Short writing assignment -- week 9
due by email at 5pm on Friday, Oct. 30
Homes, like gender or race, might seem like a naturally occurring phenomenon -- it’s the place where you were born, or grow up, or feel most comfortable, or miss when you’re away. But, as proto-social scientists, we can see the ways in which homes, like gender and race, are social constructed. This week, as we read and think about the importance of “homeland” in globalization, I’d like you to reflect on your own experiences of constructing a home. How has the idea of home been made in your life? Is travel necessary? Can you have multiple homes? Focusing on the action of constructing a home, I’d like to you describe a moment in which you’ve observed or participated in constructing a home, homeland, or home-like space. This could be about moving to a new home with your parents, preparing to welcome new students to a dorm hall, or noticing how immigrants interact with native populations. Please be sure to describe the methods through which people construct the idea of “home” and “homeland,” without taking either of these two categories as givens.