SOC 308/WMST 308: The Sociology of Gender
Syllabus
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Instructor: Betsy Erbaugh Office hours: MW 2:15-3:30pm & by appt. Social Sciences 1071 Email (the best way to contact me): erbaugh@unm.edu
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Class website: www.unm.edu/~erbaugh |
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Teaching Assistant: Stacy Keogh Office hours: W 11am-12pm Social Sciences 1063 Office phone: 277-8992 Email: skeogh@unm.edu |
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Course
Objectives and Expectations:
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, science 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 daily life, and how they change. Students will gain tools
for investigating the values and interactive processes associated with gender
socialization.
As an instructor,
I aim to create a learning atmosphere that fosters critical and sociological
thinking, writing, and discussion. I encourage my students to go beyond merely
digesting other peopleÕs ideas to actively engage with the material and to
critique both commonly held assumptions and sociological theories. We live in a
world where gender is created, defined, and renegotiated all around us on a
daily basis. This course is designed as a catalyst for moving toward active
sociological analysis of gender processes. Some of the ideas presented may
challenge your thinking about gender, sexuality, other dimensions of identity
and social issues. If you feel uncomfortable with explicit discussions of
gender and sexuality, heterosexuality and homosexuality, feminism and other movements
for social change, this may not be the class for you. Learning, of course, is
about being open to new ideas and willing to struggle with intellectual and
social contradictions.
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 Stacy 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)
A
Note on Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of passing off someone elseÕs ideas or words
as your own, or using anotherÕs written material in your own work without
crediting the source (Merriam-Webster Online). If you use someone elseÕs 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! ItÕs not worth risking a failing grade or expulsion from the
University. HereÕs 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. 2006. Reconstructing Gender: A Multicultural Anthology. 4th edition. New York: McGraw Hill.
There is an Online Learning Center for this text:
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072997427/student_view0/
3.
Articles available on E-Reserves.
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: (http://www.unm.edu/~erbaugh/Gender06/home.html
Ð 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
308FALL06-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! Makeup
exams 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 2pm 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.
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. Information and application
forms for Panels and Discussion Groups are available on the course website. 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.
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.
M
8/21 What is the Sociology of
Gender?
Review syllabus,
discuss course objectives and expectations
W
8/23 Sex/Gender Systems
Renzetti
and Curran (R&C) Chapter 1, first half (pp. 1-12)
Disch: Preface
(xiii-xvi), General Introduction (1-21)
Johnson,
"Patriarchy, the System" (Disch 91-98)
Week
2 SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONSTRUCTIONS
McIntosh,
"White Privilege" (Disch 71-76)
Taylor,
"How Safe is America?" (Disch 511-513)
Saxon,
"Reproductive Rights: A Disability Rights Issue" (Disch 279-285)
Katz,
"The Invention of Heterosexuality" (E-Reserves, 14 pp.)
W
8/30 Biology & Culture
R&C
Chapter 2
Fausto-Sterling,
"The Bare Bones of Sex" (E-Reserves)
AAPA
Statement on Race: http://www.physanth.org/positions/race.html
M 9/4 Labor Day
- NO CLASS
W
9/6 Sex & Gender in Medical Practice - Video: Intersex: Redefining Sex
Fausto-Sterling,
"The Five Sexes Revisited" (E-Reserves)
Coventry,
"The Tyranny of the Esthetic: Surgery's Most Intimate Violation"
(Disch 203-211)
Visit
ISNA website: http://www.isna.org/
ISNA,
"Shifting the Paradigm" and "Suggestions for Writing"
(E-Reserves)
R&C Chapter
4, first half (73-84)
M
9/11 Childhood
R&C
Chapter 4
Disch,
Intro to Part II, "Gender Socialization," 108-111
Lorber,
"The Social Construction of Gender" (Disch 113-118)
Messner,
"Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities"
(Disch 120-136)
Ortiz
Cofer, "The Myth of the Latin Woman" (Disch 142-146)
W 9/13 STUDENT PANEL A: GENDER
SOCIALIZATION
Socialization
in Schools
R&C
Chapter 5
M
9/18
Disch,
Intro to Part VII, "Education," Disch 346-351
Sadker
& Sadker, "Missing in Interaction" (Disch 354-360)
Kimmel,
"What about the Boys?" (Disch 361-373)
Avicolli,
"He Defies You Still: The Memoirs of a Sissy" (Disch 147-152)
Zia,
"From Nothing, A Consciousness" (Disch 41-47)
W
9/20 EMBODIMENT - ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE - BRING 2 COPIES
TO CLASS
Disch
Intro to Part III, "Embodiment," 155-159
Saltzberg
& Chrisler, "Beauty is the Beast" (Disch 162-170)
Silko,
"Yellow Woman & a Beauty of the Spirit" (Disch 173-175)
Haubegger,
"I'm Not Fat, I'm Latina" (Disch 201-202)
Nelson,
"Who's the Fairest of Them All?" (Disch 137-141)
Week 6
M
9/25 Embodiment (cont.), Exam
Review
Disch
176-200:
Thompson,
"A Way Outa No Way"
Staples,
"Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His PowerÉ"
Kriegel,
"Taking It"
MacDonald,
"Do You Remember Me?"
W
9/27 EXAM
1
M 10/2 R&C Chapter 6
W
10/4 Media Images & Stereotypes
"Communication,"
Disch 212-213
Byrd,
"Claiming Jezebel" (Disch 239-247)
Fong-Torres,
"Why Are There No Male Asian Anchormen on TV?" (Disch 425-430)
Fung,
"Looking for My Penis: The Eroticized Asian in Gay Video Porn"
(E-Reserves)
NYTimes,
"As GI Joe Bulks Up, Concern for the 98-Pound Weakling" (E-Reserves)
M
10/9 Intimate Relationships, Family Violence
R&C
Chapter 7
Graff,
"What is Marriage For?" (Disch 341-345)
W
10/11 STUDENT PANEL B: HOUSEWORK & PARENTING
Disch,
Intro to Part VI, "Families" (299-302)
Rubin,
"The Transformation of Family Life" (Disch 304-313)
Gerson,
"Dilemmas of Involved Fatherhood" (Disch 321-329)
Douglas
& Michaels, "The New Momism" (Disch 226-237)
M 10/16 Sexualities
"Sexuality,"
Disch 257-261
Stoltenberg,
"How Men Have (a) Sex" (Disch 264-273)
Kimmel
& Messner, "Actual Size!" (E-Reserves)
Lawrence
v. Texas excerpt (E-Reserves)
Rust,
"The Impact of Multiple Marginalization" (Disch 285-291)
Lorde,
"Uses of the Erotic" (Disch 293-298)
W
10/18 Economy & Employment
R&C Chapter
8
Week 10 ECONOMY, WELFARE & EMPLOYMENT
M 10/23 U.S.
Welfare State & Affirmative Action Debates
Reskin,
"The Effects of Affirmative Action..." (Disch 430-439)
Hays, "The
'Success' of Welfare Reform" (Disch 401-412)
W 10/25 STUDENT
PANEL C: GENDER IN THE WORKPLACE
Disch,
Intro to Part VIII, "Paid Work and Unemployment," 395-399
Crittenden,
"60 Cents to a Man's Dollar" (Disch 417-422)
Ehrenreich
& Hochschild, "Global Woman" (Disch 443-451)
Zarembka,
"America's Dirty Work" (Disch 453-462)
Week 11 GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
M
10/30 U.S. Institutions in the Context of Globalization
R
& C Chapter 10 (note we're reading chapters out of order)
Enloe,
"The Globetrotting Sneaker" (Disch 462-469)
W 11/1 Militarism
& Global Politics - ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE - BRING 2 COPIES
Petchesky,
"Reflections on Global Governance" (Disch 99-106)
Enloe,
"Wielding Masculinity inside Abu Ghraib" (Disch 514-522)
Connell,
"Masculinities and Globalization" (E-Reserves)
Steinem,
"If Women Had a Foreign Policy" (E-Reserves)
Start
Film: The Life & Times of Rosie the Riveter
Week 12
M 11/6 Finish
Film & Discussion, Exam Review
W 11/8
EXAM
2
Week 13 CRIME
& VIOLENCE
M
11/13 Criminal "Justice?"
R&C
Chapter 9
Ward &
Marable, "Toward a New Civic Leadership" (Disch 613-620)
W
11/15 Cultural & Structural Violence
Espada,
"The Puerto Rican Dummy and the Merciful Son" (Disch 31-41)
Disch,
Intro to Part IX, "Violence," Disch 470-475
Kaye/Kantrowitz,
"Women, Violence, and Resistance" (Disch 478-487)
Zia,
"Where Race and Gender Meet" (Disch 496-499)
Sidel,
"Conflict Within the Ivory Tower" (Disch 376-386)
M 11/20 The Medical Establishment &
Health-Based Movements
R&C
Chapter 12 (note we're reading chapters out of order)
Sabo,
"Masculinities and Men's Health" (Disch 541-555)
Steingraber,
"Why the Precautionary Principle?" (Disch 572-575)
Campo,
"Does Silencio = Muerte?" (Disch 582-588)
W 11/22
(Thanksgiving
Break)
R
& C Chapter 11
Cisneros,
"Guadalupe the Sex Goddess" (E-Reserves)
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
MOVEMENTS FOR
SOCIAL CHANGE
W 11/29 Transgender
- Guest Lecturer Jordon Johnson
Pratt,
"Gender Quiz," "Frostbite," "Blade,"
"Palace," "Bathroom," "Border" (E-Reserves)
Prosser, Intro
to Second Skins
(E-Reserves)
Kai, "To Be
Poor and Transgender" (Disch 589-594)
Week 16
M 12/4 Multiple
Feminisms - ASSIGNMENT #3 DUE - BRING 2 COPIES TO CLASS
R&C
Chapter 1, second half (pp. 12-28)
Seneca
Falls Convention, "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions"
(E-Reserves)
Truth,
"Ain't I a Woman?" & Butler, "The Words of Truth"
(E-Reserves)
Zinn
& Dill, "Theorizing Difference from Multiracial Feminism" (Disch
81-88)
Jaimes &
Halsey, "American Indian Women at the CenterÉ" (Disch 605-611)
hooks,
"Global Feminism" (E-Reserves)
W 12/6 Visions
for the Future
"A
World That is Truly Human," Disch 595-597
NOMAS,
"Statement of Principles" (Disch 598)
Allen,
"Stopping Sexual Harassment" (Disch 501-510)
Arditti,
"Women's Human Rights" (Disch 627-639)
EXAM 3 Monday, December 11, 5:30-7:30pm