Essay (30 points) Choose one of the 3 essay options below: either option 1, option 2, or option 3.
Each of the three essay options has one REQUIRED essay (highlighted). You must complete the highlighted/required prompt of whichever essay option you choose.
After completing the required/highlighted essay-prompt, choose an additional prompt-essay associated with the same essay option. For example, if you choose essay option 2, then you’re required to complete the Is Love Colorblind prompt, followed by completing one of the 3 options for 2B.
Importantly, completing two options (i.e., both the Willis & Buss options for 2B) will result in the loss of 15 points.
If you attempt to mix-and-match essay prompts from different options you will lose 15 points (e.g., if you select Option 1 & then complete 3B, you will lose 15 points because 3B is associated with Option 3. It is not associated with Option 1).
Responses should be 2-4 paragraphs long overall. That means if you select Option 3, the required response & the selected response should add up to 2, 3, or 4 paragraphs overall.

1A. REQUIRED: Haselton & Gangestad, 2006: Desires & Mate Guarding

1B. Choose one additional prompt on Sex Differences

• Kristina Durante & clothing preference (is it female competition? do guys notice?)
• Eagly et al., 2019 (Agentic/Communal)
• Miller et al., 2007: Tip earnings across the ovulatory cycle

2A. REQUIRED: Is Love Colorblind? (Lundquist & Lin, 2015): Describe & discuss findings related to the racial hierarchy of mating preferences for lesbian, straight female, gay, & straight male daters.

• Describe the racial hierarchy of dating preferences for lesbian, gay, straight male, & straight female daters.
• How is the racial preference hierarchy structured (most desired tier, middle tier, least desired tier)?
• Who seems to be most likely to use race as a cue for preference/type? Who seems to be least likely?

2B. Choose one additional prompt from the 3 options below:

• Buss: provide evidence of mating age preferences in 3 separate cultures
• Willis: discuss the findings for friendship expectations across sex & sexual orientation
• Roberts: discuss differences in relationships – especially indices of satisfaction & dissolution/divorce – based on if women meet their partner while using oral contraception or not

3A. REQUIRED: They’ll Go With the Lighter: Tri-Racial Aesthetic Labor (Walters, 2018)

3B. Choose one additional prompt on Bullying & Status from the 3 options below:

• Iyer et al. (2013) article: HTTLPR
• Southern Culture of Honor: The Drawing Study
• Xu et al., 2009: Race & Neural Responses to Pain

4. Eklund Article

• What is Performance Theory? What is meant by doing gender?
• What are the advantages of men playing as women compared to women playing as men?
• Would these patterns remain if the sex ratio of World of Warcraft was flipped? Why or why not?
• Given the article’s exposition on performative identity, and differences in gender socialization we discussed in class, why would someone gender-swap in a single-player game vs an online MMORPG game?
  (10 points)

4. The Year of Years
   What are your thoughts/ reflections/ etc regarding 2020?

Feel free to vent as well. Venting is also the correct answer for a year like 2020.
(5 points)

6. Juxtaposed Progress

Second wave feminism largely succeeded in reducing the hyper sexual objectification of women, particularly in the workplace, popular culture, & mass media. This can be seen in current day Body Positive, Dove Real Beauty, Lean In messaging, etc.

Third wave feminism has largely succeeded in arguing for people’s right (especially women’s) to utilize their sexuality for personal, monetary, or otherwise utilitarian gain. This can be seen in current day [insert literally any social media platform], Only Fans, etc.

The juxtaposition of these 2 successes is crystal clear. Is it a problematic duality that requires a resolution, or can the two coexist?

(5 points)

7. What was something new/impactful you learned during the USA Civil Rights lecture?

(3 points)