Spring 2006 Dr.

Erin Smith
GST 2300 / SOC 2300 School of General Studies
T/Th 2 – 3:15 p.m. Office: GR 2.208
Phone: (972) 883-2338
http://www.utdallas.edu/~erins e-mail: erins@utdallas.edu

Office Hours: Tues. 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Wed. 2-3:15 p.m.
And by appointment T, W, Th

Introduction to Gender Studies

This course is an introduction to the study of gender as a category for social and cultural analysis. We
will examine the ways gender, sexuality, class, race/ethnicity, and nationality interact to shape our
experiences, our culture, and the social institutions we inhabit. The topics we cover include biological
arguments about gender and sexuality; the cultural construction of gender in different societies; the
psychology of sex roles; the ways gender shapes families, workplaces, and other social institutions; and
cultural representations of gender. We will survey the variety of theories available to us to explain social
inequalities, and examine the roles of individuals and institutions in creating, maintaining, and challenging
them.

Texts:

Michael S. Kimmel, The Gendered Society 2nd ed. (Oxford UP, 2004)
Michael S. Kimmel, The Gendered Society Reader 2nd ed. (Oxford UP, 2004)
Allan Johnson, Privilege, Power and Difference 2nd ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2006)

Readings on e-reserve
All texts available at Off-Campus Books or the UTD bookstore
All readings also available on reserve at McDermott Library

Method of Evaluation:

class participation
6 one-page reading journals
midterm and final exams
two short (3-page) review papers

Policy on Scholastic Dishonesty: I have a zero tolerance policy on cheating and plagiarism. Students
who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the
possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University.
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Course Schedule:

Tues. 10 Jan. – Intro. to Course

Thurs. 12 Jan.

Kimmel, “Introduction,” 1-17

In Our Genes? Biology and Gender

Tues. 17 Jan.

Kimmel, chap. 2, 21-51

Thurs. 19 Jan.

Sapolsky, “Testosterone Rules,” Reader 26-32

Carol Tavris, “The Mismeasure of Woman,” Feminism and Psychology 3.2 (1993): 149-68 (e-reserve)

Gender in Cross-Cultural Context

Tues. 24 Jan.

Kimmel, chap. 3, 52-71

Thurs. 26 Jan.

Mead, “Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies,” Reader 34-39

Peggy Reeves Sanday, “The Socio-Cultural Context of Rape: A Cross-cultural Study,” Journal of Social
Issues 37.4 (1981): 5-27 (e-reserve)

Sex Roles, or How Individuals Learn Gender

Tues. 31 Jan.

Kimmel, chap. 4, 72-92

Thurs. 2 Feb.

Deaux & Major, “A Social-Psychological Model of Gender,” Reader 72-81

Tues. 7 Feb.

Film: You Don’t Know Dick

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The Social Construction of Inequality and Difference

Thurs. 9 Feb.

Kimmel, chap. 5, 93-113

Tues. 14 Feb.

Messerschmidt, “Varieties of ‘Real Men’,” Reader 126-49

West & Zimmerman, “Doing Gender,” Reader 150-68

Power, Privilege and Difference: Interlocking Systems

Thurs. 16 Feb.

Johnson, chap. 1-2, 1-40

Tues. 21 Feb.

Johnson, chap. 3-5, 41-75

Thurs. 23 Feb.

Johnson, chap. 6-7, 76-107

Tues. 28 Feb.

Johnson, chap. 8-9, 108-53

Thurs. 2 Mar. – Midterm Exam – BRING A BLUE BOOK

Spring Break – No Class Tues. 7 Mar. or Thurs. 9 Mar.

Gendered Social Institutions: The Workplace

Tues. 14 Mar.

Kimmel, chap. 8, 180-209

Acker, “Hierarchies, Jobs, Bodies: A Theory of Gendered Organizations,” Reader 264-77

Thurs. 16 Mar.
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Reskin, “Bringing the Men Back In: Sex Differentiation and the Devaluation of Women’s Work,” Reader
277-91

Williams, “The Glass Escalator: Hidden Advantages for Men in the ‘Female’ Professions,” Reader 291-
307

Love, Friendship, Sexuality: Gender in Human Relationships

Tues. 21 Mar.

Kimmel, chap. 9, 213-30

Thurs. 23 Mar. – Review Paper #1 due – Presentation of Findings

Cancian, “The Feminization of Love,” Reader 352-63

Swain, “Covert Intimacy: Closeness in Men’s Friendships,” Reader 364-82

Tues. 28 Mar.

Kimmel, chap. 10, 231-63

Thurs. 30 Mar.

Carroll Smith-Rosenberg, “The Female World of Love and Ritual: Relations Between Women in
Nineteenth-Century America,” rpt. in The Signs Reader: Women, Gender and Scholarship, ed. Elizabeth
Abel and Emily K Abel. (Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1983): 27-55 (e-reserve)

George Chauncey, “Christian Brotherhood or Sexual Perversion? Homosexual Identities and the
Construction of Sexual Boundaries in the World War I Era,” in Gender and American History Since 1890,
ed. Barbara Melosh (New York: Routledge, 1993): 72-105 (e-reserve)

Gender and Violence

Tues. 4 Apr.

Kimmel, chap. 11, 264-88

Thurs. 6 Apr.

Cohn, “Wars, Wimps, and Women: Talking Gender and Thinking War,” Reader 397-410

Michael Kimmel, “”Gender, Class, and Terrorism,” Chronicle of Higher Education 8 Feb. 2002, B11-12
(e-reserve)

Tues. 11 Apr.
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Film: Tough Guise

Thurs. 13 Apr.

Guest Presenter: Courtney Emich on domestic violence advocacy work

Dobash et al, “The Myth of Sexual Symmetry in Marital Violence,” Reader 410-26

The History of Second-Wave Feminism

Tues. 18. Apr.

Film: Step by Step: Building a Feminist Movement, 1941-77

Thurs. 20 Apr. – Review Paper #2 due – Presentation of Findings

Final Exam Questions Out / Wrap-up

Final Exam – Take-home exam due in my office by 3:00 on Tues. 25 Apr.

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Course Requirements

Participation -- You are expected to come to class prepared for discussion. Your participation
includes not only expressing your own ideas, but also the respect and seriousness with which you
treat the ideas of your colleagues.

Reading Journals –SIX (6) times over the course of the semester, you will hand in a one-page (MAX)
typed response to the reading. Goal is to (1) prove you’ve done the reading; and (2) show some
thoughtful consideration of the issues or questions it raises. I will provide prompts/questions for your
reading journals on the class website www.utdallas.edu/~erins. You must hand in 3 journals by Thurs.
2 Mar. Journals are due on the day we discuss a reading. Faxed or E-mailed journals will not be
accepted. Late journals will not be accepted. No one else may hand in journals for you. I will not
accept journals from students not attending class that day.

Midterm (Thurs. 2 Mar.) and Final Exams (Tues. 25 Apr.) -- essay questions designed to test your
mastery of course readings and class discussion, and your ability to synthesize the material and think
critically about it. Midterm is in-class. Final Exam is take-home. I will hand out the questions in
advance.

Review Papers #1 and #2 – 3-page papers summarizing and reviewing some university or community
presentation, lecture, exhibit or function related to gender. I will provide a list of suggested events. I will
also enthusiastically pre-approve others. Paper #1 is due Thurs. 23 Mar. Paper #2 is due on Thurs. 20
Apr. I will provide more detailed instructions on a hand-out.

Grading Policy --Your grade will be based on:

Review Paper #1 15%

Review Paper #2 15%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 25%
Reading Journals 20%

You must complete all course requirements in order to pass the class (e.g. if you do not hand in a
paper, you will fail the class, even if the other grades average out to a passing grade). Attendance
and participation will be reflected in your grade (i.e. it doesn’t matter how well you do on the
other things, if you regularly don’t show for class or don’t participate). If you miss more than 8
classes (for whatever reason), you will fail the course. Habitual lateness, absences, or failure to
hand in a paper on time will be reflected in your grade. Please consult me in the event of illness,
emergency, or other extenuating circumstances.

A NOTE ON CELL PHONES AND PAGERS—TURN THEM OFF!!! They are rude,
disruptive, and disrespectful to me and to your classmates.