SOCY/WMST 1016:
SEX, GENDER AND SOCIETY
Fall 2006
Required Texts:
1.
Kimmel, Michael S. 2004. The Gendered Society.
2.
Spade, Joan Z. and Catherine G. Valentine (eds). 2004. The
Kaleidoscope of Gender.
3.
E-Reserve articles accessible through Norlin online at http://libraries.colorado.edu.
Articles can be retrieved under the “reserve lists” link.
Optional Text: (see extra
credit opportunity)
4. Vincent, Norah. 2006. Self-Made
The
texts are available for purchase from the CU Bookstore.
Course Description &
Organization:
This
is an introductory level course on the Sociology of Gender. It is meant to provide an overview of the
many ways in which gender plays a vital role in our lives. This class is taught
from the perspective that gender and gender roles are learned behaviors (not
biological) that are socially-constructed by culture (not innate) and
contextually specific and malleable (not universal or fixed). We will focus on
the integral role gender plays in the structure of society.
This
class will primarily utilize a discussion format. A good deal of the learning
will take place through critical analysis and discussion of the course
readings. It is important that people
come to class both prepared and willing to engage with the material. Some of the topics in this course can be
controversial. Feel free to disagree
with each other and with your instructor, just be sure your disagreements are
handled in a respectful manner.
Please
note that the
Expectations and Required
Classroom Decorum:
§
You will be assigned reading almost every day. It is imperative that
you do not get behind in your reading and I’ll expect that you come to each
class having read the material assigned for that day.
§
If you are absent, please do not approach me for missed notes. I recommend that you ask another student to
provide you with any missed relevant information. If you miss a film, please visit Norlin’s
Media Library – as long as the film is not checked out, you may watch it there.
§
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability please submit
a letter from Disability Services by the end of the second week of class.
Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities.
Contact them either by phone at 303-492-8671 or on the Web at www.colorado.edu/sacs/disabilityservices
§
Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in
University sanctions. Please note that plagiarism (presenting the ideas or
words of another as one’s own) is considered cheating. While you are encouraged to study with your
peers, you must turn in your own work at all times.
§
Please feel comfortable approaching me if you have questions or
concerns about any aspect of the course.
I am happy to discuss questions you may have in class, after class,
during my office hours, or via email.
§
It is important that everyone feels comfortable taking part in class
discussions. Please remember to respect your peers and your instructor, even
(especially!) if you disagree with them.
No one should feel as though they are being personally attacked over
something they express in class, no hurtful comments or insults, no
interrupting, etc. Part of respecting
your fellow peers is learning how to accept different viewpoints and life
choices without making judgments about them or their behavior. Additionally, if you feel as though you will
be unduly uncomfortable with specific course material (including videos or
guest speakers), please let me know beforehand so we can make alternative
arrangements.
Grades: Your final grade is calculated out of a total of
1000 points. How the grade breaks down is discussed below. You may choose to do the extra credit
project, the details of which are discussed below.
Participation/Attendance: 70 points
As this course primarily utilizes a discussion format, it is important that everyone participate in class discussions. Thus, I will be grading everyone on her or his contribution to a productive learning environment. This means active involvement in the course and no disruptive behavior (e.g., side conversations). Everyone starts the class with thirty-five points; I will take points away throughout the session if you engage in disruptive behavior, if you fail to come to class on a regular basis, or if you fail to contribute to class discussions. I will add to your original thirty-five points if you attend class regularly and thoughtfully contribute to class discussions. Though I will not be taking roll, please keep in mind that I will get to know and recognize you, and that I will be able to remember your general trends in attendance and participation. I will take all of this into account when assigning this portion of your grade. If you do not feel as though you will be comfortable speaking in class, the alternative is to visit with me personally during my office hours a few times throughout the course.
Listserv:
10 points
You
are required to subscribe to and be responsible for all information
disseminated by means of the course email list. The instructor uses the list to
provide information that is applicable to the course (i.e., weekly journal
topics). In order to receive credit, please subscribe to the list by September
6th. Subscription directions are as follows:
Address an e-mail to listproc@lists.Colorado.EDU with the subject line blank. In the message body write the following: (do not include the <>’s)
subscribe fall-1016@lists.Colorado.EDU <first last name>
So, for example, I would write the following in the message body in order to subscribe to the list: subscribe fall-1016@lists.Colorado.EDU Alison Hatch
Be
sure to check to see if you received enrollment confirmation.
Journal
Entries/Mini “Papers”: 420 points
As
opposed to a more formal paper, the writing for this class will be in the form
of journal entries. Some journal entries require you complete an exercise or
mini-research project, others ask you to respond to a question. I will email
the weekly journal topics to the listserv on Mondays– thus, it is very
important that you sign onto the list. While there will be a total of 14
journal topics, only 12 will count towards your grade. I will drop your lowest,
or missing, 2 grades. Each entry is worth 35 points. No one may skip the first
or the last journal entry.
The
topic I assign is designed to coincide with the information that we are
discussing at that time, thus you should do the assigned reading for that week before composing your journal entry. Your
weekly writing needs to be kept together in a thin folder (not a three ring
binder). You will turn in all entries in
class (even those previously graded) on the following days:
Friday, September 1st
Friday, September 29th
Friday, October 27th
Friday, December 8th
I
do not accept late journals. Thus, if you fail to turn in your journal on the
above days, all journal entries for that week will receive a zero. If you
cannot come to class to turn in your journals, find someone who can bring it in
for you. Journals need to be handed to me in class – do not put them in my box.
Journals absolutely cannot be emailed to me.
Your
journal entries do not need to be in the style of an academic paper. In other
words, you do not need an introduction, thesis, conclusion, etc. However, I do
expect college level writing. This means the use of proper grammar, complete
sentences, good spelling, etc. In grading the entries, I will be looking for
thoughtful reflection, application of course materials, completion of exercise
(if applicable) and coherence. The journals themselves are private
communications between yourself and the instructor. As such, I hope that you
will challenge yourself to submit personally introspective and honest entries.
Your
entries must be type-written, handwritten entries will not be accepted. Each
entry needs to be at the very least one FULL type-written page (double spaced,
12 point font). I expect that many of your entries will be longer than one
page, however, I ask that you limit each entry to no longer than four pages.
Exams:
500 points (each worth 250 points)
There
are two multiple choice exams in this course, a midterm and a final. The
midterm will cover material from the first half of the course; the final will
cover material from the second half of the course. For the most part, the final will not be
cumulative, however it is expected that you will be able to synthesize course
themes. Please note that we will likely not have time to discuss all assigned
readings in class, however they are all “fair game” for the exams. Material
from videos and guest speakers are also “fair game” for the exams. Each exam is MANDATORY - you cannot skip an
exam for any reason. Further exam details will be discussed in class.
Midterm: Monday,
October 16th
Final: Wednesday, December 20th,
Extra
Credit (optional): 40 points
You
may complete one extra credit paper on the book Self-Made
Reading Assignments:
ü Please have readings
completed by the date listed (even if instructor is behind schedule in
lectures!)
ü Kimmel = K (the numbers
listed refer to chapter numbers)
ü Spade & Valentine =
S&V (the numbers listed refer to the reading numbers, unless indicated by
“chpt.” which refers to chapter numbers)
ü Reserve = articles
accessible through Norlin’s e-reserve
ü
Instructor
reserves the right to change this schedule as needed.
Foundations:
Sociology, Gender & Social
Constructionism
M 8/28: Welcome! Course Introduction
A. The Sociological
Imagination
W 8/30: Reserve – C. Wright Mills “The
Promise,” & K #1 “Introduction”
F 9/1: S&V “Introduction,” &
S&V chpt. #1 “The Prism of Gender”
(journals due)
M 9/4: Labor Day – No Class
B. Social Constructionism and the Nature vs.
Nurture Debate
W 9/6: K
#2 “Ordained by Nature”
(last day to subscribe to listserv)
F 9/8: S&V #3 “The Trouble with
Testosterone”
C. Interlocking Oppressions:
Gender, Race and Class
M 9/11: K #5 “Inequality and Difference”
&
S&V chpt. 2 “The Interaction of Gender with
Other Socially Constructed Prisms”
W
9/13: S&V #6 “White
Privilege and Male Privilege” &
Reserve – Frye “Oppression”
Doing
Gender
F
9/15: Reserve – West &
Zimmerman “Doing Gender”
M
9/18: S&V chpt. 4 “Learning
and Doing Gender”
W
9/20: S&V #4 “What it Means
to Be Gendered Me”
S&V #21 “My Life as a
Man”
The Gender
Binary in Question
F 9/22: K
#3 “Spanning the World”
Reserve – Fausto-Sterling
“The Five Sexes”
M 9/25: S&V #2 “Sexing the Intersexed”
W 9/27: S&V #5 “Multiple Genders among
North American Indians”
F
9/29: S&V “Gender and the
Prism of Culture”
Guest Speakers –
Speaking Out
(journals due)
The Social
Construction of Gender Through Culture
A. Childhood
M
10/2: Reserve
– Reifler “Time Warp in the Toy Store” &
S&V #23 “The Pink
Dragon Is Female”
B. Sexuality
W 10/4: K #10 “The Gendered Body”&
S&V chpt. 3 “Gender and the Prism of Culture”
F 10/6: S&V
chpt. 6 “Tracing Gender’s Mark on Bodies, Sexualities, and Emotions” &
S&V #22 “Slut!” &
S&V #30 “‘If It’s Not
On, It’s Not On’-Or Is It?”
B. Physical Ideals: Media
Representations
M 10/9: S&V chpt. 5 “Buying and Selling
Gender”
W 10/11: Reserve – Pozner “The Unreal World”
F
10/13: No Class – Study for
Midterm
M 10/16: MIDTERM
W
10/18: S&V #24 “The More You
Subtract, the More You Add”
S&V #29 “Size 6”
C. Health
F 10/20: Reserve – Boston Women’s Health
Collective “The Politics of Women’s Health and Medical Care”
M 10/23: No reading
D. Physical Ideals:
Athleticism
W 10/25: Reserve – Messner “Boyhood, Organized
Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities”
F 10/27: S&V #37 “Marketing and the
Publicity Images of Women’s Professional Basketball Players from 1977-2001”
(journals due)
E. Communication
M
10/30: Reserve
– Kleinman “Why Sexist Language Matters”
The Social
Construction of Gender Through Institutions
A. Education
W 11/1: K#7 “The Gendered Classroom” &
Reserve – Sadker et al. “Gender Equity in the
Classroom”
F
11/3: S&V
#16 “Playing in the Gender Transgression Zone”
M
11/6: S&V #18 “The Chilly
Climate”
Guest Speaker – Mark
Schwartz on Sexual Harassment
B. Family & Intimate
Relationships
W
11/8: K
#6 “The Gendered Family” &
S&V chpt. 8 “Gender
in Intimate Relationships”
F 11/10: Reserve – Hochschild & Machung
“The Second Shift”
M 11/13: S&V #38 “Couples Watching
Television”
(Extra credit due)
C. Work
W
11/15: K #8 “The Gendered
Workplace”
F 11/17: S&V chpt. 7 “Gender at Work and
Leisure”
M 11/20 – F 11/24 – Fall and
Thanksgiving Break – No Class
M
11/27: S&V #36 “Gender,
Social Inequalities, and Retirement Income”
Keeping
Gender in Check: Violent Enforcement
A. Homophobia & Hate
Crimes
W
11/29: S&V chpt. 9 “Enforcing
Gender”
F 12/1: Reserve – Herek et al. “Victim
Experiences in Hate Crimes Based on Sexual Orientation”
B. Gendered Violence
M
12/4: K #11 “The Gender of
Violence” &
S&V #46 “Sexual
Trafficking in Women”
W
12/6: S&V #45 “Escape from
Animal House” &
S&V #47 “Sexual
Harassment and Masculinity”
F
12/8: Reserve
– Pelka “Raped: A Male Survivor Breaks His Silence” &
Reserve
– Dobash & Dobash “Violence Against Women”
Guest Speaker – Randy Saucedo with
(journals due)
Social
Change and Thinking Outside of the Box
M 12/11:
K Epilogue and
S&V chpt. 10 “Nothing Is
Forever”
W
12/13: S&V #50 “Unraveling
the Gender Knot”
F
12/15: Reserve
– Lipsitz Bem “Feminist Child-Rearing” &
Poem Handout