Women and the Social Construction of Illness

Summer '00 -- Dr. Jackie Eller

Contents of this Page

TEXTS

1 -- Lorber, Judith 1997. Gender and the Social Construction of illness. Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA.

2 -- Additional readings

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an examination of the social construction of meaning of the relationship between gender, particularly the female gender, and illness.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• Acquaint the student with the sociological and social-psychological meanings of illness.
• Analyze the way social forces shape the experience and expression of illness, particularly for women.
• To elicit a great deal of thinking and talking about sociological approaches to illness.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

1. In addition to the usual expectations of attendance and preparation, you are expected to 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. Reaction papers -- 150 pts.

• You are responsible for three (3) reaction papers throughout the semester. You may pick the area or topic relevant to your interests, but each paper is to be a reaction to at least one academic journal article. You may include an article from a magazine, but your paper should not be responding to that article alone. Each paper should be no more than 5 pages, typed, with the following information: summary or key points of the article(s), reaction to those points in relation to material we have read or discussed in class, and references as appropriate. You are to be prepared to discuss and submit your paper on the day the topic is discussed in class. ASA Style Sheet| How to cite the web (Thanks to Dr. Smith)

3. Advertising creative project -- 100 points

• A visual project -- poster, collage, ?? -- demonstrating the ways in which women's health and illnesses are presented to the buying public. Your project should include a narrative of some sort. We will set aside time at the end of the semester for you to present your project for discussion.

4. Graduate Project -- 100 points

• In addition to the reaction papers but in lieu of the creative project, you will be responsible for a research presentation on some topic of women's illnesses that we have not addressed in class. You will have approximately one hour for presentation and discussion of your research. 10-12 page paper, referenced as appropriate.

Assume I do not grade on a curve. Final grades will be computed through a simple tally of points using the following scale:

May 16
-- Introduction to the class and social constructionism

17
-- Illness and metaphor
----- Read Lorber, Chapters 1-3
----- Read Riessman -- "Women and medicalization: a new perspective"

18
-- Tom and Viv
----- Read Ehreinreich and English -- "Sexual politics of sickness"

19
-- menstruation (Darlene), PMS (Courtney), and history of mental illness (Sirena)
----- Read Lorber, Chapter 4
----- Read Martin -- "Medical metaphors of women's bodies: menstruation and menopause"
----- Read "PMS as a culture-bound syndrome"

(Mon)22
--menopause and aging (Darlene, April, Courtney)
----- Read "The meanings of menopause"

23
-- hysteria (Courtney, D'Andrea, Jessica)
-----Excerpt from Hystories Elaine Showalter
-----Yellow wallpaper

24
-- mental illness (Amy, Heather, Darlene, Sirena)
-----"A feminist approach to agoraphobia"
-----"The damaged self..."
_____Excerpt from Hysotries -- "Multiple personality syndrome"

25
-- medicalization of birth (Terri, April, Sirena)
----- Read "The growth of medical authority: technology and morals in turn-of-the century obstetrics," Medical Anthropology Quarterly 1(3):230-255, 1987.

26
--birth control (D'Andrea, Sirena, Amy, Jessica) and abortion (Angela, Terri)

(Mon) 29
--AIDS (D'Andrea) and STDs (Angela, Heather)
-----Read "Damaged goods: women managing the stigma of STDs," A. Nack, Deviant Behavior 21:95-121, 2000.
----- Read Lorber, Chapter 5

30
--lethal politics of beauty -- anorexia (Amy, Heather, Angela, Terri) and cosmetic surgery (April, Jessica)

31
--advertising projects

June 1
-- advertising projects

2
-- graduate student papers and wrap-up

• "Dozens of ways to cope with PMS." Parent's Magazine
• "OOPS! You're Not Crazy After All -- the New PMS Study," HealthFacts, February 1998, V23(2):3.
• Cary, Joseph. "Is PMS a Mental Illness? Debate Grows." U.S.News and World Report 1986, v100:60.
• Merskin, Debra. "Adolescence, advertising, and the ideology of menstruation." Sex Roles: A Journal of Research 1999 v40(11):941-.
• Smith-Rosenberg, Carroll. "The hysterical woman: Sex roles and role conflict in 19th century America." Social Research 39,4(1972):653-678.
• Lanser, Susan S. "Feminist criticism, 'The Yellow Wallpaper,' and the politics of color in America." Feminist Studies 15,3(1989):415-441.
• Kamler, Barbara. "From autobiography to collective biography: Stories of aging and loss." Women and Language 19,1(1996):21-26.
• Friedan, Betty, The Fountain of Age Simon and Schuster: New York. 1993
• Bell, Susan. "Gendered medical science: producing a drug for women." Feminist Studies 21(1995):471-.
• Ferguson, Susan and Carla Parry. "Rewriting menopause: challenging the medical paradigm to reflect menopausal women's experiences." Frontiers 19(1998):20-36.
• Dane, Gabrielle. "Hysteria as feminist protest: Dora,Cixous, Acker." Women's Studies 23(3)1994:231-.
• Caron, Simone M. "Birth control and the Black community in the 1960s: Genocide or power politics?" Journal of Social History Spring 1998 v31(3):545-.
• Bulow, Pamela J. and Paul J. Meller. "Predicting teenage girl's sexual activity and contraceptive use: An application of matching law." Journal of Community Psychology 26:581-596
• Breslin, M. "Nurse-midwives attending healthy women's deliveries use fewer interventions than physicians." Family Planning Perspectives 29:239-241.
• Hoope-Bender, Petra ten. "The demedicalization of childbirth." World Health M-A 1997, v50(2):6-.
• Brown, Diana. "A wiser view of abortion." Free Inquiry 1999, v20(1):11-.
• Corrigan, P., P. River, R. Lundin, K. Wasowski, J. Campion, J. Mathisen, H. Goldstein, M. Bergman, C. Gagnon, and M. Kubiak. "Stigmatizing attributions about mental illness." Journal of Community Psychology 28:91-102.
• Chornesky, Alice. "Multicultural perspectives on menopause and the climacteric." Afflia Journal of Women and Social Work 1998 v13(1):31-.
• Walter, Vivienne and Margaret Denton. "Stress, depression and tiredness among women: the social production and social construction of health." The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology 1997 v34(1):53-.
• Hillyer, Barbara. "The embodiment of old women: silences." Frontiers Jam-April 1998 v19(1):48-.
• Thomas, Susan L. "Race, gender, and welfare reform: the antinatalist response." Journal of Black Studies 1998 v28(4):419-.
• Treichler, Paula. "Feminism, medicine and the maning of childbirth."
• Brewis, Alexandra. "The accuracy of attractive-body-size judgment." Cultural Anthropology 1999 v40(14):548-.
• Houppert, Karen. The Curse: Conftronting the Last Unmentionable Taboo: Menstruation. Farrar, Straus and Giroux 1999.
• Jacobson, Nora. "The socially constructed breast: breast implants and the medical construction of need." American Journal of Public Health. 1998 v88(8):1255-.
• Miller, Susan K. "The trouble with implants." New Scientist 1993 v138(n1879):22-25.
• Mukai, Takayo and Akiko Ka. "Body dissatisfaction, need for social approval, and earing disturbances in Japanese and American college women." Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. 1998 v39(9-10):751-.
• "Requirements or incentives by government for the use of long-acting contraceptives." JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association April 1, 1992 v267(13):1818-.
• Grove, Kathleen, Donald Kelly, and Judith Liu. "'But nice girls don't get it':women, sumbolic capital, and the social construction of AIDS." Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 1997 v26(3):317.
• Henderson, Charles W. "Culturally relevant behavioral intervention dramatically reduces STDs." AIDS Weekly Plus Jan 25, 1999.
• Marwick, Charles. "It takes a community...to lower the STD rate." JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association July 23, 1997.
• Sloan, Nancy, Beverly Winkoff, A. Coggins, and Christopher Elias. "Screening and syndromic approaches to identify Gonorrhea and Chlamydia." Studies in Family Planning. March 2000 v31(1):55-
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