1 – Gender Through the Prism of Difference, 3rd ed. (Older edition not acceptable) -- Zinn, Handagneu-Sotelo, and Messner
2 -- Plus assigned readings from the library, on-line, and on electronic reserve
Gender and Society is a course through which you will critically explore the social construction of gender. We will study many of the diverse contemporary issues and experiences of women and men as gendered individuals. Although there is an emphasis on these issues and experiences within American culture, we will study gender in a global context as well. Generally, you will find that the readings and assignments emphasize the importance of "denaturalizing" gender stereotypes and myths which impact women's and men's lives.
One task we will tackle is to become more aware of the ways gender affects girls', boys', women's and men's lives. Lisa Marie Hogeland calls this awareness of gender differences a "gender consciousness." With a "sociological feminist consciousness," we take our gender consciousness and look for ways that gender differences grant or deny power. For example, what does it mean about women's status that women are paid less in the work force yet do most of the unpaid labor at home? What do racist notions of beauty mean for men and women of color other than white? How has feminism changed social expectations of men? Of women? In what ways do the media construct gender images and ideologies, with what consequences? With gender consciousness we note differences; with a sociological feminist consciousness we see what difference those differences make.
This course will provide students with a basic understanding of gender as it is constructed in this and other cultures. The course, in a lecture and discussion format, provides important work in critical reading and thinking skills, particularly about the ways in which social forces shape us as gendered individuals and the ways in which we respond.
1. Attendance is required on a regular basis! Further you are expected to read your syllabus, understand what is expected of you, and contribute to class discussions. It is strongly encouraged that you work with other students and ask questions in class. The time we spend together will be devoted to lectures, discussions, and exercises. Remember you have something valuable to say and what you learn from this class will be in proportion to what you put into it. It is also YOUR responsibility to acquire notes or handouts if you should miss class.
2. Responses -- Seven (140 pts.) -- To help ensure that you come to class ready to discuss the difficult and important issues we will address this semester, I am assigning response exercises on the assigned readings. The responses will involve either (1) answering several questions about the readings or (2) writing on a topic I assign. Each response will be worth 20 points.
3. Exams – Three (90 pts. each for a total of 270 pts.)
4. Media exercise (20 pts.) – Specifics to be announced soon.
5. Poster presentation on gender in the workplace (100 pts.) – handout attached to syllabus
Assume I do not grade on a curve. Final grades will be computed using the following percentages (and points):
A (92%) – 487
pts.-530
B+ (90%) – 477-486
B (84%) – 445-476
B- (82%) – 434-444
C+ (80%) – 424-433
C (74%) – 392-423
C- (72%) – 381-391
D+ (70%) – 371-380
D (64%) – 339-370
D- (62%) – 328-338
F (61% or less) -- <328
Mon
Other times by appointment
e-mail:
jaeller@mtsu.edu
webpage: http://www.mtsu.edu/~jaeller
1417
Any
student with a special need concerning taking notes, exams, etc., should
contact me as soon as possible so that we might work out arrangements.
Flexible Outline
Aug 29 – Monday Introduction to course
31 -- Wed Perspectives on sex, gender, and difference
o General discussion of sex, sex categorization, gender, doing gender and the social construction of gender
o
§ Lorber, Judith (1993) “Believing is seeing: biology as ideology.” Gender and Society 7,4:568-581. Available on JSTOR
Sept 2 -- Fri Continue with discussion from Wednesday
o
§ West, Candace and Don H. Zimmerman (1987) “Doing Gender.” Gender and Society 1(2): 125-151. Available on JSTOR
§ #12 – “What it means to be gendered me: life on the boundaries of a dichotomous gender system”
5 -- Labor Day
7 - Wed Response #1 due
Perspectives on feminism and globalization
o What is feminism?
o
§ Introduction to your text
§ #2 – “Theorizing difference from multiracial feminism
9 -- Fri Continue
with women and globalization
o
§ #5 – “Global woman”
§ #6 – “Antiglobalization pedagogies and feminism”
12 - Monday Response #2 due Wednesday
Adjusted syllabus
Perspectives on masculinities and globalization
16 -- Fri
o
§ #4 – “Masculinities and globalization”
§ Chen, Anthony (1999) “Lives at the center of the periphery, lives at the periphery of the center: Chinese American masculinities and bargaining with hegemony.” Gender and Society 13,5:584-607. Available through JSTOR
19 -- Mon Continue with
discussion of masculinities – straight and queer
21 -- Wed Bodies
and masculinities
Response #3 due
o
§ Messerschmidt, James. “Making bodies matter: adolescent masculinities…” Available on electronic reserve under Eller Soc 3400-001
§ #11 – “Doing time, doing masculinity: sports and prison.”
23 -- Fri Media exercise due with discussion
26 – Monday (optional review day)
– Exam on-line (
28 -- Wed Bodies
o
§ #7 – “Beauty myths and realities…”
§ #8 – “It’s a big fat revolution”
§ #9 – “Strong and large black women?”
30 -- Fri Bodies:
anorexia and bulimia
o
§
Lovejoy, Meg. (2001) “Disturbances
in the Social Body: Differences in Body Image and Eating Problems among African
American and White Women.” Gender
and Society 15(2):239-261. Available on JSTOR -- MORE
§
Thompson, Becky W. (1992) “’A way outa no way’: eating problems among African-American,
Oct 3 – Monday Bodies: continued
o
o Hesse-Biber, Marino and Watts-Roy (1999) “A longitudinal study of eating disorders among college women: factors that influence recovery.” Gender and Society 13(3):385-408. Available on JSTOR
o Response #4 due
o Pro-Ana discussion
5 -- Wed Bodies:
circumcision
o Discussion of gender issues of circumcision
o
§ Link to www.fgmnetwork.org and read at least the introduction – “Female genital cutting (FGC): an introduction” by Marianne Sarkis (look under site topics for introduction)
§ Identify at least one country and the rates of FGC there
7 – Fri Bodies:
circumcision continued
o
§ Njambi, Wairimu N. (2004) “Dualisms and female bodies in representations of African female circumcision: a feminist critique” Feminist Theory 5(3):281-303. Available on electronic reserve under Eller Soc 3400-001
10 – Monday Bodies: circumcision continued
o Penn and Teller clip – R-rated
o
§ Link to www.sexuality.org/l/activism/malecirc.html and read about male circumcision. There are many other sites to be found through a www.google.com search.
12 -- Wed Gendered
violence
o Discussion of domestic violence
o
§ #13 – “Immigrant women and domestic violence…”
§
#14 – “Acid violence and medical care in
14 -- Fri Note that response #5 is due next Wednesday
Gendered violence: continued
o
§
#16 – “Gender, class, and terrorism”
§
#45 – “Black men…”
17 – Fall Break
19 -- Wed Sexual
harassment as a gender issue
o The social construction of sexual harassment and the Hill/Thomas narratives
§ Read MTSU policy/facts on sexual harassment
21 -- Fri Sexual
harassment: continued
o
§ #38 – “Boundary lines: labeling sexual harassment in restaurants”
§
Quin, Beth A. (2002)
“Sexual harassment and masculinity: the power and meaning of ‘girl watching’” Gender and Society 16(3):386-402. Available
on electronic reserve under Eller Soc 3400-001
24 -- Monday Gendered
intimacies
o
§ Cancian, Francesca (1986) “The feminization of love” Signs 1(4):692-709. Available on JSTOR
26 -- Wed Gendered
intimacies: continued
o
§ Swain, Scott. “Covert intimacy: closeness in men’s friendships” Available on electronic reserve under Eller Soc 3400-001
§ Walker, Karen (1994) “Men, women and friendship: what they say, what they do.” Gender and Society 8(2):246-265. Available on JSTOR.
28 Optional
review day – Exam on-line (
31 – Monday Sexual
tourism -- issues
Nov 2 -- Wed Sexual
tourism: continued
o
§ #19 – “Because she looks like a child”
§ TBA -- Fadzillah
4 -- Fri Response #6 due
Sexual tourism: continued
o
§
#20 – “The sex tourist, the expatriate, his
ex-wife…”
7 – Monday Identities
o
§ #24 – “Age, race, class, and sex…”
§ #28 – “White privilege…”
§ #27 – “Asian American women and racialized femininities”
9 -- Wed Identities:
continued
o
§ #25 – “The rights and wrongs of identity politics and sexual identities”
11 -- Fri Identities:
continued
o
§ #21 – “The globalization of sexual identities”
§
#22 – “Becoming 100% straight”
14 -- Monday The gendered
family – marriage?
o Discussion of the issues
o
§ Gay marriage issues – http://www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm
§ Gay marriage issues – http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/002/938xpsxy.asp
START HERE –
21 -- Monday Work and
family issues
o
§ #36 – “What do low income single mothers say about marriage?”
§ #29 – “The meaning of motherhood in black culture…”
§
Hanchard, Michael. “On
‘good’ Black fathers” – copies for you on Monday
§
#31 – “I’m here but I’m there…”
23 -- Wed Continued
o
§ Gerson, Kathleen (2002) “Moral dilemmas, moral strategies and the transformation of gender…” Gender and Society 16(1):8-28. Link to Sociological Abstracts
§
Stone and Lovejoy (2004) “Fast-track women and
the ‘choice’ to stay home.” The Annals of
the
§ #34 -- “Delicate transactions…”
25 – Thanksgiving Break
28 – Monday Constructing
gender in the workplace
o
§ Acker, Joan (1990) “Hierarchies, jobs, bodies: a theory of gendered organizations” Gender and Society 4(2):139-158. Available on JSTOR
30 - Wed
§ #37 – “Gendering the market…”
§ Henson and Rogers (2001) “’Why Marcia you’ve changed!’ Male clerical workers doing masculinity in a feminine occupation.” Gender and Society 15(2):218-238. Available on JSTOR
Dec 2 – Special discussion on gender
issues related to cutting
Catch up and
review!
5 – Monday First group poster presentations on workplace due
Brian,
Alanna, Michael, Chris, Lacy, Calley, Chastity, Quan,
Josh
7 -- Wed Second group poster presentations on workplace
due
Laura,
Shayna, Kiawsha, Melissa, Suzanne, Simon, Michelle, Derek, Elisha,
9 – Final Exam
How to get to Course Reserves:
1. go to library website
2.
access Voyager
3.
link to course reserves
4.
Eller, Soc 3400.
5.
Be sure to match titles of articles as there are
some not required for this class.
How to get to JSTOR:
1. go to library website
2.
link to Research Gateway
3.
link to Sociology
4.
link to JSTOR
5.
search for author +”title”
How to get to Sociological Abstracts:
1. go to library website
2. link to Research Gateway
3. link to Sociology
4. link to Soc Abstracts
5. search for author +”title”
6. go to full-text linking (may need to do this on campus to assure access)