Psychology 3225A-001
Sex Differences in Human Brain and Behaviour
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2019-2020
Psychology 3225A Section 001
Sex Differences in Human Brain and Behaviour
- CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
An evolutionary and biological approach to understanding the differences between men and women. Topics include sociobiological explanations of sex roles; gonadal and brain sexual differentiation; hormonal factors in aggression, sexual preference and gender identity; sex differences in cognitive function; genetic and hormonal influences on sexually dimorphic brain function.
Antirequisite: Psychology 3215F/G.
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisite: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810, and one of Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000. Minimum grade of 60% required in all prerequisite courses.
3 lecture hours; Course Weight: 0.5
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.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Alanna Pierias (she/her)
Office Hours: By Appointment only
Email: apieria@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: TBA
Office Hours:
Email:
Time and Location of Classes: Wednesday 11:30 – 14:30, SSC-2028 (in-person)
Email Policy
I will respond to your email within 2 business days (Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM), though I try to respond within a single business day. I do not consistently monitor email on the weekend. If you haven’t heard from me within 2 days, please feel free to send another message. Please include the course reference number in the subject line (Psych 3225).
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Students will be required to read journal articles and book chapters that will be provided by the instructor as online texts. A list of these readings will be posted on the course OWL page.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The objective of this course is to provide students with an introductory overview of how certain behavioural sex differences can be understood from a neurobiological perspective. This course will examine the role of sexual dimorphism in the shaping of biological processes that influence human behaviour. An understanding of the methods used to discover these differences will be an important theme throughout the course. Topics will include sex differences in primary and secondary sex characteristics; sex differences in brain morphology and function; social play and aggression; sex differences in cognitive functions; sex differences in aging and vulnerability to disease.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course students are expected to:
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.
|
Lectures and Readings |
Exams Oral Presentation Written Assignment |
|
Knowledge of Methodologies.
|
Lectures and Readings |
Exams Written Assignment |
|
Application of Knowledge.
|
Lectures and Readings |
Exams Appropriate use in written assignments and oral presentations |
|
Communication Skills.
|
Lectures and Readings |
Oral Presentation Written Assignment |
|
Awareness of Limits of Knowledge.
|
Lectures and Readings |
Exams |
5.0 EVALUATION
Midterm Exam 1 (20%) Wednesday October 6th
Midterm Exam 2 (20%) Wednesday November 10th
Article Summary and Commentary (15%) Due on or before Wednesday December 8th
Lightning talk (10%) Each student will be assigned a specific lecture
Final Exam (35%) Scheduled during final exam period
**Please note that the Midterm Exams and Final Exam are mixed format, consisting of multiple choice, definitions, and short and long answer.
Lightning talks on specific topics are assigned to each student. Talks are 7-8 minutes long, followed by 1-2 minutes for questions. The assigned lecture date (and time slot within the lecture) will be arranged via a sign-up sheet on OWL.
An article summary and commentary paper on the same topic as your lightning talk is to be handed in physically by the end of the final lecture. A digital submission to Turnitin will also be required by this date. The paper is to be researched and written independently.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
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% 2100-2990 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
Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course.
5.1 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK
Missed Midterms: If you have received academic consideration for an absence, or have submitted a self-reported absence form, your final exam will be reweighted more heavily to account for the missed midterm. Without submitted documentation, a mark of 0 will be assigned.
Article Summary: A late penalty of 10% of the assignment’s value per day (e.g., 1.5 of the 15-point total value) will be applied to papers submitted after the deadline. If you have received academic consideration for this assignment, the deadline will be adjusted as recommended by Academic Counselling. If you have submitted a self-reported absence form for the period covering the deadline, you will receive a 48-hour extension.
The final exam can be rescheduled only with documented academic consideration. Completion of the final exam and written mini review are required to pass this class.
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVAUATION SCHEDULE
Midterm Exam 1 – October 6th (Lectures 1-4)
Midterm Exam 2 – November 10th (Lectures 6-8)
Final Exam – TBA; during scheduled exam period (Cumulative)
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Lecture/Date |
Topic |
|
1: September 8 |
Course Introduction |
|
2: September 15 |
Human sex determination and differentiation |
|
3: September 22 |
Sex vs. gender studies and terminology and |
|
4: September 29 |
Theoretical approaches to the study of sex differences |
|
5: October 6 |
Midterm 1 |
|
6: October 13 |
The role of the endocrine system in sex differences |
|
7: October 20 |
Sex differences in neuroanatomy |
|
8: October 27 |
Sex differences in cognition and perception |
|
November 3 |
----------Reading Week---------- |
|
9: November 10 |
Midterm 2 |
|
10: November 17 |
Sex differences in vulnerability to disease and aging |
|
11: November 24 |
Infant and child play behaviour/ Impact of gender roles |
|
12: December 1 |
Emerging research on gender identity and behaviour |
|
December 8 |
Review Lecture |
**Topics and dates are subject to change**
Readings for each week will be posted along with lecture slides on OWL
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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).
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON THE USE OF EXAM PROCTORING SOFTWARE
When examinations and tests cannot be given in person (e.g., in courses coded as Distance Studies; in the event of a lockdown order), they may be conducted using either a monitoring platform such as Zoom or a remote proctoring service, such as Proctorio. If Zoom is used for exam invigilation, you will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session using Zoom will not be recorded.*
If a remote proctoring service is used, the service will require you to provide personal information (including some biometric data). The session will be recorded. The instructor will alert you to the use of this software as close as possible to the start of the term, however, in the event that in-person exams are unexpectedly canceled, you may only be given notice of the use of a proctoring service a short time in advance. More information about remote proctoring is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines. Please ensure you are familiar with any proctoring service’s technical requirements before the exam. Additional guidance is available at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf
* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination. See this link for technical requirements: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
10.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
- For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
- must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hoursafter the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
11.0 CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR RETURN TO LOCKDOWN: IN-PERSON & BLENDED CLASSES
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or any other event that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online, as determined by the course instructor.
12.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: 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
- 2021-2022 Calendar References
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf
Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
Policy on the Recording of Synchronous Sessions: Some or all of the remote learning sessions for this course (if scheduled) may be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. Participants in this course are not permitted to privately record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the student has the prior written permission of the instructor.
