The Psychology of Gender (Psy 329)
Spring 2014 Syllabus
General Course Information
Instructor:Dr. Wind Goodfriend
Office: SSA 204
Email:
Phone: 749-2108
Office hours: Tuesdays 1:30-4:30
You may always make an appointment to see me.
Class Info:
Where: SSA 219
When: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 12:00-1:15 PM
This course is a Gender & Women’s Studies class and counts toward that minor.
Class Website:
Log in, choose Psyc 329. This site will grant you access to announcements, grades, and course documents such as readings.
Texts: Colapinto, J. (2000). As nature made him: The boy who was raised as a girl.
Perkins Gilman, C. (1915). Herland.
Please note, several articles and book chapters are also required. These are provided for
you on the Angel website.
Objectives and Goals
There are three main goals for this course: (1) to examine gender issues from a psychological perspective, including scientific literature on these issues; (2) to examine ways in which women have been treated differently than men in a variety of contexts, and how that different treatment relates to social roles and power; and (3) to allow you, as a student in the class, to explore your own opinions and views about gender topics.
Many topics in this course can be of a controversial nature. Please note that I expect the general rule of class to be one of mutual respect. Please respect me by coming to class on time, not sleeping or reading the newspaper in class, and not packing up your materials 10 minutes before the end of lecture. I will respect you by attempting to be as fair and professional as possible. Please respect each other by remembering that everyone has a right to his or her opinions and choices.If you are disrespectful, I will ask you to leave. If you do not leave, I will call security.
TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES (unless you speak to the instructor in advance for emergency purposes). NO LAPTOP COMPUTERS or ARE ALLOWED.I will subtract 5 points from your grade if I see you use an electronic device in class.
Course Evaluation
Course grades will be determined by dividing your points earned by the total possible; grades will be on a standard Plus/Minus scale.
Your grade will be based on the following components:
Midterm Exam100 points possible
Final Exam100 points possible
Herland paper50 points possible
As Nature paper50 points possible
Event 1 paper15 points
Event 2 paper15 points
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330 points total
Note: You may write an additional Event paper for up to 10 points of extra credit. See below for details.
Note: According to ADA Law, BVU provides reasonable appropriate accommodations through an organized process. Students are responsible to advocate for themselves and to provide adequate documentation. Students requesting accommodations must follow this process. Contact Donna Musel, Director of the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) and go to
to download appropriate forms.
NO CHEATING OR ACADEMIC DISHONESTY OF ANY TYPE WILL BE TOLERATED.
Grade Components
1)Exams
There will be 2 exams, a Midterm and a Final. The final exam will NOT be cumulative; it will cover only the material in the second half of class. The exams will cover all lecture material and class activities (including films) for a given course section. Exams will consist of a variety of question types, including mostly essay plus a few other things such as fill in the blank or multiple choice.
If you will be gone on an exam day, you must inform the instructorat least 2 days before the exam. You must provide documentation of why you will be absent and arrange an alternate time to take the exam. If you miss an exam because of an emergency or illness, you must contact the instructor that day by 5:00 pm. You will also have to provide written documentation (for example, a doctor’s note if you are ill). For funerals, you will be required to show documentation of the death.You will then have to arrange another time to take the exam as soon as possible. The format of the exam may change upon the instructor’s discretion (for example, different essay questions).
Tentative dates for both exams are on the final page of the syllabus.
General Note About All Papers:
All paper assignments for this class should be typed, double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins on all sides.Papers are due AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS THAT DAY. Late papers will be penalized 4 points for each day late (including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, including 15 minutes into the class period the day they are due).
When papers are graded, points will be awarded both for answering the questions in detail and for things like grammar, spelling, flow of the communication, an introduction and conclusion, etc.
Each paper has a minimum # of pages. Pages mean FULL pages. So if a paper minimum is three pages, that means three FULL PAGES of writing, not two pages and one line on the third page. The first page of your paper should also not be full of extra space due to unnecessary junk at the top, such as the date, name of the class, etc. All you need is your name and maybe a paper title.
2) Book Analyses on Herland and As Nature Made Him
You will read both the book Herlandand As Nature Made Him and write analyses of each book. The purpose of this paper is to have you integrate two different types of books (one fantasy fiction and one biography) with the class material. Each paper is worth 50 points and should be a minimum of four full pages long. There is no maximum.
To write the paper, include the following:
Summarize the book (2-3 paragraphs ONLY!! I read the book; I want to know if you
did).
Relate the book to THREE topics from class. Be specific. This is the most important
part of the assignment. Be creative, thoughtful, and thorough. You should explain the topic from class first, then explain how the book integrated the topic. You might want to include direct quotes from the book to illustrate your ideas.
What was the best or most powerful/effective part of the book, in your opinion? You
may use “first person” if you’d like.
What was the worst or most boring/ineffective part of the book? You may use “first
person” if you’d like.
Be sure to include an introduction and conclusion (one paragraph each). Again, be
creative. Don’t start your paper with something boring like, “I read the book. Now I’m going to talk about it.”
Points will be awarded using the following structure for both book papers:
Introduction and Conclusion: 4 points
Summary of the book:7 points
Relation to class material:21points
What you liked/effective part:5 points
What you didn’t like:5 points
Spelling/grammar:3points
Quality of communication:5points
Note that if you wish, you may turn in a rough draft of either paper (or both). Due dates are on the final page of the syllabus.
3) Event Reaction Papers
Over the course of the semester, there are five events related to gender issues occurring on campus. You are required to attend TWO of these events and write a reaction paper. These papers are each worth 15 points and should be a minimum of two full pages long.
The five events from which you may choose appear on the next page of the syllabus. Due dates for the papers vary, but are listed on the schedule shown on the final page of the syllabus.
To write the paper, include the following:
Relate the event to at least one (if not more) specific topic from class. Explain the
topic, then explain how the event related to that topic.
Tell me one part or aspect of the event you particularly enjoyed or found educational.
Explain why. If you’re writing about a film, write about the material within the film itself, not something about the room, the popcorn, etc.
Tell me something you felt could have been improved about the event. What an aspect
of the event ineffective, offensive, etc.? Or, maybe the event was fine, but something was missing. You might mention an additional aspect that could be added to the event to make it better. If you’re writing about a film, again, write about the material within the film itself.
Note: You may choose to attend three events and write three papers. If you do this, the third event paper will count for up to 10 points of extra credit.
Points will be awarded using the following structure for event papers:
Relation to class material:7points
What you liked/effective part:4 points
Suggested improvement:4 points
Five Events – you can use any of these campus events for your event papers. Paper due dates are shown on the schedule on the final page of the syllabus.
1. February 20th, 7:00-9:00 pm, Forum 2: GWST Film Series: “Brokeback Mountain”
In 1963, two young men (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) hire on as ranch hands in the Wyoming mountains. During the long months of isolation, an unusual bond develops between them, one which they are only vaguely aware of -- until one night when it rises to the surface in a passionate encounter. Thus begins a decades-long affair that the two of them desperately try to hide from those around them -- one which will prove simultaneously beautiful and devastating.
2. March 11th, 7:00-9:00 pm, Anderson Auditorium: ACES “Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity”
Dr. Jackson Katz is an educator, author, filmmaker and social theorist who has long been recognized as one of America's leading anti-sexist male activists. In this lecture, Jackson Katz uses clips from his film, Tough Guise, to illustrate how mainstream media images—from sports, television, Hollywood film, and music video—help to promote violent masculinity as a cultural norm.
3. April 3rd, 7:00-9:00 pm, Forum 2: GWST Film Series: “Notes on a Scandal”
Barbara Covett (played by Judi Dench), a history teacher at a high school in London, takes a voyeuristic delight in recording the actions of those around her in her diary in minute detail. When Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), an attractive woman in her mid-thirties, is hired as the school's art teacher, Barbara uncovers a secret: that Sheba and one of her students, Steven, have a sexual relationship.
4. April 9th, 4:00-6:00 pm, Hansen 8: ACES “$tart $mart Salary Negotiation Workshop”
In the U.S., the median wage gap between women and men is about 23 cents. $tart $mart Salary Negotiation Workshops provide college students - especially women - who are approaching the job market with knowledge and skills to negotiate salaries and benefits so that they receive fair and realistic compensation.
5. May 8th, 7:00-9:00 pm, Forum 2: GWST Film Series: “Hysteria”
'Hysteria' is a lighthearted romantic comedy based on the surprising truth of how Dr. Mortimer Granville came up with the world's first electro-mechanical vibrator. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy lead an accomplished cast in this untold tale of Victorian discovery.
Psy 329 Course Schedule
This schedule is tentative; topics may take more or less time than expected. Changes will be announced in class.
Reading assignments will also be announced in class. If you miss class, you are responsible for finding out if a reading is due the following class period.
DATE / EVENT OR WHAT’S DUETuesday, Feb 25 / Event Option #1 paper due
Thursday, March 13 / Event Option #2 paper due
Tuesday, March 18 / Midterm Essay Exam
Thursday, April 3 / OPTIONAL rough draft of Herland
Tuesday, April 8 / Event Option #3 paper due
Thursday, April 10 / Herland paper
Tuesday, April 15 / Event Option #4 paper due
Tuesday, May 6 / OPTIONAL rough draft of As Nature Made Him paper
Tuesday, May 13 / As Nature Made Him paper
Event Option #5 paper due
Wed, May 21 / Final Essay Exam (10:15-12:15 am)
Here’s a basic order of the topics we’re going to cover in class. I can’t predict how long each will take, as I want to be flexible to spend more/less time on each topic, as the class desires. Remember that you will have additional readings from book chapters and articles for some of these topics. Those will be available on Angel as .pdf files. Reading due dates will be announced in class.
Gender Construction & Gender Typing
The Male Role
Love Relationships
Self-Sexualization/Objectification of Women
Sexual Harassment
Types of Sexism, Reactions to Sexism
Sexual Orientation
Intersexed Individuals
Sexual Satisfaction & Sexual Fetishes
Sex Trafficking
Sexual Crimes: Assault, and Rape
Relationship Violence (aka domestic assault or spousal abuse)