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Psychology 2074A 650

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 

Summer Distance (May 3rd – July 23rd 2021) 

 

Psychology 2074A Section 650 

Psychology of Gender 

 

1. 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. 

 

Antirequisite: Not applicable.  

 

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. 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: Restricted to students in Year 2, 3, and 4. 
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: Katarina Huellemann, MS.c.  

Office: Zoom 

Office Hours: By appointment – please email me  

Email: khuellem@uwo.ca  

 

Time and Location of Classes: Classes will be delivered online through OWL and asynchronous. 

 

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ 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 

 

Bosson, J., Vandello, J.A, & Buckner, C.E. (2019). The Psychology of Sex and Gender. Sage. 

 

A paperback version of the textbook can be ordered from the bookstore. 

 

An e-text version can be purchased here:  

 

https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-psychology-of-sex-and-gender/book248478 

https://www.amazon.ca/Psychology-Gender-Jennifer-Katherine-Bosson-ebook/dp/B079D83JM8 

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=lX1ZDwAAQBAJ&rdid=book-lX1ZDwAAQBAJ&rdot=1&source=gbs_atb 

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, findings, and problems encountered in the psychological study of gender. 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 gender-based aggression and violence. After this course, you will be able to think more critically about gender in your everyday lives. 

 

Video-recorded lectures and slides will be posted on the OWL site for this course. Lecture material is intended to complement the textbook, which means I will present a blend of content that will include information not in the textbook. Approximately half of the items on each examination cover material that is presented only in lectures and not covered in readings. Engagement with the lecture material 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 weekly power point slides and the video-recorded lecture by Tuesday of each scheduled week of class. You may view the lecture material at any time once it is posted. I am available for office hours by appointment. Please include PSYC 2074A in the subject line for any email communications about this course. 

 

4.1  STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

 

Learning Outcome	Learning Activity	Assessment
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.   Define key concepts and methods in psychological research on gender.	View lectures; review slides; complete readings	Exam questions:  multiple choice, true-false, fill in the blank
Knowledge of Methodologies.   Distinguish between major theories of gender identity and development.	View lectures; review slides; complete readings	Exam questions:  multiple choice, true-false, fill in the blank, short answer
Knowledge of Methodologies.  Recognize key empirical findings on gender comparisons	View lectures; review slides; complete readings	Exam questions:   true-false, fill in the blank
Application of Knowledge.  Apply knowledge of the psychology of gender to understand current events.	View lectures; review slides; complete readings	Exam questions:  multiple choice, short answer
Application of Knowledge.  Explain effects of gender identities, attitudes, roles, and ideologies in everyday life	View lectures; review slides; complete readings	Exam questions:  short answer

 

 

5.0 EVALUATION 

 

The course grade is based on two exams comprised of multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, and short answer questions. Short answer questions will only be included on the final exam: 

 

Exam 1 – Midterm (40% of overall mark) 
 

Exam 2 – Cumulative Final (60% of overall mark) 

 

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 first exam as well as the material covered on the first exam. 

 

Exams will be administered online. You will receive an exam link through OWL prior to the start of the exam. Students may complete the midterm exam at any point during a 24-hour time window beginning at 9:30am on Wednesday, June 16th and ending at 9:30am on Thursday, June 17th. The time window for the final exam will be announced once the exam date has been determined. 

 

Exams will be open book and they will be timed. Exams will not be proctored. You will have 2 hours to complete the midterm exam and 3 hours to complete the final exam. Exams will be accessible at the start of the time window for the exam. The exam will end if you have not finished within the 2-hour or 3-hour time period. All responses to any previous questions will be saved. The format for exams will be linear so that you may not go back to a question once you have answered it. You are not allowed to work together on the exam. Suspicion of collaboration on the exam will be subject to investigation, such as the analysis of response patterns. Please just prepare and do your own work. 

 

Make-up exams for this course will be essay-type examinations. I simply cannot set more than one multiple-choice exam for each examination date. Proper documentation is required in order to set a make-up exam. 

 

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). Grades will be rounded only to the nearest whole number, that is, marks ending in a 4 or a 9 (e.g., 74 and 79) will not be rounded up a mark. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade, nor will any requests be considered for additional marks because they are needed for a grad/law/med school application, etc. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every component during the course. 

 

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 to 2099-level courses 

72%  2100-2999-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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE 
 

Exam 1: Wednesday, June 16th 9:30 AM to Thursday June 17th 9:30 AM, Ontario Canada, Eastern Daylight Time 

 

Exam 2: TBD 

 

All exam marks will be posted and available on the OWL site for the course. 

 

7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE 

 

Week	Topic	Readings
May 3rd	Introducing sex and gender	Chapter 1
May 10th	Studying sex and gender	Chapter 2
May 17th	Becoming gendered: nature and nurture	Chapter 3
May 24th	Becoming gendered: gender development	Chapter 4
May 31st	Gender stereotypes: contents and origins	Chapter 5
June 7th	Power, discrimination, and sexism	Chapter 6
June 16th	EXAM 1 - MIDTERM
June 21st	Cognition, emotion, and communication	Chapter 7 & 8
June 28th	Sexual orientation, sexuality, and interpersonal relationships	Chapter 9 & 10
July 5th	Work and home	Chapter 11
July 12th	Gender and health: physical and psychological	Chapter 12 & 13
July 19th	Aggression and violence	Chapter 14
TBD	EXAM 2 – FINAL

 

 

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 will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating. 

 

In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.  

 

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 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:  

1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours); 

1. 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;  

1. 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 must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It 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 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence 

 

Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term. 

 

10.0 CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR RETURN TO LOCKDOWN: IN-PERSON & BLENDED CLASSES 

 

In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the term 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. 

 

11.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE 

 

In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette: 

• please “arrive” to class on time 
• please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet) 
• please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material 
• to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise 

• In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak 
• In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable 
• Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting 

 

The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following: 

• If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question. 
• Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking. 
• Self-identify when speaking. 
• Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise). 

 

General considerations of “netiquette”: 

• Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course. 
• Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing. 
• Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate. 
• Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately. 

 

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct. 

 

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.