Spring 2006
Class Sessions: Tuesdays & Thursdays
LCB 110
1:40-3:00pm
Instructor Dr. Diana T. Sanchez
Office: Tillett Hall 627; Phone: 732-445-3552; E-mail: disanche@rci.rutgers.edu Office Hours: 3:00-5:00pm Thursdays
Course Objectives This course introduces students to the psychological literature on women and gender. Course topics include the causes of sex differences and similarities in abilities and personality, the influence of gender roles on psychological health, women's close relationships in traditional and non-traditional families, portrayals of women in the media, the diversity of women's experiences, gender and psychological disorders, and applied gender-related issues such as sexual harassment. The three primary objectives for this course are that students (a) gain a general overview of what psychologists have learned about the role of gender in people’s daily lives and (b) explore, in depth, psychological research and theory on gender-related topics of interest to the student and (c) understand the psychological approach to studying gender and be able to design and present their own psychological experiment on a gender-related issue. Completing the course readings and attending class sessions led by the instructor, guest speakers, and student presenters will enable students to master these objectives.
Course Requirements and Grading Students’ achievement of the course objectives will be assessed through a variety of assignments. Final course grades will be based on performance on the following course requirements: presentation topic/reference list selected by due date (5%), class presentation (30%), class attendance and participation (15%), mid-term examination (25%), and final examination (25%). A = 90-100%, B+ = 87-89.9%, B = 80-86.9%, C+ = 77-79.9% C = 70-76.9%, D = 60-69.9%, F = Below 60%.
Poster Presentations. Student teams (13 groups of 3-4 students each) will
present a poster on the last day of class. The poster will consist of an
introduction to a psychological topic/issue/problem concerning gender, a
research question/hypothesis, brief literature review, and a proposed study
design. Each member of the group will be expected to present to the
professor/students in the poster session on April 27th, 2006. ATTENDANCE
ON APRIL 27TH IS MANDATORY! If you cannot attend the class on the 27th,
you will receive a zero for this assignment. The literature review should
cite at least 5 psychological references. Articles may be selected from
citations in the course readings, through a PsycInfo
search on the designated topic, or through browsing through current psychology
journals. The
Student
teams must provide copies of their selected presentation article to the
instructor at the start of class on February 14th, 2006 to
gain approval for their topics. Unapproved topics will receive a ZERO for
their poster presentations. You must receive approval before the poster
session.
Examinations. The midterm and final examinations will be administered, respectively, on Thursday, March 2nd, and Thursday, April 20th during our regularly scheduled class. The exams will consist of multiple choice questions and short-essay questions which will cover all material presented in the assigned readings and in class. Students with an unexcused absence on an examination day will receive a failing grade on the missed exam.
Class Attendance and Participation. Class participation scores are based on attendance, contributions to
class discussions, bringing reading assignments to class sessions, poster
session discussion, and emailing class comments and questions 24 hours
before class on designated days. To successfully contribute to class
discussions, students must remain current on the required readings listed in
the course schedule.
A Note on Student Conduct: Class participation scores will be based on students’ respectful attention and responses to others’ comments and questions, as well as on the introduction of their own comments. Respectful disagreement and debate on course topics can make for an interesting and lively class session. However, disrespect directed toward other members of the class is counterproductive to the academic goals of the course and will not be tolerated. Keep in mind that the aim of the course is to understand more about psychological research on women and gender.
Internet Components of the Course
The
course syllabus will be available on my faculty website. http://sanchez.socialpsychology.org/
Academic Integrity Cheating and plagiarism (i.e., the representation of someone else's work as one's own, e.g., “cutting and pasting” from internet sources, copying answers from your neighbor during an exam, ) are serious offenses. Such acts will result in a failing grade in the course.
Final Note
This syllabus provides a general plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary.
Crawford, M., (2006). Transformations: Women, Gender and Psychology.
Additional required readings will be sent over email or posted on the course website.
Students are encouraged to review the "research methods" chapter in an introductory psychology or introduction to social psychology textbook to refamiliarize themselves with terms such as "independent variables, "dependent variables," and "confounds.”
REFERENCE
LIST FOR POSTER:
Articles for students’ presentations may be selected from the following journals:
Sex Roles, Psychology of Women Quarterly, Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Basic and
Applied Social Psychology, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, American
Psychologist, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, European Journal of
Social Psychology, British Journal of Social Psychology, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, Social Cognition, Developmental
Psychology, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Child Development,
Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Adolescence, and Journal of
Abnormal Psychology. The Journal of Social Issues is also a great journal; but
its articles often do not include reports of original experiments, which are
required for class presentations. Selections from other journals must be
approved by the instructor.
|
DATE |
|
CLASS PLAN |
|
Tuesday, January 17 |
-------- |
General Introduction to the Course |
|
Thursday, January 19 |
Crawford: |
Paving the Way |
|
Tuesday, January 24 |
|
My Feminisms |
|
Thursday, January 26 |
NO CLASS! AWAY AT CONFERENCE |
|
|
Tuesday, January 31 |
Crawford: |
Gender, Status, & Power |
|
Thursday, February 2 |
Crawford: |
Images of Women |
|
Tuesday, February 7 |
|
Images of Women: Killing Us Softly |
|
Thursday, February 9 |
Crawford: |
The Meanings of Difference |
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Tuesday, February 14 |
Crawford: |
HYPOTHESIS/TOPIC DUE |
|
Thursday, February 16 |
|
The Gender Workbook |
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Tuesday, February 21 |
Crawford: |
Gendered Identities: Childhood and Adolescence |
|
Thursday, February 23 |
Sanchez & Crocker (2005). Investment in gender ideals and
well-being.* |
|
|
Tuesday, February 28 |
Crawford: |
In a Woman’s Body |
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Thursday, March 2 |
|
MIDTERM EXAMINATION |
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Tuesday, March 7 |
Crawford: |
Sex, Love, & Romance |
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Thursday, March 9 |
|
Reference List Due |
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Tuesday, March 14 & Thursday, March 16 |
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NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK |
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Tuesday, March 21 |
Crawford: |
Commitments: Women and Close Relationships |
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Thursday, March 23 |
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Tuesday, March 28 |
Crawford: |
Mothering |
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Thursday, March 30 |
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Tuesday, April 4 |
Crawford: |
Work and Achievement |
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Thursday, April 6 |
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Tuesday, April 11 |
Crawford: |
Midlife and Aging |
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Thursday, April 13 |
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Tuesday, April 18 |
Crawford: |
Psychological Disorders, Therapy and Well-Being |
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Thursday, April 20 |
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FINAL EXAMINATION |
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Tuesday, April 25 |
Crawford: |
What do we do now? Applying what you have learned |
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Thursday, April 27 |
|
GRADED POSTER SESSION |