Problem
I. In Margaret Mead's study of three Papua New Guinea cultures and their gender politics, she found evidence that many cultures' gender roles challenge assumptions we make in the West about gender and violence. Discuss the gender expectations of men and women in each of the cultures in Papua New Guinea that Mead studied and how they differed from dominant Western cultural expectations of men and women. In your opinion, what is the significance of Mead's research?
II. Based on your reading of the text, what are the factors that seem to determine women's status in a given society? Under what conditions is women's status improved and under what conditions is it minimized?
III. Summarize the material in the textbook and the provided outside resources about a specific "ritual of gender," circumcision, for both females and males. Synthesize these materials and arrive at a personal conclusion about the circumstances under which you believe circumcision to be justified; articulate your personal conclusions and the reasons for them.