A birthmark, a tattoo, a scar. Something that might both “disfigure

IDENTIFYING MARKS Many of the topics that we have been writing about this semester are important because of how they link us with categories that are relevant to society, categories that identify us in ways that align us with a group (nationality or gender or language). For this assignment, I want you to write about something that might identify you in a very particular and individual way: an identifying mark. (Almost going back to the photograph assignment in a way) This could be a birthmark, a tattoo, a scar. Something that might both “disfigure” you or your body in some way, but which might also act as a unique way of identifying you. This “identifying mark” could be almost anything, and I encourage you to take this in creative directions. But remember, this is a category on the passport, a way for officials to verify your identity in a way that is both unique and final. So play around with that, but be aware of what these marks might mean for others even as you reclaim what they might mean for you GENDER For this assignment, I want you think about the way that gender has shaped who you are or shaped the way that society puts expectations on you. As you decide on a topic, you might consider the ways that issues of gender might have arisen in previous papers that you’ve written and expand on that point here

. In what ways do issue of gender touch on other issues that we have written about such as nationality or language or culture? Or you might discuss a larger issue regarding gender that you research on your own, one having to do with the role of gender in your own discipline, at the University, or in your chosen profession. Please be aware: you are not being asked to simply describe or list gender differences or even gender inequities (though these might very well be a part of a larger argument), instead you are being asked to think deeply about the way that the issue of gender has shaped you or has shaped society.