HREQ 1920 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Social Science, Sexual Orientation, Sexual Characteristics
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
HREQ 1920
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
1
Lecture 1: What is a dominant ideology?
Dominant ideology: Dominant ideology is a set of interrelated beliefs that tell us how the
world works and how it ought to work. It is descriptive and prescriptive, and based on
taken for granted assumptions about for instance women’s ‘maternal instincts’. These
taken for granted notions come to appear natural to us, but there is nothing natural about
them. The dominant ideology in this instance ‘motherhood’ is based on a set of
preconceived notions of what the proper role of mothering should look like and is
reinforced by the status quo. While many of your ideas of motherhood are based your
own experiences of having mothers, being mothers or being motherless, having older
mothers, teenage mothers, poor mothers or rich mothers, dominant ideals of motherhood
in our society are influenced by the dominant culture, race, religion and class of particular
historical location.
Can you think of some the dominant ideals we have motherhood today in Canadian
society.
You will become aware throughout the course that these ideals about gender, race, class,
age, even citizenship are not universal, natural or based on objectivity. There is nothing
objective about objectivity. These ideals are social constructs about how the dominant
society believes the world should be organized.
Objectivity: The notion of objectivity and the notion of the dominant ideology go hand in
hand. When something appears objective, it is because it is not overtly advancing its
perspective. When it overtly names its perspective, it gives us the opportunity to think
with it or against it.
This course will address and challenge dominant ideologies and taken for granted ideals
within our Canadian society. It will present what my colleague Nadia Habib identifies as
difficult knowledge.
Difficult knowledge: Difficult knowledge is knowledge that often challenges the
dominant ideology that is either difficult for us to accept, so we reject it and its source
[because it deeply challenges some of our long held beliefs] or we embrace it
wholeheartedly without subjecting that knowledge to a critical evaluation. When you are
in the grips of difficult knowledge it is important to ask yourselves: what is it about this
information that is causing me to reject it so vehemently/ or what is it about this
information that I find so seductive?
This course will attempt to problematize some of the taken for granted notions of the
dominant ideals of male and female in this country across race, class, ability, sexual
orientation, ethnicity, and culture.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
2
Problematization is a critical and pedagogical dialogue or process and may be considered
a process of demystification.
Rather than taking the common knowledge (myth) of a situation for granted,
problematization poses that knowledge as a problem, allowing new viewpoints,
consciousness, reflection, hope, and action to emerge.
What may make problematization different from other forms of criticism is its target, the
context and details, rather than the pro or con of an argument. More importantly, this
criticism does not take place within the original context or argument, but steps back from
it, re-evaluates it, which can lead to action and change the situation.
To problematize a statement, for example, one asks simple questions:
Who is making this statement?
Who is s/he making it for?
Why is this statement being made here, now?
Whom does this statement benefit?
Whom does it harm?
This is the kind of questioning we will be doing throughout the course.
In raising addressing difficulty knowledge and problematizing many of our cherished
values and beliefs, people may feel uncomfortable, threatened or angered. It is important
that we establish safe spaces within the class as well as our tutorials to ensure people are
able to discuss issues. To help facilitate respectful engagement with the course material,
I have included an exercise on establishing ground rules for you to do for your tutorial
groups next week. Please read page 6 and answer the questions on page 7 and submit
them to your tutorial leader.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Dominant ideology: dominant ideology is a set of interrelated beliefs that tell us how the world works and how it ought to work. It is descriptive and prescriptive, and based on taken for granted assumptions about for instance women"s maternal instincts". These taken for granted notions come to appear natural to us, but there is nothing natural about them. The dominant ideology in this instance motherhood" is based on a set of preconceived notions of what the proper role of mothering should look like and is reinforced by the status quo. Can you think of some the dominant ideals we have motherhood today in canadian society. You will become aware throughout the course that these ideals about gender, race, class, age, even citizenship are not universal, natural or based on objectivity. These ideals are social constructs about how the dominant society believes the world should be organized.
