CRM 205 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Erving Goffman

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Criminology
• Course: CRM 205
• Professor: Stephanie Ehret

Document Summary

Sex: socially constructed categories based on culturally accepted biological attributes (chromosomes, genitalia, reproductive organs, hormones). Gender: socially constructed categories that divide bodies into a binary system. Sexualities: a broad term that encompasses a range of concepts, ideologies, identities, behaviours and expressions related to sexual personhood and desire. Law is a social construct, and it affects our lives on a daily basis. Consider present-day debates about privacy and security, and how laws should be framed, formed and implemented to protect both privacy and security. Lived experiences of gender and sexuality not only vary from individual to individual, but historically and culturally. There is no normal" standard of sexual practices that has stood the test of time, throughout all of history and in all cultures and societies. Gender is one of the most important social distinctions. Theories about gender difference attempt to identify the major processes and social structures that give rise to differences and inequalities between men and women.