SOC 308/WMST 308: The Sociology of Gender
Spring 2005
Syllabus
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Instructor: Betsy Erbaugh |
Class website: www.unm.edu/~erbaugh |
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Teaching Assistant: Toby Kramer |
Course Objectives:
How are gender identities socially constructed? How does gender intersect with race, ethnicity, class, disability, sexuality, age and other dimensions of identity? How are gender and sexuality shaped by family, education, the media, politics, economics, religion and medical practice?
This course addresses these questions from a sociological perspective. We will examine how and why contemporary U.S. communities create gender categories, how genders and sexualities affect our daily lives, and how they change. Students will gain tools for investigating the values and social processes behind their own experiences of gender socialization.
As an instructor, I aim to create a learning atmosphere that fosters critical and sociological thinking, writing, and discussion. I want you as students to go beyond merely digesting other people's ideas to actively engage with the material and to critique both commonly held assumptions and sociological theories about gender and sexuality. We live in a society where gender is created, defined, redefined, and responded to all around us on a daily basis. This course is designed to be a catalyst for moving beyond the roles of participant and passive observer toward active sociological analysis of gender processes.
I will do everything I reasonably can to help you meet your goals in this course and to maintain a respectful classroom atmosphere. I expect you to do the same. Please see me or Toby or contact us by email to talk about any questions or problems you have with the material, my presentation of it, or classroom dynamics.
Accessibility Accommodations: Any student who, because of disability, may require accommodations in order to meet course requirements should contact me as soon as possible to make necessary arrangements. It is the responsibility of the student to request accommodations for individual learning needs. UNM and I will make every attempt to accommodate all students with disabilities. For further information, contact Student Support Services at (505) 277-3506.
Policy on Academic Dishonesty: Each student is expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity in academic and professional matters. The University reserves the right to take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, against any student who is found guilty of academic dishonesty or who otherwise fails to meet the expected standards. Any student judged to have engaged in academic dishonesty in course work may receive a reduced or failing grade for the work in question and/or for the course. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, dishonesty in quizzes, tests or assignments; claiming credit for work not done or done by others; hindering the academic work of other students; misrepresenting academic or professional qualifications within or without the University; nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other University records. (UNM Pathfinder 2004-2005)
A Note on Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of passing off someone else's ideas or words as your own, or using another's written material in your own work without crediting the source (Merriam-Webster Online). If you use someone else's words, or even their ideas, you must cite your source. This is true whether you quote the source directly or paraphrase from it. It has become quite easy to find out whether a student has copied sections of a text from written sources or from the internet Ð do not be tempted. If you plagiarize work in this class you will get zero credit for the assignment, potentially fail the course and/or be expelled from UNM. If you are not sure how to correctly cite sources, make sure you find out! It's not worth risking a failing grade or expulsion from the University. Here's a couple starting places:
http://elibrary.unm.edu/tutorials/General/Writing/cite.htm
http://elibrary.unm.edu/tutorials/General/Writing/legal.htm
Required Texts:
1. Renzetti, Claire M. and Daniel J. Curran. 2003. Women, Men, and Society. 5th Edition. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
2. Disch, Estelle.
2003. Reconstructing Gender: A Multicultural Anthology. 3rd edition. New York: McGraw Hill. Note:
There is an Online Learning Center for this text:
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/076742771/student_view0/
3. Articles available on E-Reserves or in hard copy at ECS (Express Copy Center, at Harvard & Silver next to El Patio). Our E-Reserves password: lobo308
Website & Email: You are required to use the web and email for this class! There is a website for the class which you should check regularly (www.unm.edu/~erbaugh -- note the website is not on WebCT). The syllabus, assignments and study guides will be on the website. Please go to https://list.unm.edu and add yourself to the class listserv, named 308SPR05-L (there are instructions on how to do this at the class website). We will email you with important announcements, changes to readings, additional assignments, etc. Questions about the course? Please check the website first, then email us.
Exams: There will be three exams during the semester which will draw from the readings, lectures, films, activities, etc. (Anything covered in readings, assignments, or class is fair game.) Study guides will be available on the website.
Makeup exams:
WARNING! Whereas
makeup exams are the bane of our existence, they will be given only if
all of the following criteria are met: 1. It is absolutely impossible
for you to be present for the exam. 2. If you know ahead of time you
will not be in class the day of the exam due to an athletic event, religious
observance or other obligation, you must notify the instructor as soon
as you become aware of it. In case of illness or emergency, you must
notify the instructor (preferably by email) by 9am on the day of the
exam. 3. You must bring original written proof of your incapacity
to take the exam (from a doctor or the dean). 4. Makeup exams must be
completed within one week following the in-class exam.
Requests
for makeups that fall outside these parameters will not be favorably looked upon.
Papers: Three short papers will be due on the dates specified in the syllabus. Bring two copies of each to class on the dates specified, one copy for us and one to exchange with a classmate for in-class peer review. Click below for:
Assignment #2
Assignment #3
Attendance and Participation: Given that the class will revolve around discussion of the readings, small group work, lectures, guest speaker presentations, films, in-class assignments and other activities, your attendance, preparedness, and participation are essential. Please note that you are responsible for any and all material missed because of any absences. Get the emails and phone numbers of a few other students in the class and if you miss a class, ask them to review what was covered and/or lend you their notes. (Do not ask me what was covered, or if we did anything important. Do not tell me you are skipping my class to study for another class.)
Grading:
| Exams (3 @ 15% each): | 45% |
| Papers (3 @ 10% each): | 30% |
| Participation & other assignments: | 25% |
Extra Credit -- Panels, Discussion Groups & Rewrites: You will have multiple opportunities to earn extra credit by participating in panel presentations, discussion groups outside of class, and/or rewriting your papers. Panel presentations by students are an integral part of the course -- you are expected to listen attentively, ask questions and be respectful of your colleagues. Student panels will be covered in the exams. If you choose to turn in a rewrite of one of your papers, you must turn it in ONE WEEK after papers are returned in class and attach both your original paper and the original grade and comments to it. Click below for more information on:
Course Schedule: Given that dynamics and issues raised in class will likely affect the pace of the course, the following is a tentative outline of the material we will cover. You should complete the readings indicated by class time on the dates specified. Chapters are from the Renzetti & Curran text ("R&C"); articles and excerpts are in the Disch text and on E-Reserve or in the Reader from ECS.
I. INTRODUCTION
Week 1W 1/19 What
is the Sociology of Gender?
Review syllabus,
discuss course objectives and expectations
F 1/21 Gender
Likes/Dislikes
Renzetti
and Curran (R&C) 1-12
Disch Preface
(xi-xv) and pp. 1-18, 27-28
M 1/24 Experiences
of Gender, Race, Class & Sexuality
Anzaldua, "Movimientos
de rebeldia y las culturas que traicionan" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Zia, "From
Nothing, A Consciousness" (Disch 40-46)
Espada, "The
Puerto Rican Dummy and the Merciful Son" (Disch 46-56)
Gunn
Allen, "Angry
Women are Building: Issues and Struggles Facing American Indian Women Today" (Disch
57-61)
II. BIOLOGY, SEX & GENDER
W 1/26 Chromosomes & Hormones
R&C
Chapter 2
F 1/28 Intersex & Gender
in Medical Practice - Video: Intersex: Redefining Sex
Fausto-Sterling, "The
Five Sexes: Why Male and Female are Not Enough" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Fausto-Sterling, "The
Five Sexes Revisited" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Coventry, "The
Tyranny of the Esthetic: Surgery's Most Intimate Violation" (Disch
204-211)
(last day
to add course w/out fee)
III. CULTURAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF GENDER & SEXUALITY
Week 3
M 1/31
R & C
Chapter 3
W 2/2
Katz, "The
Invention of Heterosexuality" (E-Reserves/Reader)
McIntosh, "White
Privilege and Male Privilege" (Disch 70-80)
Brod, "Scholarly
Studies of Men" (Disch 411-414)
IV. SOCIALIZATION
F 2/4 R&C
Chapter 4
(last day
to drop w/ refund)
M 2/7 Childhood
"Gender
Socialization," Disch 91-94
Lorber, "The
Social Construction of Gender" (Disch 96-101)
Messner, "Boyhood,
Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities" (Disch 110-125)
Ortiz
Cofer, "The
Myth of the Latin Woman" (Disch 132-136)
W 2/9 Gender
in the Schools
R&C
Chapter 5
"Education," Disch
361-366
Thorne, "Girls
and Boys Together..." (Disch 369-385)
Ferguson, "Dreams" (Disch
386-392)
hooks, "Black
and Female: Reflections on Graduate School" (Disch 405-411)
Avicolli, "He
Defies You Still: The Memoirs of a Sissy" (Disch 137-142)
F 2/11 PANEL A: Gender Socialization
Week 5M 2/14 Embodiment
"Embodiment," Disch
160-164
Saltzberg & Chrisler, "Beauty
is the Beast" (Disch 167-174)
Thompson, "'A
Way Outa No Way:' Eating Problems among African-American, Latina, and White
Women" (Disch 178-190)
Haubegger, "I'm
Not Fat, I'm Latina" (Disch 202-203)
Brumberg & Jackson, "The
Burka & the Bikini" (Disch 212-214)
Collins, "Color,
Hair Texture and Standards of Beauty" (Disch 127-131)
W 2/16 In-class
exercise/Film
Staples, "Just
Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His PowerÉ" (Disch 193-196)
Kriegel, "Taking
It" (Disch 196-198)
MacDonald, "Do
You Remember Me?" (Disch 198-202)
V. MEDIA, CULTURE & COMMUNICATION
F 2/18 -
PAPER #1 DUE - BRING 2 COPIES TO CLASS.
R&C
Chapter 6
(last day
to change grading option)
Week 6
M 2/21 Media
Representations of Gender & Race
" Communication," Disch
215-216
Fong-Torres, "Why
Are There No Male Asian Anchormen on TV?" (Disch 434-438)
Fung, "Looking
for My Penis: The Eroticized Asian in Gay Video Porn" (E-Reserves/Reader)
NYTimes, "As
GI Joe Bulks Up, Concern for the 98-Pound Weakling" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Exam Review
W 2/23 Guest Speaker Andrea Mays
F 2/25 EXAM
1
(last day
to drop w/out a grade)
VI: FAMILIES & SEXUALITIES
Week 7M 2/28 Intimate
Relationships
R & C
Chapter 7
W 3/2 Housework & Parenting
Disch 303-348:
Disch, "Families"
Rubin, "The
Transformation of Family Life"
Collins, "Bloodmothers,
Othermothers, & Women-Centered Networks"
Gerson, "Dilemmas
of Involved Fatherhood"
Lorde, "Man
Child: A Black Lesbian Feminist's Response"
Ybarra, "I
Am a Man"
Hunter, "Sexual
Dissent & the Family"
F 3/4 PANEL B: Housework & Parenting
Week 8M 3/7 Sexualities
"Sexuality," Disch
246-250
Kimmel, "Masculinity
as Homophobia" (Disch 103-109)
Stoltenberg, "How
Men Have (a) Sex" (Disch 253-262)
Sabo, "The
Myth of the Sexual Athlete" (Disch 263-267)
Kimmel & Messner, "Actual
Size!" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Saxon, "Reproductive
Rights: A Disability Rights Issue" (Disch 289-295)
W 3/9 Straightness,
Queerness & Homophobia -
In-class exercise
Rust, "The
Impact of Multiple Marginalization" (Disch 295-301)
Bowers v. Hardwick (E-Reserves/Reader)
Lawrence v. Texas (E-Reserves/Reader)
Som, "The
Queer Kitchen" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Attitudes Toward
Homosexuality (E-Reserves/Reader)
F 3/11 Discussion
Week 9 SPRING BREAK March 13-20
VII: EMPLOYMENT & ECONOMY
Week 10M 3/21 Gendered
workplaces, wage & promotion gaps
R & C
Chapter 8
Reskin, "The
Effects of Affirmative Action..." (Disch 453-461)
W 3/23 The
U.S. Welfare
State
Albelda & Tilly, "It's
a Family Affair" (Disch 420-425)
Praeger, "A
World Worth Living In" (Disch 585-592)
F 3/25 PANEL
C: Gender in the Workplace
"Paid Work
and Unemployment," Disch 415-418
Crittenden, "60
Cents to a Man's Dollar" (Disch 426-431)
Gray, "Sharing
the Shop Floor" (Disch 439-452)
M 3/28 Globalization
Enloe, "The
Globetrotting Sneaker" (Disch 465-472)
Petchesky, "Phantom
Towers" (Disch 508-520)
Steinem, "If
Women Had a Foreign Policy" (E-Reserves/Reader)
hooks, "Global
Feminism" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Connell, "Masculinities
and Globalization" (E-Reserves/Reader)
VIII. POLITICS, GOVERNMENT & THE MILITARY
W 3/30 Gender,
Government & Militarism
R & C
Chapter 10 (note we're reading chapters out of order)
Enloe, "Sneak
Attack" (Disch 524-528)
Start
Film: The Life & Times of Rosie the Riveter
F 4/1 PAPER
#2 DUE, 2 COPIES
Finish film, Discussion, Exam Review
IX: CRIME & VIOLENCE
Week 12
M 4/4 Criminal "Justice," Domestic
Violence
R & C
Chapter 9
Fine & Weiss, "Disappearing
Acts: The State & Violence Against Women..." (Disch 611-616)
W 4/6 Cultural & Structural
Violence
"Violence," Disch
473-477
Kaye/Kantrowitz, "Women,
Violence, and Resistance" (Disch 481-490)
Jensen, "Using
Pornography" (Disch 267-286)
Zia, "Where
Race and Gender Meet" (Disch 503-506)
Sidel, "Conflict
Within the Ivory Tower" (Disch 394-403)
Marable, "Toward
Black American Empowerment" (Disch 30-39)
F 4/8 EXAM 2
X. SPIRITUALITY
Week 13M 4/11 Religion
and Spirituality as Social Forces
R & C
Chapter 11
Butler, "Between
Two Worlds" (E-Reserves/Reader)
W 4/13 Gender,
Spirituality & Representation
Gutierrez, "Honor
and Virtue" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Cisneros, "Guadalupe
the Sex Goddess" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Lopez, "Our
Lady of Controversy": http://www.almalopez.net/ORindex.html
Read "Controversy," skim
Emails and News.
Meyer, "After
the Culture Wars": http://www.almalopez.net/ORnews2/041100ap.html
F 4/15 PANEL
D: Gender, Religion & Spirituality
(last day
to drop w/out Dean's approval)
XI. HEALTH
Week 14M 4/18 The
Medical Establishment
R & C
Chapter 12
Sabo, "Masculinities
and Men's Health" (Disch 535-549)
Steingraber, "Why
the Precautionary Principle?" (Disch 572-575)
XII. MOVEMENTS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
F 4/22 Transgender/Exploding
Gender Categories -
Guest Speaker Mitchell Powell
Pratt, "Gender
Quiz," "Frostbite," "Blade," "Palace," "Bathroom," "Border" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Bornstein, Excerpts
from Gender Outlaw (E-Reserves/Reader)
Kai, "To
Be Poor and Transgender" (Disch 64-69)
Wilham, "Police
Theorize Prostitute Killed for Being a Man," ABQ Journal 1/7/05 (E-Reserves/Reader)
M 4/25 Multiple
Feminisms
R & C
Chapter 1, pp. 13-30
Seneca
Falls Convention, "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Truth, "Ain't
I a Woman?" & Butler, "The Words of Truth" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Zinn & Dill, "Theorizing
Difference from Multiracial Feminism" (Disch 81-88)
Jaimes & Halsey, "American
Indian Women at the CenterÉ" (Disch 238-244)
W 4/27 Challenges
for Feminist & Men's Movements
Atkin & Rich, "J.A.P.-Slapping" (Disch
61-64)
Allison, "A
Question of Class" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Alexie, "White
Men Can't Drum" (E-Reserves/Reader)
Allen, "Racism,
Sexism and a Million Men" (E-Reserves/Reader)
F 4/29 PAPER
#3 DUE, 2 COPIES
(last
day to drop w/ Dean's approval)
M 5/2 Visions
for the Future
"A World
That is Truly Human," Disch 582-584
Moraga, "La
Guera" (Disch 593-599)
Allen, "Stopping
Sexual Harassment" (Disch 600-609)
NOMAS, "Statement
of Principles" (Disch 610)
W 5/4 Discussion, Conclusions, Exam Review
F 5/6 EXAM 3