Essay Topics on Masculinity - Writing the Essay

Essay Topics on Masculinity - Writing the EssayThe masculinities of essay topics for upper level courses tend to center on issues of male power and masculinity. Feminists who work with male students in college composition classes often observe the same patterns of assignments over time: the assigned essay topics are almost always centered on a particular topic of masculinity and a single concept of masculinity-defining characteristics such as violence, aggression, and competition.This common pattern is, in large part, about the nature of masculinity. Men tend to view themselves through the lenses of violence and competition. Essay topics related to masculinity tend to center on some aspect of these dominant traits.The role of public space in this context is important. Violence is a serious threat to any public space. When a man's sexuality is threatened, a woman might draw attention to it by holding up an obscene sign in public. When a man defends himself against such an attack, he i s not only exposing his sexuality to the public but also acknowledging that this sexuality is truly threatening to the woman in question.In the United States, the public space is open to everyone. Men are often allowed to participate, but not necessarily to be fully recognized. Public space is one place where that fact can be made explicit. The two major institutions in North America, which has historically played a significant role in determining the degree of masculinity within each culture-the educational system and the legal system-can have a strong effect on men's ways of seeing themselves in the public space.Masculinity can be defined by how a man views himself, and in many within those a man sees himself is largely tied to how his family defined him. Thus, for some men, including the man who created 'Angry Asian Man' and now teaches psychology at San Francisco State University, the political system and the educational system can be the primary source ofdefining masculinity.It is this notion of masculinity that is so damaging to a man's ability to make a living. Of course it is true that a person's personal security and self-worth can be influenced by the society that he is raised in. However, the combination of economic pressures and changes in the cultural perceptions of masculinity can create a situation where a man's ability to remain employed in society is limited.Essay topics related to masculinity do tend to focus on these concepts of masculinity-but that does not mean that they do not include other issues, such as the limits of public space. They also tend to focus on assumptions of what men can and cannot do, and they often focus on the fact that male bodies are sexualized and defined through the use of violence.By focusing on a man's masculinity in the public space, colleges are attempting to create an environment where this particular trait is completely denigrated. That this is done in the name of inclusion and respect is beyond me. But if st udents want to continue to be taught about the rules of masculinity, they need to understand that all rules are made in the name of respect, not by them.