Psychology of Gender

Psychology 264; WGSS 264

Fall 2011

Professor: Joan Ostrove Olin-Rice 325 696-6775 ostrove@macalester.edu http://www.macalester.edu/~ostrove/

Office hours: Wednesdays, 1–3 p.m., and by appointment

Welcome to the Psychology of Gender! Although the existence of the psychology of gender as a specific way of thinking about and doing work in the field of psychology has only existed officially since around the time of the second wave of the U.S. women’s movement (that is, the early 1970s), its conceptual and empirical reach is both deep and wide and its history is (relatively) long. The emergence of the psychology of gender in the U.S. was deeply influenced by feminism and the women’s movement; feminist perspectives will therefore be very prominent in this course. Because gender operates and exists in virtually every dimension of our lives, pretty much every way of thinking about and doing psychology can also involve or be informed by an analysis of gender. This class will introduce you to only some of the myriad ways in which psychologists and people in related disciplines have begun to understand the biological, psychological, social, and cultural meanings and implications of gender and its intersections with class, race, physical ability, sexuality, etc. It is my expectation that you will be excited, challenged, frustrated, annoyed, and maybe occasionally bored by and with the material in the class. I hope you will be inspired to learn more about and delve more deeply into this fascinating and important way of thinking about psychology.

Goals

· Understand a variety of feminist perspectives on psychology and psychological research

· Understand and analyze the ways in which theorists and researchers address issues of sexism and other forms of discrimination that affect people’s psychological experiences

· Apply knowledge beyond the classroom by analyzing the world around you using tools and concepts developed in this course

Requirements

It is your primary responsibility to come to class prepared, having read and thought about the readings for the day. This is a relatively reading-heavy course for an intermediate-level class, and you will be reading quite a bit of the “primary” literature in psychology (that is, you will be reading original research, not just summaries of it like you will read in the text book). I don’t expect you to understand everything you’re reading (especially the sections of papers that describe the statistical analyses of data), but I do expect you to make your best attempt to read everything that is assigned and to ask questions in class or come to me for help when you don’t understand something or would like additional assistance. During class time, participation may mean a lot of different things: sharing your ideas and thoughts; listening well to others’ ideas; asking questions; connecting the course material to issues in your life or the lives of other people you know, and/or to issues on campus and in the world, etc.

In addition, the course has the following requirements:

• Essay #1: This assignment will allow you the opportunity to examine an aspect of how people are socialized with respect to gender in more depth. A handout describing this assignment in fuller detail will be posted on the course Moodle site.
• Essay #2: This essay will focus on ways in which discrimination related to gender and other dimensions of identity is related to the body. A fuller description of the assignment will be posted later in the semester on the Moodle site
• Gender and work analysis: For this assignment, you will do some research about how a particular industry or workplace is “gendered.” Again, more details will follow, but be prepared to share your findings in class on November 3^rd.
• Reaction papers: Four times over the course of the semester (dates noted in the schedule, below), you will provide a written (1.5-2 page) reaction to the readings for that day. This is not intended as a summary of what you’ve read, but as a chance for you to tell me what you thought about it: what questions did the readings raise for you? What connections did you make to other things you’re learning or to your life experience? What was interesting about the reading? What was problematic? You do not have to answer all (or even any!) of these questions, they are simply a starting point for your thinking about the readings.
• Final project: For the final project, you will either develop an intervention related to a topic in the psychology of gender or review the work of a prominent researcher in the field, in more depth. A handout describing the final assignment (due Dec 16^th) in fuller detail will be posted on the course Moodle site. You will hand in a proposal and a list of references for your final project on November 22^nd.

Assignment	Percentage of final grade
Participation	5%
Essay #1 (gender socialization)	20%
Essay #2 (gendered bodies)	25%
Gender in the workplace	5%
Reaction papers	10%
Final project proposal and outline	5%
Final project	30%

The following required books are available at the campus bookstore:

• Crawford, Mary (2006). Transformations: Women, gender, and psychology. Boston: McGraw Hill.
• Jensen, Robert (2007). Getting off: Pornography and the end of masculinity. Cambridge, MA: South End Press.
• Yoshino, Kenji (2006). Covering: The hidden assault on our civil rights. NY: Random House.

The following readings are available on the course Moodle site:

• Chae, D. H., & Ayala, G. (2010). Sexual orientation and sexual behavior among Latino and Asian Americans: Implications for unfair treatment and psychological distress. Journal of Sex Research, 47, 451-459.
• Fiske, S. T. (1993). Controlling other people: The impact of power on stereotyping. American Psychologist, 48, 621-628.
• Garland-Thomson, R. (2005). Feminist disability studies. Signs, 30, 1557-1587.
• Kafer, A. (2004). Inseparable: Gender and disability in the amputee-devotee community. In B. G. Smith and B. Hutchison (Eds.). Gendering disability (pp. 107-118). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
• Landrine, H., Klonoff, E. A., & Brown-Collins, A. (1992). Cultural diversity and methodology in feminist psychology: Critique, proposal, empirical example. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 16, 145-163.
• Martin, K. A. (1998). Becoming a gendered body: Practices of preschools. American Sociological Review, 63, 494-511.
• Martin, K. A. (2009). Normalizing heterosexuality: Mothers’ assumptions, talk, and strategies with young children. American Sociological Review, 74, 190-207.
• Morgan, E. M., Thorne, A., & Zurbriggen, E. L. (2010). A longitudinal study of conversations with parents about sex and dating during college. Developmental Psychology, 46, 139-150.
• Phoenix, A., Frosh, S., & Pattman, R. (2003). Producing contradictory masculine subject positions: Narratives of threat, homophobia and bullying in 11-14 year old boys. Journal of Social Issues, 59, 179-195.
• Rivera, E. (2009). Insatiable: A young mother’s struggle with anorexia. NY: Penguin Books.
• Schick, V. R., Zucker, A. N., & Bay-Cheng, L. Y. (2008). Safer, better sex through feminism: The role of feminist ideology in women’s sexual well-being. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32, 225-232.
• Shapiro, D. N., Peterson, C., & Stewart, A. J. (2009). Legal and social contexts and mental health among lesbian and heterosexual mothers. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 255-262.
• Thompson, B. W. (1992/2003). “A way outa no way”: Eating problems among African-American, Latina, and White women. In E. Disch (Ed.). Reconstructing gender: A multicultural anthology (pp. 178-192). Boston: McGraw Hill.
• Tolman, D. L., Impett, E. A., Tracy, A. J., & Michael, A. (2006). Looking good, sounding good: Femininity ideology and adolescent girls’ mental health. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30, 85-95.
• Wilson, D. J. (2004). Fighting polio like a man: Intersections of masculinity, disability, and aging. In B. G. Smith and B. Hutchison (Eds.). Gendering disability (pp. 119-133). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
• Wood, E., Desmarais, S., & Gugula, S. (2002). The impact of parenting experience on gender stereotyped toy play of children. Sex Roles, 47, 39-49.
• Zia, H. (2003). Where race and gender meet: Racism, hate crimes, and pornography. In E. Disch (Ed.). Reconstructing gender: A multicultural anthology (pp. 503-506). Boston: McGraw Hill.
• Zucker, A. N., & Landry, L. J. (2007). Embodied discrimination: The relation of sexism and distress to women’s drinking and smoking behaviors. Sex Roles, 56, 193-203.
• Zurbriggen, E. (2010). Rape, war, and the socialization of masculinity: Why our refusal to give up war ensures that rape cannot be eradicated. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34, 538-549.

Class schedule (subject to change!)

DATE	TOPIC	ASSIGNMENT
Th, 9/8	Introduction to course and each other
Tu, 9/13	What is the psychology of gender?	Crawford, Ch 1
Th, 9/15	Meanings of difference, continued	Crawford, Ch 4 Landrine et al. RP #1 due
Tu, 9/20	Gender, status, and power	Crawford, Ch 2
Th, 9/22	Meanings and implications of sex and gender	Crawford, Ch 5
Tu, 9/27	Growing up gendered	Crawford, Ch 6
Th, 9/29	No class: Rosh Hashanah
Tu, 10/4	Childhood	Martin (1998) Wood et al.
Th, 10/6	Adolescence	Phoenix et al. Tolman et al. Morgan et al. RP #2 due
Tu, 10/11	Constructing sexuality	Crawford, Ch 8 Kafer
Th, 10/13	Constructing sexuality, continued Tonight at 8 p.m.: “I ¤ Orgasm”	Martin (2009) Chae & Ayala Shapiro et al.
Tu, 10/18	Gendered bodies	Crawford, Ch 7 Essay #1 due
Th, 10/20	Gendered bodies, continued	Garland-Thomson Wilson
Tu, 10/25	Bodies, health, and food Guest: Erica Rivera	Thompson Rivera RP #3 due
Th, 10/27	No class: Fall break
Tu, 11/1	Work	Crawford, Ch 11
Th, 11/3	Work, continued	Gender and work analysis due
Tu, 11/8	Images and stereotypes	Crawford, Ch 3
Th, 11/10	Film: Killing Us Softly 4	Essay #2 due
Tu, 11/15	Covering (a form of “doing” gender, sexuality, race, etc.?)	Yoshino (to p. 141)
Th, 11/17	Covering, continued	Yoshino (p. 142 to end) Fiske
Tu, 11/22	Guest: Keith Edwards	Final paper proposal due
Th, 11/24	No class: Thanksgiving break
Tu, 11/29	Power and violence	Zurbriggen Zia RP #4 due
Th, 12/1	Pornography and masculinity	Jensen (entire book)
Tu, 12/6	Gender and well-being	Crawford, Ch 13
Th, 12/8	Gender and well-being, continued	Schick et al. Zucker & Landry
Tu, 12/13	Making a difference	Crawford, Ch 14
Fri, 12/16		FINAL PAPER DUE

All assignments must be turned in through the Moodle site. Every assignment is due by 5 p.m. on the date noted, and the Moodle site will not accept late submissions (see the late work policy below).

Course policies:

• Academic integrity: I expect all of you to follow the College’s guidelines regarding academic integrity, outlined in the Student Handbook (http://www.macalester.edu/studentaffairs/studenthandbook/academiclife/academicintegrity.html). Please talk to me if you are not clear how these guidelines apply to the course. I will report any violation of academic integrity to the Director of Academic Programs. Academic dishonesty usually results in at least a failing grade on the assignment, and a second instance of dishonesty may result in a failing grade in the course.
• Late work: You may not receive extensions on work in the class, except in the most extraordinary circumstances (in which case you will need documentation from the Dean of Students Office or Health Services). Work that is turned in late for any other reason will have a third of a grade taken off for each day that it is late (e.g., a B+ would become a B if you hand in an essay or your final paper any time after the exact time that it is due – the “day late” begins immediately after the time the assignment is due; you may not turn in late work via Moodle so I strongly encourage you not to turn in late work as you will have to negotiate an alternative arrangement with me).
• Incompletes: I will only grant incompletes under extraordinary circumstances that occur in the second part of the semester. This will not include being really busy at the end of the semester.
• Written assignments: Please type, double-spaced with 12-point font, all of your written assignments for this course. Please do not use margins that are larger than 1 inch – all around. Don’t use smaller margins, or smaller font, either – length is not necessarily strength!

· Accommodations for students with disabilities: I will provide any reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities that will assist in making this course accessible and will provide an optimal educational experience for everyone. Please speak to me at the beginning of the semester so that we can make an effective plan. See http://www.macalester.edu/studentaffairs/disabilityservices/ for additional information and assistance.

• Religious observance: If you will miss class because of a religious observance, please let me know in advance to make alternate arrangements.

· Cell phones: Please turn your cell phones and other mobile devices off or to a (completely) silent (vibrate is not silent!) mode while in class. Except under extraordinary circumstances, you may not make or accept phone calls or text messages during class. If you know you are expecting a call or text in an emergency situation, please try to let me know in advance of class that this may happen. If you must take a call, do so quietly outside of the classroom.

Grading:

Below are the guidelines I follow when assigning grades to essays and final papers. I use plusses and minuses when the work falls in between the qualities associated with each letter grade. Grades are based both on content and on writing style. I encourage you to ask for help from me, the MAX Center, or any other reasonable source if you’d like assistance with writing. Please acknowledge resources you use in a footnote to your paper.

• “A” grades are assigned to outstanding papers. These papers reflect a deep engagement with ideas, insightful analysis, and excellent mastery of the material from the course. Argumentation is logical and coherent, as well as well-documented. The paper addresses all aspects of the assignment fully and clearly. Finally, these “A” papers are well-written with respect to style and grammar.
• “B” grades are assigned to papers that demonstrate good understanding of the material, are coherently written, and that contain some insightful ideas. Sometimes “B” papers contain some really good ideas, but do not put things together as elegantly as they could. Other times all of the aspects of the assignment are there, but the ideas are not particularly innovative.
• “C” grades are given to papers that do not adequately cover the assignment, demonstrate that the material was not fully understood, and/or have problems with writing style. Sometimes “C” papers have some really good parts, mixed in with some parts that seem like they were not well-thought out. Papers with consistent grammatical or stylistic problems may receive a “C.”
• “D” grades are assigned to papers/essays that have serious problems – parts of the assignment are totally missing or are really incomplete, the writing is full of errors, the material was seriously misunderstood.

o “NC” grades are hardly ever given if a student has put even some work into the paper/essay. However, if the content is totally irrelevant, or the writing is such that it is simply impossible for me to follow the arguments, then I would assign a failing grade.