Women & Men in Contemporary Society

SOC 223/WMST 223, Section 001

Fall 2000

Instructor: Bill Lovekamp Office Location: Faner 4340

E-Mail: blovekamp@hotmail.com Office Phone #: 453-3892

Meeting Time: Tues. & Thurs. 9:35am. - 10:50a.m. Meeting Place: Quigley 208

Office Hours: 11:00-1:00 Tuesday & Thursday

Required Texts:

Doyle. James A., and Michele A. Paludi. (1998) Sex and Gender: The Human Experience, Fourth Ed.,

Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Disch, Estelle. (1997) Reconstructing Gender: A Multicultural Anthology. Second Edition, Mountain

View, CA: Mayfield Publishing.

Course Description and Objectives:

During the last decades of the twentieth century, gender achieved recognition as a central and long neglected, dimension of societal diversity. The rise of the women’s movement to prominence led to changes in attitudes, culture, and societal policy. It is fair to say that these changes cannot be understood without adopting a sociological perspective. The insights of sociology regarding gender range from microsociological analysis of the gendered aspects of social interaction to macrosociological discussion of societal and institutional arrangements for gender. Gender is both a product of social interaction. We socially construct gender, and a central force in shaping social life. This course seeks to explore sociological perspectives on gender, examining the gender roles of men and women, while paying special attention to gender’s interrelationships with race. class, and sexual orientation in contemporary America.

Students will:

1) demonstrate an understanding of such concepts as gender, discrimination, feminism, and patriarchy.

2) display basic knowledge of gender’s significance in U.S. history, culture, and social structure.

3) demonstrate critical thinking about the dialogue emerging from different theories and perspectives

pertaining to the intersection of gender, race, class, and sexuality.

4) apply concepts from personal and/or family experience to analyze gender as a form of human

mutuality that must be understood to enhance the common good.

Class Format:

The class will be based primarily on a guided discussion of the assigned readings. Students are expected to come to class prepared to participate in the discussion; therefore, it is very important that you keep up with your readings. As your exams are based partly on your readings, it is to your disadvantage to consider the readings optional. Videos will be used to supplement the readings as will the occasional guest speaker. At times, students will be expected to participate in small group or class activities.

Class Policies:

Class discussion may, at times, concern controversial issues. Students are expected to respect the viewpoints expressed by others. If you disagree with what someone has said, you are encouraged to express your disagreement but are expected to do so in a civil, respectable, and polite manner.

Ground Rules to Keep in Mind

You should think about these ground rules during all classroom interactions. You are expected to follow them at all times.

1. Acknowledge that racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia exist.

2. Acknowledge that one of the meanings of racism/sexism is that we have been systematically taught misinformation about our own groups and especially members of other groups.

3. We can not be blamed for misinformation we have learned, but we are responsible for repeating misinformation after we have learned otherwise.

4. Do not blame victims for their oppression.

5. We will assume that people are always doing the best they can.

6. We will actively pursue information about our own groups and those of others.

7. We will share information about our own groups with other members of the class and we will never demean, devalue, or in any way “put down” people for their experiences.

8. We have an obligation to actively combat the myths and stereotypes about our own groups and other groups so that we can break down the walls which prohibit group cooperation and group gain.

9. We want to create a safe atmosphere for open discussion. Thus, at times, members of the class may wish to make a comment that they do not want repeated outside the classroom. If so, the student will preface his or her remarks with a request and the class will agree not to repeat the remarks.

** Ground rules by Lynn Weber, Center for Research on Women, Memphis State University, Memphis, TN 38152.

Classroom Etiquette:

Attendance - You are expected to attend class regularly. You may miss up to five classes without being penalized. These absences include sick days, religious holidays, and personal holidays. Any absences beyond these five will result in a deduction of 25 points from your final average for each day missed. I will take attendance daily.

Tardiness - You should come to class on time. Walking into class late is disrespectful to both your instructor and your fellow students and will not be tolerated.

Missed Work - Late papers will not be accepted in this course. Any deadlines regarding written work or student meetings will be announced will in advance of due dates. It should not be assumed that you will be given make-up exams if you miss a test day. Exams missed because of serious illness, death in the family, or other serious emergencies (automobile breakdowns do not qualify), require informing the instructor within 24 hours of the class meeting missed. Work can only be turned in late if you have a reasonable excuse for your absence. This means a doctor’s excuse or other official document. At that time, appropriate measures will be discussed to complete the course requirements. Otherwise, failure to show up for an exam on the scheduled day will result in the score of a zero.

Assignments- Any assigned work to be turned in must be typed or word-processed. Handwritten work will not be accepted in this course.

Plagiarism - You should be aware of plagiarism in every paper or assignment you write. Any time you use the ideas of someone else you must give them credit. You should put quotation marks around all direct quotations and cite the author at the end of the passage. If you are unsure of the proper way to do this see me before you turn in any work. Any work that has been plagiarized will receive a failing grade and may be turned in to the university as a violation of the student code of conduct.

Readings - I will not discuss everything that your texts cover. I see no point in simply telling you what your book already told you. However, you are responsible for all of the information I ask you to read. This means that if you read something that you do not understand, it is up to you to ask me for clarification. We will use class time to discuss and build on the readings. I write each lecture with the assumption that you have read the assigned readings for the day. In order to follow the lecture and participate in the class discussions it will be necessary to do the readings before coming to class.

Office Hours - You should make use of my office hours. If you have any concerns about the class I will be quite happy to discuss them with you. I realize some people feel uncomfortable speaking out in a group. It is fine to come and talk to me in private about issues that interest you. I prefer you interact with the class but speaking to me also counts as participation.

Course Grading:

Mid-Term: 100

Quizzes: 50

Journal: 50

Research Paper: 100

Final Exam: 100

Total Points Possible=400

360-400=A

320-359=B

280-319=C

240-279=D

000-239=F

Assignments:

Exams: Exams will consist of a mid-term and a final exam. The exams will include short answer and

essay questions. You will be required to draw upon your readings, lectures, class discussions, and

video’s/guest lectures to answer the questions fully.

Quizzes: Quizzes will be given periodically throughout the semester. These may be announced in class or

they may be unannounced, pop quizzes. Therefore, keeping up with the readings and assignments

is vitally important. Quizzes may appear in either multiple choice or

short answer form.

Journal: You will be given one short assignment per week in which you are asked to write about your

thoughts on a specific topic. There are no right or wrong answers for this assignment. Your grade will be based on turning in the assignment rather that the specific content. You should write what you really think. It is fine to disagree with the authors of the readings and the instructor. However, I do expect you to put real thought into this. You should make specific references to readings, lecture, and class discussion. These assignments should be typed and at least one double-spaced page in length. The journal assignments and their due dates are listed with the reading schedule.

Research Paper: You are responsible for writing a five to eight page paper on a topic that is relevant to this

course. We will dedicate a few class periods to discussing the papers and evaluating your

progress, however, the majority of the paper will demand that you spend a significant amount of

time researching and writing on your own. If you have trouble choosing a topic, I will be glad to

help get you started in the right direction. I will also be helpful in pointing you to articles or books

that may help. Remember though, you should identify a topic early so that you have ample time

to work on it and so that I have time to give you feedback.

Bonus points: Throughout the semester, SIUC and the Carbondale community provide opportunities for all

of us to learn more about different social groups and/or cultures. Students who attend any such activity may turn in a brief one-page summary of the experience as it relates to concepts, theories, and/or information learned in the course. This summary must be turned in within one class period immediately following the event. Each summary is worth two points and no more than ten points may be earned during the semester.

Lecture Schedule:

WEEK	TOPIC (ASSIGNMENTS)	READINGS	DUE DATE
1/16-1/18	PART 1-MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES ON GENDER: Introduction	S&G Chapter 1 (p3-24) RG General Introduction
1/23-1/25	Multiple Perspectives: cont’d Biological Perspective Psychological Perspective	S&G Chapters 2&3 (25-66) Peggy McIntosh Article (H) RG Articles 14,15	Journal Assignment #1 due Thurs 1/25
1/30-2/1	Anthropological Perspective	S&G Chapter 5 (93-113) RG Articles 19,55,57,58
2/6-2/8	Anthropological perspective(cont’d) Begin Sociological Perspectives	S&G Chapter 4 (67-92) RG Articles 8,9,13	Journal Assignment #2 due Thurs 2/8
2/13-2/15	Sociological Perspectives (cont’d) Begin Social Constructionism	S&G Chapter 7 (152-174) RG Articles 7, 16,23
2/20-2/22	Finish Sociological Perspectives Midterm Review	RG Articles 21,22,24	Journal Assignment #3 due Thurs 2/22
2/27-3/1	PART 2-GENDER AND INSTITUTIONS: Education and Work	S&G partial reading of Chapter 7 (175-183) RG Articles 38-42	MIDTERM EXAM Thursday, 3/1/01
3/6-3/8	Education and Work (cont’d)	S&G finish reading of Chapter 7 (184-200) RG Articles 43-46	PAPER TOPICS DUE Thurs 3/8
3/20-3/22	Religion and Politics, Family	S&G Chapter 9 RG Articles 32-37	Journal Assignment #4 due Thurs 3/22
3/27-3/29	Health and Embodiment	S&G Chapter 10 RG Articles 15,20,49,50,52	Discuss Papers
4/3-4/5	Health and Embodiment (cont’d)		Journal Assignment #5 due Thurs 4/5
4/10-4/12	Power	S&G Chapter 6	4/12 Work Day for Papers
4/17-4/19	Power (cont’d)	RG Articles30,31,54,56	PAPERS DUE Tues, 4/17
4/24-4/26	Social Movements and Gender	S&G Chapter 11 RG Articles 1,4,62,63	Journal Assignment #6 due Thurs 4/26
5/1-5/3	What Do We Know and Where Do We Go From Here? (Course Wrap-Up)	RG Articles 59,60,61,64,65
5/8	3:10 p.m. – 5:10 p.m.	Quigley 208	IN-CLASS FINAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAM

**Spring Break---March 12 – March 18

Journal Assignments:

Journal Assignment #1:

PART A:Think about what gender means to you right now. Do you usually think about gender? What do

you think of as male and female?

PART B: Think about how your biological sex influences your life at both a daily level and in terms of

your life span. Make a list of important factors to consider. Describe how you might use this

knowledge to improve your life or that of those around you. After having read Peggy McIntosh’s

article, make your own list of privileges that you enjoy that others may not.

Journal Assignment #2:

How do you think your own cultural background influences your experience of gender. Try to be

very objective in this evaluation. Look for both good and bad influences. Discuss specific

cultural practices that influence gender and your feelings about them.

Journal Assignment #3:

PART A:Think about gender stereotypes. Consider your favorite recreational activities. Evaluate the level

of gender stereotypical behavior associated with your favored activities. Provide a brief

description of the activity and then a detailed account of the gender stereotypes or lack thereof

PART B:Carefully consider your own nonverbal communication. Attempt to document your own

performance of gender using nonverbal queues. Do you find yourself engaging in the behaviors

mentioned by your textbook? Do you basically communicate in the way your sex dictates or do

your exhibit more gender-based behaviors?

Journal Assignment #4:

PART A:Think about your own educational experience. Consider how your gender has influenced your

choices, perceived abilities, opportunities, and interpersonal interaction. Try to think of examples

of educational experiences where your gender ‘mattered’.

PART B: Design a program to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. How would you go about

training people to interact with as little conjlict as possible. Don ‘t just say you would divide the

genders or institute strict punishments. Focus on actually getting your employees to understand

and empathize with one another. Be sure to think about allfour of the perspectives we have

discussed.

Journal Assignment #5:

Consider the recent upsurge in support for women ‘s athletics. Do you think this may alter

perceptions of appropriate physical shape for women? Do you think these changes will be positive

or negative. Alternately, consider the relatively recent phenomena of the media treatment of males as sexual objects. We now have popular male fashion models and commercials that showcase the

male form. Do you think this will alter male conceptions of their own bodies?

Journal Assignment #6:

What do you consider the most important gender issue facing the United States today? Detail

what the issue is, how it relates to current men ‘s and women s movement issues, and how you

think we might proceed to effectively address the issue.

***This syllabus is a contract between the student and instructor. Any changes that the instructor deems necessary will be announced in class in advance.