Psychology 2074B-001
Psychology of Gender
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Being born into one gender category and not another has a profound impact on how individuals are
treated, what they expect of themselves, what others expect of them, and how they lead and experience
their lives. We examine gender across a variety of domains from the perspective of psychological science.
Prerequisite: Restricted to students in Year 2, 3, and 4.
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your
Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record.
This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you
are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
3 lecture hours; 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Rachel Calogero
Office and Phone Number: Room 321, Westminster Hall, (519) 661-2111, ext 80403
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: rcaloger@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Carolina Patryluk (PhD student)
Office: SSC 7333
Office Hours: Friday, 9:00am to11:00am
Email: cpatrylu@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Tuesday, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, HSB 40
** Please note, if you cannot find the answer to your question in the course outline or on the course website, please feel free to contact the TA in the first instance, or Dr. Calogero, via email. In so doing, be sure to include Psyc 2074B in the subject line so that we can respond in a timely fashion. We will
try to respond to e-mails within 1 business day. For example, if we receive an e-mail from you on Friday morning at 8:15 a.m., we will try to respond by Monday at 8:15 a.m. Remember e-mail is a professional correspondence. If you would like to receive a reply, please include a salutation (e.g., Hi Professor Calogero or Dear Carolina) and a closing (e.g., Sincerely, Jane Johnson, Thanks, Will Ferrell) when you e-mail Dr. Calogero or the TA. This general etiquette applies to any academic and/or professional correspondence.
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Bosson, J., Vandello, J.A, & Buckner, C.E. (2019). The Psychology of Sex and Gender. Sage
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course is devoted to the investigation of psychological gender rather than biological sex. By the end of the course, students should have an understanding of the basic theories, methods, and findings in various areas of the psychology of gender, informed heavily from a social psychological perspective. We cover a range of topics related to how we study gender, how we become gendered, gender stereotypes and discrimination, sexuality and sexual orientation, gender similarities and differences, gender in work, relationships, and health, and aggression and violence. After this course, you will be able to think more critically about gender in your everyday lives.
Lecture attendance in this course is considered to be mandatory. Lectures are intended to complement the textbook, which means I will present some information that is not included in the textbook. Approximately half of the items on each examination cover material that is presented only in lectures and not covered in readings. Class attendance will significantly increase how much you get out of this course. Students who miss lectures score dramatically lower on examinations.
I will aim to post the power point slides presented at lecture in advance on the course website (by 8:00 pm on Monday) unless extenuating circumstances prohibit me from posting in advance. Please note the slides posted in advance will represent a framework for taking notes, if you wish, and may omit some material that will only be presented in the actual lecture.
Generally I encourage questions and discussion throughout the lecture. However, due to the size of the class, questions and discussion will need to be kept to a minimum. Do feel free to ask questions afterwards, or make an appointment with the TA. When questions and/or discussion do occur during lecture, please be constructive and respectful of the topic, the instructor, and other people in the class.
Please keep in mind that your fellow students may not share your religious affiliations, political beliefs, cultural backgrounds, economic, ethnic, or sexual orientations. In a class of this nature and size, a variety of opinions and views are to be expected. To ensure a positive learning experience and full participation by all, please listen with an open mind and express your thoughts and responses in a respectful manner.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, the successful student should be able to do the following:
• Define key concepts and methods in psychological research on gender (MC and TF)
• Distinguish between major theories of gender development and comparisons (SA)
• Recognize and explain key empirical findings on gender differences (MC, TF, and SA)
• Identify gender role attitudes and behaviors (MC and TF)
• Explain the effect and/or consequences of gender attitudes and roles in everyday life domains (SA)
• Apply the psychology of gender to current events (SA)
5.0 EVALUATION
The course grade is based on three exams comprised of multiple choice, true/false, and short answer
questions:
1 – Exam 1 (30% of overall mark)
2 – Exam 2 (30% of overall mark)
3 – Exam 3 (40% of overall mark)
** Please note that I do not make grade adjustments (e.g., applying a bell curve to the distribution of marks on a test or paper). Also, I cannot adjust marks on the basis of need (e.g., because a certain mark is
needed to get into a particular academic program).
The first two exams will be two hours long and the third exam will be three hours long. Material from the textbook chapters and the corresponding lectures will be covered in each exam, as designated in the class schedule.
**Please note that the final exam is cumulative. You are responsible on the final exam for material covered after the second exam as well as the material covered for the first two exams.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Exam 1: Tuesday, February 6, 9:30am to 11:30pm, HSB 40 (30%)
Exam 2: Tuesday, March 13, 9:30am to 11:30pm, HSB 40 (30%)
Exam 3: TBA April 11-30, 3 hours allotted, (40%)
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
January 8: Introducing sex and gender Chapter 1January 15: Studying sex and gender Chapter 2
January 22: Becoming gendered: nature and nurture Chapter 3, 4
January 29: Gender stereotypes Chapter 5
February 5: EXAM 1
February 12: Power, sexism, and discrimination Chapter 6
February 19: READING WEEK
February 26: Sexuality and sexual orientation Chapter 9
March 5: Interpersonal relationships Chapter 10, 11
March 12: Aggression and violence Chapter 14
March 19: EXAM 2
March 26: Language, emotion, and communication Chapter 7, 8
April 2: Physical health Chapter 12
April 9: Psychological health Chapter 13
April 11-30: EXAM 3 – FINAL (cumulative)
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2018 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
