Psychology
of Women
PSY
350 001
Spring
2004
Thursday
Instructor:
Dr.
Patricia L. N. Donat
Office: M/W:
102 Reneau
Hall; T/Th/F: 330 Education and Human
Sciences
Phone: M/W:
329-7138; T/Th/F:
329-7190
E-mail:
pdonat@muw.edu
Homepage:
www2.muw.edu/~pdonat
Office
Hours: TBA and posted on office door and website; also by appointment
TEXTS
Matlin,
M. W. (2003). The psychology of women (5th ed.).
Unger, R.
& Crawford, M. (2001).
In our own words: Writings from women’s lives
(2nd
ed.).
Any
additional readings will be available on
reserve at the library.
PSY 101 or
PSY 206 or instructor
permission.
CATALOG
DESCRIPTION
This course
will present an overview of the
biological, social, and cultural factors that affect women throughout
the
lifespan.
This course
is shaped by four themes. First, sex
and gender are distinguished throughout. Second, the importance of
thinking
critically about language and the power of naming is
stressed. Third, the diversity of women is acknowledged and respected.
Fourth,
the connection between psychological knowledge and social change to
benefit
women is explored.
Goals for
students include: increased knowledge of
the psychological literature on women and gender; the development of
the
ability to think critically about method and theory in these areas; new
understanding of the inequities faced by women; and increased empathy
for women
in all their diversity.
The actual
classroom experience is designed to
facilitate these goals by serving as a model where learning takes place
in
different ways: listening, reflecting, thinking, and interacting with
others.
Perhaps the most important element in developing a “learning community”
is that
each member assumes responsibility for her or his learning and support
the
learning of others. Assuming responsibility means being prepared,
asking for
help, responding to classmates, and respecting differences; basically
caring
enough about yourself and others to further the academic and personal
development of each member of the classroom community. These
expectations also
apply to me as the instructor.
Class
attendance and informed
participation: Attendance
and participation in activities and
discussion are an important part of this course. Students are
encouraged to
bring materials relevant to the course (e.g., newspaper or magazine
articles,
advertisements, cartoons, letters to the editor) to share with the
class.
Students are
expected
to come to class having read the assigned material and prepared to
contribute
constructively to class discussion. Constructive participation
includes, but is
not limited to:
1.
Providing an
informed response to
discussion questions related to the readings.
2.
Answering
questions posed by the
instructor or classmates.
3.
Sharing
unique knowledge of course
material with the class.
4.
Raising
questions that indicate you have
read, understood, and thought about the text material.
Students are
also
expected to attend class on time. Arriving late to class or leaving
early is
disruptive to other students and to me as the instructor. Excessive
late
arrivals / early departures may result in a lowered grade. Students
will
receive ONE warning before a grading penalty is imposed. Attendance at
all
scheduled class meetings is expected. When you do not attend class, you
miss an
integral part of the learning experience provided in this course.
Regardless of
the reason for you absence, that learning experience can not be
replaced.
Excused and unexcused absences are BOTH considered an absence from
class and
are counted toward the total number of absences in the course.
Please
note that if you miss class you are still responsible for
obtaining notes, handouts, and assignments (see a classmate for notes;
see me
for handouts and assignments). And, if you arrive late (i.e., after
roll has
been taken) please make sure that you have been counted present for the
day
before leaving. You must see me before
leaving in order to be counted present for the day.
Assignments:
Ten assignments will be given throughout the course of the semester.
Each will
be worth 20 points for a total of 200 points.
Matlin
chapter quizzes:
Beginning on Thursday 22 January, you will take a quiz for that day’s
reading
assignment from the Matlin text. Each quiz
is worth
10 points. You may turn in up to 10 quiz grades across the semester.
There are
more than 10 opportunities for quizzes so no make-up quizzes will be
permitted.
Oral quizzes will be given at the beginning of class. The quizzes will
be based
on the true/false quizzes provided in the Matlin
text. Students will provide written responses. False responses must
include a sentence
explaining why the statement is false. A total of 100 points may be
earned
through reading logs.
Portfolio:
Students will be required to compile a portfolio of newspaper/magazine
articles, advertisements, cartoons, letters to the editor, etc. The
completed
portfolio will contain a minimum of 20 items, each followed by an
analysis of
the item, connecting the item to course material. A sample portfolio
will be
displayed in class. The portfolio (in progress) will be submitted to
the
instructor for preliminary feedback. The portfolio is worth 100 points,
10 of
which come from the preliminary version.
LATE
POLICY:
All projects are due at the start of class (or the start of the final
exam
period in the case of final portfolios). No late reading logs will be
accepted.
No make-up quizzes will be permitted. Assignments and in-progress
portfolios
will be docked 10% of the total grade for each day they are late. Final
portfolios and book reviews will be docked 25% of the total grade for
each day
they are late.
Grades are
based on
the number of points earned through assignments, reading logs, quizzes,
and
portfolio. According to university policy, students attending fewer
than 50% of
the meetings will receive an F.
In order to
earn an A in this course students must show
that they are able to
understand and apply complex ideas (e.g., a particular theoretical
perspective)
as well as to evaluate and think critically about these ideas. More
specific
requirements will be provided for each project.
Grading:
A maximum of 500 points can be earned in the course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assignments |
200 |
40% |
|
|
|
100 |
20% |
|
|
Quizzes |
100 |
20% |
|
|
Portfolio |
100 |
20% |
|
|
TOTAL |
500 |
|
The numerical
score
received will be converted into the corresponding letter grade
(90-100%, A;
80-89%, B; 70-79%, C; 60-69%, D; 59% or below, F).
Students
with Disabilities: If you have a
professionally diagnosed
disability, please notify the instructor so that necessary and/or
appropriate
modifications can be made to meet any special learning needs.
Academic
Support: Students are
encouraged to access the academic
support services available at MUW. These services include writing
advice,
tutoring, study skills workshops, test-taking workshops, and learning
skills
assessments. Contact Ms. Carol Frazier, Director
of Academic
Support Services, at 241-7471 to inquire about any of these services,
most of
which are free of charge to MUW students.
Academic
Integrity: Academic
dishonesty (e.g., cheating or
plagiarism) will not be tolerated and will be handled according to
university
policy (see pages 52-53 of the MUW Bulletin or
http://www.MUW.Edu/registrar/ACPOLICY.html). Some examples of cheating:
looking
at notes or at your neighbor’s answers during a quiz, copying someone
else’s
work for an assignment, doing an assignment for an absent friend.
Representing
someone else’s work as your own constitutes plagiarism. If you must
include
someone else’s ideas, cite the source. Do NOT, however, simply copy or
paraphrase someone else’s work with a citation and turn it in. If a
portion of
any assignment is a paraphrased version of someone else’s work, this
constitutes plagiarism.
|
Date |
Topic |
|
Assignments
due etc. |
|
1/15 |
Course
overview/ Film: "Dear
Lisa" |
|
*Note. Jan 20:
Last day to add/register, change from audit to credit, or change to P/F. |
|
1/22 |
Introduction/ Important
concepts and history |
Matlin Ch 1; Furumoto
5; Crawford 35 |
Assignment 1:
Defining self in context; Matlin Ch 1 Quiz |
|
1/29 |
Gender
stereotypes & other gender biases/ Film: “Beyond
Killing Us Softly” |
Matlin Ch 2; Cofer 83; Wong 91; Haubegger 117 |
Assignment 2:
Using nonsexist language; Matlin Ch 2 Quiz *Note. Jan 30:
Last day to drop w/o a WP or WF or change from credit to audit. |
|
2/5 |
Infancy and
childhood |
Matlin Ch 3; Gorelick
185 |
Assignment 3:
Children’s media; Matlin Ch 3 Quiz |
|
2/12 |
Adolescence/ Film: “Period
Piece” |
Matlin Ch 4; Steinem 151 |
Assignment 4:
Violating gender norms; Matlin Ch 4 Quiz |
|
2/19 |
Film: “Bionic
Beauty Salon” |
|
Assignment 5:
Nature vs. nurture |
|
2/26 |
Gender
comparisons in social and personality characteristics |
Matlin Ch 6 |
Matlin Ch 6 Quiz *Note. Feb 27:
Last day to drop |
|
3/4 |
Film: “Real
Women Have Curves” |
|
|
|
3/11 |
Spring Break |
|
|
|
3/18 |
Women and work |
Matlin Ch 7; |
Assignment 6:
Who does the housework? Matlin Ch 7 Quiz |
|
3/25 |
Love
relationships |
Matlin Ch 8; NYT article |
Assignment 7:
Singlehood; Matlin Ch 8 Quiz |
|
4/1 |
Sexuality/ Film: “Girls
Like Us” |
Matlin Ch 9; Cristina 163 |
Assignment 8:
Sexual attitudes; Matlin Ch 9 Quiz In-progress
portfolio due |
|
4/8 |
Pregnancy,
childbirth, and motherhood/ Film:
“Florence & Robin” |
Matlin Ch 10; Pratt 190 |
Matlin Ch 10 Quiz |
|
4/15 |
Women and
physical health |
Matlin Ch 11; Datan
119; King 131 |
Matlin Ch 11 Quiz |
|
4/22 |
Women and
psychological disorders/ Film: “Dying
to be thin” |
Matlin Ch 12; Rex 93 |
Assignment 9:
Body image; Matlin Ch 12 Quiz *Note. Apr 23:
Last day to withdraw from the university |
|
4/29 |
Violence
against women |
Matlin Ch 13; Anonymous 149; Fine 167; Crompton 306 |
Assignment
10: Sex, aggression, & music videos; Matlin Ch 13 Quiz |
|
5/6 |
Moving Onward |
Matlin Ch 15, Neuborne
273 |
Matlin Ch 15 Quiz |
|
5/13 |
Final exam
period (no exam) |
|
Portfolio due
at |
Disclaimer:
This syllabus may change!