SOC
238/WOM 138: Sociological Perspectives on Gender (3cr.)
Fall
2004
UW-Marathon
Instructor: Dr.
Ann Herda-Rapp
Office: 306
North Hall
Office phone: 715/261-6269
Email: aherdara@uwc.edu
Meeting time: 5:00-7:45,
Wednesdays
Office hours: M 4:30-4:55
T
11:30-12:30
T 1:30-2:15
R 11:30-12:30
R 1:30-2:15
or by appointment
Office hours are
set up for you, so please take advantage of them. Sometimes it is hard for me
to determine if students are having difficulties; thus I hope you will visit
during office hours if you have problems or simply want to visit. My door is always open (though perhaps not
literally). If you can’t make it in during established office hours, we can always
make an appointment.
Course Overview (from UW Colleges catalog)
A sociological
examination of roles assigned to women and men in society, including the
experiences of marriage, parenthood, employment and occupational
attainment. Pays particular attention to
gender role socialization and its cultural reinforcement, to patterns of gender
relations and to ongoing changes.
Course Description
This course
examines sociology’s take on gender to try to understand how the way that we
collectively and individually define what it means to be a man or woman shapes
both our identities and the social institutions in which we live, thereby
affecting individual men’s and women’s lives.
Required Texts
The following is required
for this course. You can purchase it at
the bookstore.
Kimmel, Michael.
2003. The Gendered Society.
We will also complete several exercises from
another book, Sex and Gender: Student
Projects and
Exercises
by Cheryl Rickabaugh (McGraw Hill, 1998).
This book will be on reserve in the library
(go to the Circulation desk and ask for the Soc.
238 reserve book) but you might want to purchase
it. It is
available at the bookstore.
I will also hand out a packet of additional
readings.
Course Requirements --- Assignment dates and the course structure are subject to change.
Total
course points = 384 total points
§
Exams (2) --- Exam 1 =
80 pts.
Final exam = 100 pts.
Two exams will be administered
over the course of the semester, one a mid-term exam and the other a
comprehensive final exam (see pg. 4 for dates of exams). Both exams will consist of multiple choice,
and essay questions.
Make-up
exams will be given only in cases of medical or other emergencies, and will
require written documentation from a physician or counselor (the latter in the
case of deaths or other personal tragedies).
There will be no exceptions. You
must notify me of your absence prior
to the scheduled exam date.
§
“Doing Gender” Exercises --- 144 pts.
Over the course of the semester,
you will complete 9 different mini-research projects/exercises from
Rickabaugh’s book (on reserve at the library).
Each exercise is worth 16 points.
Grades will be based on the detail provided and the student’s ability to
integrate/discuss course ideas, especially from the text.
§
Sitcom Analysis --- 35 pts.
You will watch one 30-minute
episode of a sitcom that appears on network television and will analyze it by
answering questions that draw from course material. A full description of the
assignment can be found later in this syllabus.
§
Précis of journal article
--- 25 pts.
For this assignment, you will
locate a journal article from the social sciences and will summarize and apply
the article’s findings using course ideas. The paper you write-up for this
assignment will be approximately 2 pages long. A full description of the
assignment can be found later in this syllabus.
§
Class Participation
While there are no points
allotted for class participation, this class will flop without it. We all have a vested interest in making this
a lively and intellectually engaging class.
Since this class is structured around the readings --- we use them
organizationally and as points of discussion --- you MUST come to class
prepared. Plan on spending at least a
few hours reading (i.e., studying) each week.
And come to class ready to talk about those readings.
Late
paper policy
All late papers lose 10% of
their value for each business day they are late.
Grade Scale
The grade scale followed for
this course is that established by the university. Below I give corresponding points for this
course.
A =
90%-100% = 344-384 pts.
B =
80%-89% = 306-343 pts
C =
70%-79% = 267-305 pts.
D =
60%-69% = 229-266 pts.
F =
59% or lower = 228 or less
[+ and – grades will be assigned
for the highest & lowest point values in each grade category]
Ground Rules for the
Course
1.
Be prepared to
participate. The expectation here is twofold: a) You will need to talk, to
discuss the material in class discussions; b) Come to class prepared,
that is, having done the assigned reading. If you haven’t done it, you may
not participate in the discussion.
2.
Do not dominate the
discussion. We want to spread the participation around.
3.
Suspend judgment: just as
your theatre and English profs suggest when watching movies or reading literature,
withhold judgment of sociology’s take on gender until you’ve heard all the
discipline has to say … or at least until we’ve gotten to the point where we
really understand it, can apply it, assess it, etc.
4.
Read critically: this
doesn’t mean you should be negative. Rather, as I use the term “critical”, it
means to examine closely, to scrutinize. That is, read for strengths and
weaknesses in arguments. Read for the details.
5.
Recognize the difference
between “facts” and “opinions”. A particular finding or a theoretical
perspective may not mesh with your beliefs or your experiences, but, when it is
recognized by a discipline, when it is published as a book or journal article,
it has gone through close scrutiny. It is not just one person’s opinion or
belief but, rather, represents agreed-upon truths, knowledge in the discipline.
This is not to suggest opinions are unimportant, just that one cannot dismiss
facts because they don’t mesh with one’s opinion.
Miscellaneous Notes
Academic integrity: Plagiarism
in/of papers will not be tolerated.
Students who plagiarize either by copying a paper or using sources
improperly (i.e., using the author’s words without citation) may receive a 0
for the assignment. Severe infractions may result in an F for the course.
Language: As a sociologist, I believe language is
tremendously powerful in defining a situation or group of people. With that in mind, I ask that students
refrain from referring to adult women (over 18 years of age) as “girls”;
rather, they are “women”. And likewise,
adult men are “men”, not “boys”.
Absences: Attendance does not figure into your grade
explicitly. This is not to suggest that
attendance and participation in class are not crucial. Participation will make the ideas accessible
and will foster a positive learning environment. And, without attending regularly and keeping
up with the readings, you will simply be lost.
We cover too much material—material often not introduced in the
readings—to miss class. Knowing this,
students who miss class are taking a risk, particularly since it
is the student’s responsibility to access the missed material (though not from
the instructor) on their own. Such
responsibility for one’s own learning is the cornerstone of a university
education.
Students with special
needs: Students for whom English is a
second language and students with documented learning disabilities should see
the instructor at the start of the semester to discuss accommodations.
Cell phones: please turn them off when entering class. Should it go off during class, please have
the courtesy to shut it off immediately; do not answer it in the classroom!
Course Outline
The assigned
readings will be discussed on the day they are posted unless otherwise stated
in class. On some days, there are no assigned readings. You should not take this to mean we do not
meet. This schedule of readings and
assignments is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.
|
Date |
Topic |
Reading
Assignment |
Written
Assignment |
|
9/13 |
Intro. to course and sociology |
|
|
|
9/20 |
Intro. to course perspective |
Kimmel, ch. 1 |
Ex. 5.2 |
|
9/27 |
Biological perspectives on gender |
Kimmel, ch. 2 |
|
|
10/4 |
Cross cultural perspectives on gender |
Kimmel, ch. 3; Blackwood (handout). |
|
|
10/11 |
Psychoanalytic and sex role perspectives
on gender |
Kimmel, ch. 4 |
|
|
10/18 |
The social constructionist perspective on
gender Distribute study guide for exam 1. |
Kimmel, ch. 5; Thorne (handout). |
Ex. 1.4
|
|
10/25 |
Exam 1 |
|
|
|
11/1 |
The gendered family |
Kimmel, ch. 6; Coltrane (handout). |
Ex. 5.1 or 5.6 (remember to bring
and present the letter included in your syllabus.) |
|
11/8 |
(cont’d) |
|
Ex. 9.4, (be sure to follow instructions
by interviewing the individuals separately) and Ex. 10.3 (be sure to
name daycare providers) |
|
11/15 |
Gendered educations |
Kimmel, ch. 7; Sadker and Sadker (handout).; Sommers
(handout) |
Sitcom Analysis due |
|
11/22 |
The gendered workplace |
Kimmel, ch. 8; Kaufman (handout); “The Glass Ceiling” (handout). |
|
|
11/29 |
(cont’d) |
|
Ex. 7.1 or 7.2 |
|
12/6 |
The gender of violence |
Kimmel, ch. 11; “A Boy’s Life” (handout); Gilmore (handout). |
Ex. 3.3 and Ex. 8.6 [Modification
of 8.6: pick 10 songs of the same format (i.e., all country, or all pop, or
all hip hop)] |
|
12/13 |
(cont’d) Course wrap-up. Distribute review sheet for comprehensive
final exam. |
Kimmel, Epilogue |
Ex. 12.1 |
|
12/17 |
Final Exam – 6:00-8:00 |
|
|
Sitcom Analysis
Due date: 11/15
Total pts: 35
For this assignment, you will watch t.v.! Hey, how many profs give you such assignments?! You will need to tape, watch, and analyze a 30 min. episode of a sitcom (a “situation comedy”) airing on one of the major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox).
I suggest, in addition to taping the program, you
take notes, including quotes, descriptions, etc. Before watching the program, read the
questions below so you know what to watch for as you view the program.
If you do not have a television, let me know. We’ll
find a way for this to work.
The paper you turn in should consist first of a
summary of the program, when it aired, who the characters were, what the plot
was, etc. This section should be no
longer than one page in length.
The bulk of your paper (at least one and one-half
pages) should include analysis of how gender is at work (even when it isn’t
explicitly a theme) in the program. Here are some questions you might consider.
You needn’t answer all of them. Nor should you summarily answer each. Rather, discuss
gender by thinking about these questions and the issues they raise.
§
How are the characters, the story, the
setting, gendered? How are their lives shaped by being a man or a woman? How
are their lives NOT shaped by gender?
§
Do the characters and their lives exemplify
and reinforce stereotypes of gender? How? Give examples. Or are they engaging
in what some scholars and activists call “gender-bending” (that is, they are
violating some gender order, someone else’s idea of what it means to be a man
or a woman, a boy or a girl). How? Give examples.
§
What roles do the characters play within the
family (if relevant to the program)? Within the workplace (if relevant)? Do
they illustrate “traditional gender roles” or are they constructing a different
way of being a man or a woman? In this regard, think of things like expression
of emotion, the division of labor in the home, childcare, etc.
§
To think about whether gender is at play,
consider each character being played by “the other sex”. So, for instance, picture the leading man’s
role being played by a woman. Do the character’s actions, personalities, feelings,
responsibilities, hang-ups and daily activities still seem plausible? Why or
why not?
§
What does it mean to be a man or a
woman and how might this vary across characters in the program? That is, what
behaviors do they think of as appropriate? How should they act? Dress?
§
Are these characters contemporary?
Are they “throw-backs” to some past? In what ways? In short, how are the
characters constructing gender in this historical moment? You
might consider how they would contrast with television shows of the past or,
perhaps, of the future.
I expect you to refer to course ideas and readings
in meaningful ways in your analysis. That is, use the language, concepts, and,
where appropriate, quotes from readings to enrich your discussion.
Your paper should be 2 ½ - 3 ½ pages long. It
should be doubled spaced, with 12 pt. font (preferably Times New Roman) and 1
inch margins on all sides. I will not read more than 4 pages. Remember, late papers lose 10% of their value
for each day they are late.
Précis of journal article
For this assignment, students will go to the library (either physically or via the campus website) to use library databases to find a social science journal article related to gender and one of the topic areas below. The student will then summarize the article and apply course ideas in a 2 page précis.
Précis due dates will vary depending on the topic. That is, you must bring your précis to class on the day your given topic is scheduled to be introduced. And you must be prepared to “present” (I use this loosely) your findings to the class.
Topic areas related to gender:
Education (test scores, the math/science gap, college attendance, classroom climate, etc.)
Work (the wage gap, occupational segregation/sex-typing, glass ceiling, etc.)
Family (marriage, household labor, childcare, divorce, etc.)
Violence (rates, media images, explanations, etc.; particular kinds of violence: rape, domestic violence, etc.)
Media representations of men and women (how men and/or women are portrayed in music, television, movies, ads, etc. --- those doing an article on this topic must be prepared to discuss their article on the day the sitcom analysis is due, Nov. 15).
Finding an appropriate journal article:
You may access databases of journal articles from the social sciences either at the library or from home by accessing our campus website (www.uwmc.uwc.edu) . Library databases are huge electronic files of articles published on certain topics. The database search engines will find the articles that deal with your topic. Typically, you can search for key terms in the title, the abstract, or the text of the article.
Here are some databases in the social sciences I have found helpful:
Wilson Web
JSTOR
EbscoHost Journal Service
EbscoHost – Academic Universe (sometimes it’s hard to whittle this search down to only journal articles so I don’t suggest starting here)
Some databases will give you the whole article (you just click on the “full text” icon), while other articles must be ordered through the reference librarian, Todd Roll. To order an article, you must give Todd all of the pertinent info.: author/s, article title, journal title, volume and number, pg. numbers. It usually takes about a week for Todd to order and receive a copy for you.
Use combinations of search terms (i.e., “gender” and “wages”). If you don’t find an article that interests you, use a different form of the word or slightly different phrasing. Sometimes this can make a big difference.
How
do you know it’s a journal article?
Journal articles are
different from articles found in popular periodicals (like magazines or
newspapers). Here are some cues that you’re looking at a journal article:
1.
the word “journal”
often appears in the title (e.g., The American Journal of Sociology).
2.
it begins with an
abstract: an abstract is a one paragraph summary of the article. It’s found at
the start of the article, before the introduction.
3.
it will cite
sources in the text and will list them at the end of the article.
4.
there’s no
advertising.
5.
there’s usually a
section discussing how the research was conducted (“methods” section) and a
review of the literature, followed by sections that lay out what the study
found in great detail.
You
must get your journal article approved by me before completing the assignment.
So, give yourself enough time. I
need to see the article.
Format
for your précis:
Your précis will consist
of three paragraphs that answer the following questions:
Paragraph
1: What did the authors of this article
study and how? (this should be no longer than 1 pg. long),
Paragraph 2: What
did the article tell us about the topic (that is, about violence, or about work, etc.)? So, what did they conclude
about the topic?
Paragraph
3+: What did the article tell
us about gender and how gender is constructed? That is, what can we
conclude from the article about how gender (what we think of as masculine or
feminine) is related to the topic? Here, don’t just discuss sex (that is, the differences
between males and females) but discuss the social meanings that are attached to sex. How
do those meanings come into play to create
or magnify the issue? [This part can be longer than one paragraph.]
As with the Sitcom Analysis, I expect you to refer
to course ideas and readings in meaningful ways. That is, use the language,
concepts, and, where appropriate, quotes from the article to enrich your
discussion.
You should attach your
journal article to your précis.
Papers should be double-spaced,
use 12 pt. font (preferably Times New Roman) and have 1 inch margins on all
sides. Remember, late papers lose 10% of their value for each day they are
late.
September 13, 2004
To the Store Manager:
The student presenting this letter is completing an
exercise for their Sociology course. The
exercise requires that they describe and analyze certain features of your
store’s products. This research may
require that they examine the products and product placement. The research may take as much as one
hour. Hence, the student might draw your
attention. For this reason, I have asked
each student to present you with this letter.
All participating students understand that they are to conduct their
research with respect for you and your customers. I have every confidence that they will do
so. I hope that you will afford them the
benefit of this research.
Should you have any questions regarding the
research or participating students, please feel free to contact me at
261-6269. We appreciate your
patience.
Sincerely,
Professor Ann Herda-Rapp
Department of Anthropology & Sociology