A good part of this course has focused on the labeling perspective, a perspective that stresses the ways in which individuals are labeled and stigmatized, and the consequences that this has on their identities and life experiences. While the course materials have dealt with how others have been labeled, we have all had the experience of being seen as deviant or somehow “different” ourselves. This labeling may be the result of a physical characteristic (weight, acne, baldness, a handicap), your race or ethnic background, a behaviour (taking or refusing to take drugs), a belief (white supremacy, veganism) or a personal attribute (being gay).
The purpose of this assignment is to sensitize you to the insights of the labeling perspective by getting you to apply the perspective to your own experiences. Your paper should address both the labeling itself and your response to it.
For example, in relation to the labeling process, these are the questions that you should ask:
In what ways were you seen as deviant?
What norms were you seen as violating?
Whose norms were you violating?
What specific societal reactions were generated by your appearance, background, behaviours, or beliefs?
In what situations & from which people?
Provide examples of specific incidents.
How strong were these reactions?
What do you think were the reasons for these reactions – what sort of threat do you think this “deviance” presents?
What is the stereotype attached to the label that was applied?
What assumptions about you did those who labeled you make based on the label they had applied?
In relation to your response, you should deal with the following questions:
What did it feel like to be stigmatized and viewed as deviant?
How did you deal with the stigmatization?
How did you try to protect yourself from others= negative evaluations?
What “techniques of neutralization” or stigma management strategies did you use to manage your deviant status?
How did you try to counter the stereotypical images they had of you?
Why did you use these particular techniques?
Was there a deviant subculture to which you could turn in managing your deviant status? If so, what difference did it make? In what precise ways did it help?
Though the focus should be on your experiences of being labeled, you should be using the language of labeling theory. The readings, tutorials and lectures from the second part of the course, particularly those that deal with acquiring and managing deviant identities, should be helpful. You should also be connecting your own experiences with the observations, insights, and debates among labeling theorists that will be covered both in our class discussions and in your readings.
Finally, I want you to reflect on how the labeling perspective has helped you to understand your experience with deviance, and in turn, how this assignment has changed your appreciation for labeling theory.
To do a good job of this assignment you have to be prepared to explore this experience in an in-depth fashion. Choose something that you feel comfortable writing about and can discuss openly. Stay away from experiences you find too personal or issues that you may not want to confront in this way. Whatever you choose to write about, rest assured that your papers will be treated WITH THE STRICTEST CONFIDENCE.
Though this may be an unconventional assignment in the sense that you will be writing in the first person (using the pronoun AI@), the normal expectations for university papers apply. This means clear and logical writing, proper grammar, complete sentences, proper word choice, good organization, consistent referencing (if relevant) and a neat, professional presentation. The papers should be about 8-10 pages in length.
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