Module 3 Assignment 1

Do this assignment with your pair.

As of June 21, 2020, there are 30 students whose enrolment was confirmed for this class. This
means that each one of you has a pair. You will never be alone in this academic journey.

As this assignment requires you to download and read other materials relevant to the assignment,
your output shall be submitted on or before 9:00 AM, June 27, 2020.

I. PERSUASIVE ESSAYS:

Read about new developments on China’s activities in the South China Sea and the West
Philippine Sea. And research about what the Philippines had been doing in “asserting” its
sovereignty over and “protecting” its national interests in the West Philippine Sea after
receiving a favorable decision from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2016.

A. Guided by what you learned about China’s history and political culture (PS 111), do you
consider China’s policy over the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea as a
manifestation of its subaltern hypermasculinity? To answer this question, go over the
given reading material and clarify what subaltern hypermasculinity is. From what you
understood from the reading material, what do you consider as indicators of subaltern
hypermasculinity? Relate these to the policy and activities of China to decide if your
answer to the question is a “yes” or “no”. Justify your answer. Whether your answer is a
“yes” or “no,” you should be able to provide supporting information to strengthen your
arguments. Enclose in parenthesis the link to your sources.

B. In relating with China regarding the West Philippine Sea issue, what kind of masculinity is
manifested by the Philippine leadership? Why? For every aspect of China’s policy (military
preparedness, trade and investment, forging alliances – bilateral and multilateral), you
should be able to show what the Philippines had done in each of the three aspects. This
can help you properly assess the kind of masculinity the Philippine leadership has. Use
information from your readings to support your answer. And can the Philippines develop
its brand of subaltern hypermasculinity in dealing with China? You need to establish your
criteria for this Filipino brand of subaltern hypermasculinity and defend that this Filipino
brand of subaltern hypermasculinity is feasible. It is helpful if, for every criterion, you will
cite your basis/es – could be specific Filipino value/s or practice/s to show that it is or they
are innate in the Filipinos and situations in Philippine history (past and contemporary)
when this criterion of subaltern hypermasculinity was manifested by Filipinos. Enclose in
parenthesis the link to your sources.

C. Research on the circumstances that surround the decision of and the reasons why the
Philippine national leadership withdrew from the Rome Statute, unilaterally revoked the
Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and then withdrew later the revocation, and harshly
attacked critics from the European Union, United Nations, and the United states that
called the leadership’s attention to the country’s human rights situation. Do you consider
these three acts of the national leadership to be a manifestation of subaltern masculinity?
 Module 3 Assignment 2

Defend your answer. Enclose in parenthesis the link to the sources of the information that
you got to make your arguments factual.

D. Overall, which of the following will best describe the masculinity of the current Filipino
national leadership? Choose ONE from the given options and justify your answer. As you
will use information from varied sources to support your answer, you need to enclose in
parenthesis the link to your sources.

1. positive masculinity in both national and international affairs

2. hypermasculinity in national as well as in international affairs
3. dominating masculinity in both national and international affairs
4. hypermasculinity in national affairs but not in international affairs
5. positive masculinity in national affairs but subordinated masculinity in international
affairs
6. subordinated masculinity in national affairs but dominating masculinity in
international affairs
7. dominating masculinity in national affairs but a subordinated masculinity in
international affairs

E. Visit the website of Male Champions of Change - https://malechampionsofchange.com/.

Read about the organization’s vision or objectives. Browse the reports on what they
achieved through the years as well as their plans in the corporate world, workplace and
sports. You need not read the details of the published reports. What matters is that you
got a glimpse of what the organization had done, is doing, and planning to do. From the
MCC site, you will learn about the positive initiatives that men had done to promote a
gender fair environment. If you relate this to the topic on gender as a social construct,
what this organization had been doing is deconstructing the masculine norm of dominance
that the society had been promoting. Learning from such initiatives and loosely connecting
it to rape culture, can men be taught not to rape? The previous readings showed you
that rape culture is embedded in patriarchy and masculinity which is a social construct.
Stating the question in another way, can rape culture be unlearned? And in what way?
Defend your answer. Do not forget to enclose in parenthesis the link to the sources or
bases of your arguments. If you know nothing about the issue, try to read the threads in
#hija and research on the root of the story. Lately, Senator Rissa Hontiveros shared her
thoughts about the need of teaching men not to rape.

II. CRITIQUING A GOVERNMENT’S POLICY

Go over web materials that will provide you information about the rationale for and the salient
features of the controversial anti-terrorism bill of 2020 (not yet signed into law). Since
S.No.1083 was adopted without revisions by the lower house, the full text of the senate bill
which was submitted for review and signing by the President can be accessed at
https://senate.gov.ph/lisdata/3163229242!.pdf. Read also about the reasons of some sectors
for opposing this bill.

F. Does this anti-terrorism bill help in improving the masculinity of the Philippine state?
Defend your answer. And what type of masculinity will be nurtured by this bill if
implemented? Why? And is this bill what the Philippines badly need in this time of Covid
19 pandemic? Why? Enclose in parenthesis the link to the sources or bases of your
arguments.
 Module 3 Assignment 3

G. Read about the circumstances that led to the Marawi siege and the implementation of
Martial Law in Mindanao. What kind of masculinity was applied in this situation? What
gains were acquired by the government from the implementation of Martial Law in
Mindanao? Could there be an alternative masculinity that could have been applied, or
could femininity been a better alternative in addressing the roots of what led to the Marawi
siege and the declaration of Martial Law? Why? Don’t forget to enclose in parenthesis the
link to the sources or bases of your arguments.