emily martin:“the egg and the sperm:

how science has constructed a romance based on stereotypical male-female roles”

woody allen’s everything you always wanted to know about sex

(but were afraid to ask)

“The theory of the human body is always a part of a fantasy”—James Hillman

(Martin, 15)

“Waking up such metaphors, by becoming aware of their

implications, will rob them of their power to naturalize our social

conventions about gender” (25).

social constructionism

• Reality does not exist prior to our interpretations of it; Access to reality is socially mediated.

• Learning is a social process, not a passive development of behaviors. We’re influenced by the beliefs of others.

• Knowledge is socially constructed; knowing cannot precede social engagement.