Co[m]structing Deviance 
Social deviance is defined, loosely, as any transgression of social norms. For this activity, you’re to 1) choose an act of deviance that you’ll participate in throughout the day and 2) create a comic strip that visually represents your experience using bitstrips. We’ll talk about your comics and have a discussion about the activity during class. Remember that the act should NOT be anything that places you or anyone else in danger. Here are some things that you can choose from or you can come up with something on your own. If you have any questions about whether you should or should not do something, please email me first.
Possible examples:
- Stand too close to people in line
- Whenever someone asks how you’re doing, rather than responding with the expected “Fine, thanks.” respond with something along the lines of “This day sucks. I’m so glad that you asked! I’d love to tell you more about it. Do you have a few minutes to chat?”
- Wear clothes/accessories that are normatively assigned to a different gender (women can dress “masculinely” men can dress “femininely” and/or wear make-up)
- Lick your fingers when eating
- Dress in an unexpected way–either really formally or really informally (pajamas)
- Refer to people in an unexpected way–greeting a group of male friends by saying “hey ladies” (by the way, it’s taken for granted that we do this with “guys” all the time) or women use “bro”
Important things to note and depict in your bitstrip:
- How do people react to your act of deviance?
- How do their reactions make you feel?
- How might people’s reactions to your behavior influence the way that you might behave in the future?
This post grew out of a Digital Pedagogy Faculty Learning Community attended by Ron Buckmire, Hanan Elsayed, Edmond Johnson, Krystale Littlejohn, and Adrianne Wadewitz and sponsored by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Center for Digital Learning and Research.