Course Description
Feminist theories and methodologies on gender, with an emphasis on contemporary American society and the intersection of gender, race, and class. Topics include socialization, sexual orientation, reproduction, violence, family and household, work and global restructuring, and politics.
Athena Title
SOC OF GENDER
Semester Course Offered
Offered every even-numbered year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course explores classical and contemporary scholarship about gender in Sociology and related disciplines. After analyzing social scientific and feminist theories of the origin and operation of gender, the seminar explores the influence of gender in varied institutional contexts in the U.S. and in other societies. The course is a seminar, and students will have substantial responsibility for class sessions. Students are expected to engage in original research on a gender-related topic, producing an oral report to be presented to the seminar and a major written paper at the end of the term.
Topical Outline
I. Conceptualizing Gender The sex/gender system Nature vs. nurture in the construction of gender differences Private vs. Public domains Theoretical perspectives on origins of gender II. Methodological Issues in studying gender Gender and knowledge production Feminist critiques of social scientific methods Contemporary debates III Gender in Institutions Families, kinship and gender in Western and Non-Western Context Gender and the state Gender and work Domestic divisions of labor Gender, media, and culture Domestic divisions of labor Gender, intimate relations, and sexualities Gender, crime, and violence Gender, bodies, and health IV Gender and Social Change Historical aspects of gender relations Feminism and social change The new men's movement Backlash toward feminism Global movements for gender equality