SPRING 2007Jan. 25 (R) Gendered Education Kimmel, Chapter 7SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER I SPRING 2007 Instructor: Don Luidens Office: VZN 264 Hours: MTWR 1:30 – 3:00 pm or by appointment Office phone: 395-7554 E-mail: [email protected] Overview of Course Perhaps no single “revolution” has been more remarkable in the last half century than that of the transformation of gender related roles – particularly for women. This class will bring a sociological perspective to bear on this significant social makeover, reflecting on its extent and its implications. In particular, we will look at women and men’s assigned roles in society and reflect on their interaction with the family, workplace, media, and religion. Texts Two texts will guide us in this investigation: Michael S. Kimmel’s The Gendered Society, 2nd Edition (NY: Oxford University Press; 2004), referred to in the assignments as “Kimmel”; and Maureen Dowd’s provocative book, Are Men Necessary? When Sexes Collide (NY: Putnam’s Sons; 2005), referred to as “Dowd.” I may also hand out readings on princesses and things. Course Requirements As in all my classes, I expect that you will be an active participant, contributing to the class discussions on a regular basis. One component of your grade will be your participation (as measured by me and by your classmates). Gender I is a writing-intensive class, so you will write 5 short essays for this course, each one will be 1½ to 2 pages (250-350 words) in length and will be due on a Tuesday morning. In addition, you will write a review of Maureen Dowd’s book which will be 5 to 6 pages (1000 to 1200 words) long (more about this latter). Finally, there will be a final exam. Grading will be based as follows (out of 180 points): Exam 80 points Dowd Review 50 points Short essays (5 x 10) 50 pointsSCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS Date Class Topic Reading & Writing Assignments Jan. 9 (T) Course Introduction Jan. 11 (R) Girls’ Games: An Intro- Kimmel, Preface and Chapter 1 duction to Sex Roles Jan. 16 (T) Gendered Family I Kimmel, Chapter 6 Paper 1: How do family roles reflect gender stereotyping? Jan. 18 (R) Gendered Family II Handout Jan. 23 (T) Gendered Friendships Kimmel, Chapter 9 Paper 2: How does intimacy reflect gendered roles? 2Date Class Topic Reading & Writing Assignments Jan. 25 (R) Gendered Education Kimmel, Chapter 7 Jan. 30 (T) Gendered Sports Handout Paper 3: How does our play reflect gendered roles? Feb. 1 (R) Gendered Work Kimmel, Chapter 8 Feb. 6 (T) Violence and Abuse Kimmel, Chapter 11 Paper 4: How do our patterns of crime reflect gendered roles? Feb. 8 (R) Trap or no Trap? Dowd, Introduction and Chapters 1-2 Feb. 13 (T) WINTER BREAK Feb. 15 (R) Women and Men in the Dowd, Chapters 3-6 Trenches Feb. 20 (T) Where to from here? Dowd, Chapters 7-9 Paper 5: How do our work patterns reflect gendered roles? Feb. 22 (R) Are Men Necessary? Review of Dowd Feb. 27 (T) FINAL EXAM IN CLASS