Spring, 2000
Tuesday & Thursday 1:10-3:00
Kim Dolgin, Instructor
TEXTS
Gender: Psychological Perspectives, 2nd Edition, by Linda Brannon.. 1999. Published by Allyn & Bacon.
Thinking Critically about Research on Sex and Gender, by Paula Caplan and Jeremy Caplan. 1994. Published by Harper Collins.
In addition to the text chapters, there will be fairly extensive outside readings. Each week 3-4 students will be required to read one of the articles on reserve in the psychology department, write a short synopsis of it, and come prepared to discuss it in class. The articles each week present a range of opinions on the issue in question.
COURSE CONTENT
Week 1 They’re Stupid, Child-like and Hysterical: Psychology’s Early and Not-so-Early Views of Women
Text: Brannon, Chapter 1, The Study of Gender
Caplan & Caplan, Chapter 2, A Brief Historical Perspective on
Sex-Difference Research.
Week 2 It Ain’t Easy: Methodological Issues in The Study of Gender
Text: Brannon, Chapter 2, Researching Sex and Gender
Caplan & Caplan, Chapter 3, Using the Scientific Method to Study Sex and
Gender
Week 4 It Ain’t Easy: Methodological Issues in The Study of Gender
Text: Brannon, Chapter 2, Researching Sex and Gender
Caplan & Caplan, Chapter 3, Using the Scientific Method to Study Sex and
Gender
Week 6 You are What You’re Taught: Social Learning and Gender Role Explanations of Gender Differences
Text:Brannon, Chapter 7, Gender Development 2: Social Theories
Everyone will also read Socializing Forces, Chapter 7 of Gender; Stereotypes and Roles, 3rd Edition, By S. Basow\
Week 7 Real Women Don't Do Math: Gender Differences in Cognitive and Intellectual Abilities
Text: Brannon, Chapter 5, Intelligence and Mental Abilities
Caplan & Caplan, Chapters 4, 5 and 10: Sex differences in spaitial abilities,
Are boys better than girls at math?, and Do females have better
verbal abilities than males?
Week 8 Are Women Soft-Hearted and Men Hard-Headed?Gender Differences in Personality, Morality, and Emotional Expressivity
Text: Brannon, Chapter 6, pages 131-136 and Chapter 9, Emotion,
except for
pages 195-200 and 210-213.
Capaln & Caplan, Chapter 7, Sex differences in aggression
Week 9 Women in Relationships: Friends and Lovers
Texts: Brannon, Chapter 10, first half, Relationships
Caplan & Caplan, Chapter 11, Should women's relational abilities be
called dependency?
Dolgin, Men's Friendhsips: Mismeasured, demenaed, and misunderstood?
Week 10 Women in Relationships: Wives and Mothers
Texts: Brannon, Chapter 10, second half, Relationships and Chapter 9, pp.
195-200
Caplan and Caplan, Chapter 8, Mother-blame
Texts: Brannon, Chapter 11, Sexuality, except pp. 275-281
Week 12 Violence is a Women’s Issue: Rape, Spouse Abuse, Stalking
Text: Brannon, Chapter 9, pp. 210-213 and Chapter 11, pp. 275-281
Everyone will also read Spousal Abuse, from Family Violence by H.
Wallace and Male Violence Against Women: Current Reserach and
Future Directions, by Goodman, Koss, Fitzgerald, Russo, and Keita.
Week 13 I’m Under Stress so I Think I’ll Go Beat Up on Myself: Gender Differences in Psychopathology
Texts: Brannon, Chapter 14, Stress, coping, and psychopathology.
Week 14 We All Think We’re Fat: Women’s Body Image and Health/Diet Issues
Texts: Brannon, Chapter 13, Health and Fitness
Week 15 A Helping Hand: Nonsexist Therapy, Feminist Therapy, and Assertiveness Training
Texts: Brannon, Chapter 15, Treatment for mental disorders
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Class Participation and Synopses:
Seminars work only if everyone
participates, and so I will feel free to direct questions to any and all of you. I reserve
the right to add or subtract up to 7% on or off of your final grade based upon your
class participation. Three times each semester you will assigned an article to read
for Thursday’s class; you will need to summarize it for the class (3-4 minutes) and
prepare a synopsis for me. The first sentence should describe the article (theoretical,
research report, etc.) and describe its main finding/purpose. The bulk of the paragraph
should list the most interesting and important points in the article. Finally, give a one
or two sentence critique of the quality of the article. I will grade them on a check,
check-plus, check-minus basis, zero basis. These articles will be assigned one or two
weeks in advance of the day on which we will discuss them. The oral presentation and
write-ups will, in sum, be worth 12% of your final grade.
2. Bi-Weekly Quizzes:
Most of the class’ time will be
spent discussing the assigned readings, and we will all be wasting our time if many of you
haven’t read them at all or very carefully. To help eliminate this possibility, on
each of 8 weeks of the semester I will begin the class with a brief quiz. The quizzes will
be easy if you are prepared, and killers if you are not. You will be allowed to use your
notes for the quizzes, but not open the texts. Everyone can drop their lowest quiz score
(or, if you miss a class with a quiz, the zero won’t count). Each of 7 quizzes that
will count will be worth 3% of your final grade, for a total of 21%.
3. Exams:
There will be 2 exams in this class: a midterm
and a non-comprehensive final. The midterm and final will each be worth 24% of your
class grade. The exams will include short answer and essay questions. There will probably
be some choice of questions on both exams.
4. Major Project:
Each student must complete some project
relevant to the course material. The project may take several forms. First, you can write
an integrative essay in which you synthesize information learned in the class. In other
words, you might choose to critique biological explanations of gender differences. If you
do this, I expect that you will do additional library research, but you will primarily be
graded upon your thoughts and insight. Alternatively, you can do a "straight"
library research paper. As a third choice, you can do some sort of empirical study.
Each student will present a 5-7 minute
oral report to the class. (Painful for many, but good practice.) Since there are about
15-20 people in the class, I would like to see 3-4 people give these oral reports on each
of the last 6 classes. (The written reports won't be due until the last day of class,
regardless of when you do your oral report.) I'll be looking for volunteers for the
earlier of the slots, but, if we can't them, I will randomly assign students for these
days. Actually, I think it is probably a good thing to get your project finished early in
any case: you don't want to end up in a crunch with finals.
The projects will be worth 19%
of your final grade. In addition, I will evaluate your oral presentation, and it will
figure into your participation grade.
Extra Credit Option
LATENESS AND MAKE-UP POLICY
I expect you to take the
exams when they are scheduled and to hand in the synopses and project on time. If you
cannot take an exam because of an emergency or an illness, call and let me know
beforehand. It is your responsibility to reach me; as a last resort, you can call and
leave a message on PhoneMail. If you call, then on the first available day you will be
given a make-up exam which will be at least as hard as the in-class exams. If you do not
call, you will be docked 7% for each day you are late in contacting me, and on the first
available day you will be given an essay exam which is harder than the in-class exams.
The write-ups are due at the beginning of
class; they will not be accepted late, nor will I take them if you miss most of class and
then breathlessly run-in during the last five minutes with write-up in hand. In order for
the write-up to be accepted, you must have been in class and able to participate as we
were discussing the readings.
You will be docked 7%/day for each day
that the project is late.
HONORS
Honors will be awarded for satisfactory completion of some project beyond the normal requirements listed above, provided the student has earned a grade of B or better in the course. An additional or expanded project in which you compare two different methodologies – feminist vs. more traditional – or in which you vary a factor that is said to influence the magnitude of gender differences would be fantastic! See me before the midterm if you plan to work towards Honors. Please consider it!
REVIEW OF GRADING
1. Quizzes: 7 @ 3% each 21%
2. Synopses: 3 @ 4% each 12%
3. Midterm:
24%
4. Final:
24%
5. Project:
19%
100%
Remember: participation can add or subtract up to 7% from your final average.
How and When to Reach Me
Phone: X3809
Office: 52C Phillips Hall
Office Hours: I am in from about 8:15 to 4:15 most days. I don’t keep "official office hours" since no one ever pays attention to them. I have an open door policy, so feel free to pop your head in whenever you need to speak to me. (I have an 11 MWF and a TR 10-12 class this semester, so don’t try me then.) You can probably easily catch me right after class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you need more than a minute or two, it’s probably best to make an appointment so that the time is reserved for you and I’m not busy with someone else. To make an appointment, call Mary Ann Nelson at X3800. Also, feel free to e-mail me at kgdolgin; I check my e-mail at least a dozen times per day and can usually get back to you quickly.
Psychology of Women Questions for Week 10
Brannon, Chapter 10, Relationships, 2nd half
1. Describe the three marriage models proposed by Cancian. How do they fit into Steinberg’s scheme?
2. What do boys value in a dating partner? Girls?
3. Who holds more traditional views of marriage and how does this change over time?
4. Who wants more to get married, and who benefits more from it? Consider racial differences here.
5. Why do men and women have trouble communicating, even (or especially) when married?
6. What factors effect the division of household labor? How equivalent is it?
7. Characterize men’s and women’s typical chores. Who has the better deal?
8. How egalitarian are marriages in terms of shared power? Are there ethnic differences?
9. What exactly does (or does not) equal power mean?
10. What role does money and employment play in marital roles?
11. What is the relationship between equality and conflict? physical abuse?
12. What factors do/do not predict which marriages will fail?
13. Why do men and women believe that their marriages have failed?
14 Who initiates most divorces?
15. Whose situation is better post-divorce? Who is happier or more content with their situation?
Caplan and Caplan, Chapter 8, Mothre Blame
1. How do you feel about Caplan & Caplan’s claim that something as complex as mothering can never be studied?
2. What use does it serve to blame mothers and families, rather than poverty or society, for a person’s problems?
3. Why are mothers blamed more than fathers? Do you find it reasonable?
4. By saying mothers are to blame, aren’t you condemning fathers as well?
5. List the four Perfect Mother myths.
6. List the four Bad Mother Myths.
7. Do you believe in any of the 8 myths? Can you think of instances when you bought into them?