms!), discuss how you the issue is related to our course materials in some way

Transgender health care is an injustice in our society, and the LBGTQ+ community faces discrimination, hardships, and harassment at some point in their life. Trans people live in a world where society favors heterosexuals, cissexuals, and cisgenders because that is what society deems as “normal”. This can be seen as a direct result on how institutions such as health care, can be socially constructed through ideologies. Such ideologies can reflect upon those who are more privileged or oppressed than others.

Transgenders face systematic oppression, which is the “combination of cultural, personal, and institutional customs resulting in widespread marginalization of a group” (Launis, 2018). Within the systems of oppression, the dominant group in society pushes to dehumanize those who are different, making it increasingly tough for trans people to navigate through the world and get the care that they need. If we were to look at transgenders and those who are cisgender on the same binary coin, we can see that one side is more privileged, while the corresponding side reflects oppression in some sort. Privilege and oppression operate systematically and are linked together, which is why the redistribution of power and access is the only way to destroy systems that oppress. Those who are not transgender may find it hard to identify health care as a privilege in this country, yet trans people have to work even harder for basic rights. Another way we can view this injustice is through an intersectional lens. Intersectionality helps us view different identities that we human possess such as race, gender, ethnicity, age, and class. All of these identities can intersect and overlap to reflect on the hardships trans people face. For example, being trans and unemployed can make health care even more difficult to access. It should be known that “transgender people face an unemployment rate three times as high as the national average — 15 percent versus 5 percent” (Ulby, 2017). Which is why intersectionality can help us understand deeper levels of discrimination and access.

4. Provide details (who, what, when, where, etc) of the “grassroots action” plan you will take to address the injustice

For this particular injustice, I want to help educate our society on the importance of transgender health care. But in order to do that, I must educate myself first and this is important because I am a pre-med student who will likely have transgender patients. I plan to virtually attend “Trans Health Care Today,” a two-part (three hours total) webinar through the LBGTQIA+ Health Education Center, to which it covers health care for transgender and gender-diverse people at health centers. The webinar was originally presented by Dr. Alex Keuroghlian on June 15th of 2020, however the webinar is still accessible through their website. I plan to complete the webinar on July 20th, 2020 if this proposal is approved. Upon completion of the webinar I will receive a “certificate of completion” as proof of my effort and I will be able to list this on my resumé as a skill or special training. I believe that this webinar will help with this injustice because it will teach me strategies on how to create a more inclusive environment. This will especially help me in the future if I do plan to take on a health care career, because I wish to be as inclusive as I can with my future patients.

Works Cited

Launius, C. (2018). Threshold Concepts in Women’s and Gender Studies: Ways of Seeing, Thinking, and Knowing. New York, NY. Routledge.

Lewis, C., & Getachew, Y., & Tsega, M. (2020, June 19). Federal Government Eliminates Health Care Protections for Transgender Americans. The Commonwealth

Fund. Retrieved from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2018/federal- protections-health-care-risk-transgender-americans (Links to an external site.)

Sanger-Katz, M., & Weiland, N. (2020, June 15). Trump Administration Erases Transgender Civil Rights Protections in Health Care. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/us/politics/trump-transgender- rights.html (Links to an external site.)

Ulaby, N. (2017, November 21). Health Care System Fails Many Transgender Americans. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health- shots/2017/11/21/564817975/health-care-system-fails-many-transgender-americans

SAMPLE GAP(A) SUBMISSION #2

I. Identify an injustice or inequity in our community

Not all instances of injustice towards women are flagrant. Case in point, in a recent Supreme Court decision, patriarchal ideology served as the metaphorical elephant in the (court)room while representatives appealed to financial restrictions as a vehicle to stifle women’s procurement of prescription contraceptives. The Supreme Court ruled 7-to-2 to allow employers to cite moral objections, not just “religious exemption”, in order to exclude insurance coverage for birth control to their employees. The conservative decision was the latest try in seven years of fierce litigation over the “contraception mandate,” a signature program of the Obama administration that required most employers to provide cost-free coverage for contraception under the Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration has relentlessly fought to limit these protections. Justice and noteworthy feminist pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of the dissenters and wrote, “The Court leaves women workers to fend for themselves, to seek contraceptive coverage from sources other than their employer’s insurer, and, absent another available source of funding, to pay for contraceptive services out of their own pockets” (www.washingtonpost.com (Links to an external site.)).

II. Provide a brief synopsis of the issue and include background/statistics from at least one legitimate source

In her argument, Ginsburg used the government’s own projection that “between 70,500 and 126,400 women of childbearing age” will lose birth control coverage (www.washingtonpost.com (Links to an external site.)). Similarly, Justice Sonia Sotomayor contended that the majority vote had weighed too heavily on religious belief at the expense of human rights violations: “In accommodating claims of religious freedom, this court has taken a balanced approach, one that does not allow the religious beliefs of some to overwhelm the rights and interests of others who do not share those beliefs. Today, for the first time, the court casts totally aside countervailing rights and interests in its zeal to secure religious rights to the nth degree” (www.newyorktimes.com (Links to an external site.)). Furthermore, the ruling will harbor vast practical consequences that bypass the legislative shift towards a conservative alignment that has typically been evaded when securing reproductive rights since Roe v. Wade. In addition to the obvious benefits of family planning, avoiding unwanted pregnancy, and consequently reducing strain on foster care and other social service systems, there are many other proven medical uses for birth control. To elaborate, hormonal birth control is used to decrease the risk of ovarian cancer. So, ironically, this ruling essentially allows employers to disallow insurance coverage for a medication that could otherwise potentially save lives, despite the alleged pro-life beliefs that undergird their objection to birth control in the first place.

III. Using terminology from our course (and defining those terms!), discuss how you the issue is related to our course materials in some way

Unlike the core concepts we’ve been exposed to thus far in class, the risk of women losing their reproductive autonomy at the hands of men isn’t merely theoretical, it’s already manifesting. Because of the Supreme Court’s decision, tens of thousands of American women are now required to forfeit other healthcare necessities or skip their contraceptive prescriptions altogether.

The notion of male legislators stripping women of the financial resources necessary to manage their own health care under the guise of moral concern is an unfortunate application of male privilege that is currently plaguing our justice system. As our textbook notes, the allocation of a privilege to one group of individuals (in this case, white males) on an institutional level is enabled by the perverse juxtaposition of a disenfranchised population undergoing systemic oppression alongside it. Moreover, the imperative of reinforcing a universal understanding of intersectional feminism is evident in lieu of the modern political climate. When the courts recklessly brand contraceptive coverage, reproductive health, and abortion as “only women’s issues”, these sentiments shape the dominant culture and endorse an ideology that allows identity silos, the antithesis to an intersectional perspective, to govern decisions about women’s rights. These exclusionary silos, ironically perpetuated by male legislators, threaten to underscore the extent to which these controversial topics are defined by an interplay between race, class, socioeconomics, education, differential access to healthcare, and culture. One of our readings perfectly embodies the dangers inherent in treating feminist politics as if all women are equally marginalized: “If we don’t acknowledge the extra barriers faced by low-income women and rural women, who have extremely limited access to abortion and health care services when compared to other women, we fail to see the nuance of the problem” (www.forbes.com (Links to an external site.)).

IV. Provide details (who, what, when, where, etc) of the “grassroots action” plan you will take to address the injustice

With women’s lives at stake in a majority culture that was designed to favor the interests of Caucasian males, it can be argued that individual contributions toward reconstructing the ancient narrative of female oppression are meaningless. However, in spite of the current pandemic, modern technology has fueled the momentum of non-profit organizations and united citizens with the common objective of empowering women in a social, political, and utilitarian sense. With that said, I will be participating in several virtual seminars, sponsored by Planned Parenthood of New Jersey and titled ‘Community Action Team Meetings’, with the first one commencing on Thursday, July 23rd at 6 pm. These initiatives are designed to educate about the implications of this recent Supreme Court ruling and plan pragmatic missions to lobby advocates with the political power to resist decrees like the one in question. Specifically, Planned Parenthood actively seeks to revise legislation that was enacted to disproportionately target and suppress certain categories of women like those of color, in rural communities, and of low socioeconomic status. By representing a platform that invites collaboration, Planned Parenthood maintains that the common individual need not remain passive as legislators subvert the separation between church and state to justify institutionalized female exploitation.

Works Cited

Aries, Emilie. “The Imperative Of Intersectional Feminism.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 Aug. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/emiliearies/2017/08/30/the-imperative-of-intersectional- feminism/#7090152f1914.

Barnes, Robert. “Supreme Court Says Employers May Opt out of Affordable Care Act’s Birth Control Mandate over Religious, Moral Objections.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 8 July

2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-obamacare-birth-control- mandate/2020/07/08/0b38a352-c123-11ea-b4f6-cb39cd8940fb_story.html.

Launius, Christie, and Holly Hassel. Threshold Concepts in Women’s and Gender Studies : Ways of Seeing, Thinking, and Knowing. Second edition., Routledge, 2018.

Liptak, Adam. “Supreme Court Lets Employers Opt Out of Providing Free Birth Control.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 July 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/us/supreme-court-birth-control-obamacare.html.

Here is my submission. He said it was too much though.

Identify an injustice or inequity in (y)our community (broadly defined — your own life, your neighborhood, your city, etc);

The world has been facing injustices and inequities of all manner and this has negatively affected the marginalized groups. One of the injustices or inequities that I have witnessed in my community is the gender pay gap. Being a woman, I have experienced a situation at my previous job place where a male colleague with whom we held the same job position received higher pay and bonuses than I did and it did not feel fair. The gender pay gap entails a situation where women’s earnings tend to be lower than men’s earning when both hold the same job position. The difference in how much women make relative to men has been a topic of political interest and ideological agendas but leveraging the issue in our communities has been taking longer than required. This gap has been persistent over the years and it has been hurting the nation’s workers as well as the economy in general.

Provide a brief synopsis of the issue and include background/statistics from at least one legitimate source;

As of today, the gender wage gap in most states in the United States stands at 83% which can be interpreted as, women working on a full-time basis earn 83 cents to a dollar earned by men. The consequences of such inequality have negative impacts on women and future generations since it follows them into retirement by receiving lower pensions and social security. According to AAUW (2021), the source of the gender wage gap has been linked to historical injustices relating to slavery and the deprivation of Black women of their wages where the aftermath was the disparities in educational opportunities, health care, among other opportunities. The gender pay gap still persists due to factors relating to educational attainment between men and women, occupation segregation, and work experience (Barrosso & Brown, 2021).

Using terminology from our course (and defining those terms!), discuss how you the issue is related to our course materials in some way

The issue of the gender wage gap is highly fueled by cultural institutions and political ideologies that also try to define gender roles even at the workplace which results to gender discrimination. This issue of societal inequality thrives even at the current age because society still believes that the woman belongs to the kitchen and the man is the provider of the house. Such ideologies suppress women who seek empowerment by denying them the space to thrive even when they deserve it. Also, men are privileged over women in promotion opportunities and even if women are promoted, they still receive lower pay than what a man earns when holding the same position.

Provide details (who, what, when, where, etc) of the “grassroots action” plan you will take to address the injustice.

There are some of the grassroots actions that I plan to undertake in addressing the situation of the gender pay gap in my community and I will start by participating in the leadership of championing for gender equality. Within the next two weeks, I will look for leadership groups that champion gender equality at the workplace in my county. Secondly, I will raise awareness about the existence of inequality by communicating with the community through efficient channels. This communication campaign will objectively raise the awareness of the effects of gender inequality in the areas of work after con=ming up with an infographic that clearly shows how the gender pay gap and its negative consequences to the community as well as how it can be tackled. Through proper campaigns, I will cover a range of communication methods such as direct messaging, writing articles in the local newspapers and periodicals, and semi-academic articles. Thirdly, I would also consider a partnership with relevant external parties such as banks and other financers that influence growth in companies because I cannot solely manage the whole responsibility of progressing the gender inequality campaign. I will solicit funding that will finance my campaign. I would also collaborate with the local consumer bodies to help me boycott products from companies that practice gender pay inequality.

References

AAUW. (2021, July 13). The simple truth about the gender pay gap: AAUW report. AAUW : Empowering Women Since 1881. https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/simple-truth/

Barrosso, A., & Brown, A. (2021, May 25). Gender pay gap in U.S. held steady in 2020. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/25/gender-pay-gap-facts/