Here's the article you need to read for class--Jesse Ellison discusses the phenomenon known as BIID (Body Integrity Identity Disorder). Please make sure you take some notes on what you find compelling/confusing about this piece--it'll go a long way towards helping you compose a mandatory blog post on the article.
The reading:
Jesse Ellison: "Cutting Desire"
BLOG INSTRUCTIONS: You must post your blog by 11:59pm on 2/29. Your post should be at least 500 words long. Here are some leading questions to get you started: What form of treatment would you propose for people with BIID? What do you make of the article's assertion that most people with BIID seem to be middle-class white men? How do you react to the thought of someone "choosing" to be "disabled?" Please mention specific sections from the piece in your discussion, and feel free to record your own thoughts and reactions to the piece.
Additionally, here are the paper prompts for your second paper. You need to pick only one.
During our exploration of body modification, we’ll touch on some extremely different behaviors and activities. Scarification, tattoos, and piercings communicate both estrangement and alignment with social norms, simultaneously signaling one’s status as a societal “outcast” and as a member of a particular community. In this age of ubiquitous media and technology, “bodyhacking” can involve increasing or “improving” the abilities of the human body while also rendering the human body as something other than human, but not quite mechanical or technological. We’ve also discussed the possibility that plastic surgery, diet, and exercise are forms of bodily modification that American popular culture encourages and endorses. You have 2 options for this paper.
OPTION 1:
Body Modification Narrative
In a well-constructed essay of 3-5 pages, describe and analyze a
form of a body modification that you have experienced or undertaken. Explain
why this behavior could be classified as body modification. Using information
from our class readings, feel free to address any of the following questions:
- how does your own modification signal rejection or adherence to social norms?
- Is your example a continuous behavior/result, or a singular event?
- Do you undertake this modification in public or in private, and what are your reasons for doing so?
- How has your example modified your interactions with the world around you?
- How has it changed your relationships with family, friends, school, employment, etc.
OPTION 2:
Body Modification Analysis
In a well constructed essay of 3-5 pages, you must research, describe and analyze a form of body modification, and illustrate that form's relationship to both individual expression AND societal pressure. Using original research and class readings, feel free to explore the following questions:
- provide background on this form's cultural history/significance: how has its meaning shifted over time?
- does stigma, discrimination, or prejudice surround this form of body modification? If so, what does that look like? If there is very little stigma, why do you think this form of body modification is socially acceptable?
- is there a particular population demographic for whom this form of body modification is common or popular? Why do you think this is the case?
You must use a minimum of three secondary sources for either paper option. If you choose the second option, you MUST find at least TWO sources on your own. You can look for a journal
article online/through the library database, reference a film, advertisement,
work of fiction, etc. to illuminate your argument. You must use 12 point font,
reasonable margins, and conform to MLA standards for quoting, citation, and
bibliography.
ROUGH DRAFT: 3/3
FINAL DRAFT: 3/10
See you then,
Greenlee
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