Course description
Gender is increasingly understood as defining a system of power relations embedded in other power relations. The idea of gender as a social construct is often at the center of multidisciplinary debates. For instance, gender roles have changed dramatically, and this change was driven by an intersection of cultural factors ranging from science, economics, shifts in religious attitudes, political movements, and artistic and general representations to cite a few. Research about gender has been strongly related to social sciences such as Sociology and Antropology for many years, and relatively recently, Social Psychology started considering gender not just as a variable, but mainly as a critical investigation aspect for understanding people, groups and social relations. This course examines how social sciences, and especially social psychology, study and understand sex and gender. This course will address gender issues that are complex, wide-ranging, and often controversial. Because gender -and sexuality- are interdisciplinary subjects encompassing literature, history, sociology, law, and much more, this course aims at encouraging a critical approach to identify problems, intellectual curiosity, and open and creative thinking, which are essential for innovation and progress at both individual and societal level.
Through this course, students will become acquainted with many of the critical questions and concepts scholars have developed as tools for thinking about gendered experience. In addition, we will explore the complex ways in which gender intersects with -and has consequence on- other social identities such as class, ethnicity, and sexuality.
We will concentrate on studies that put to scientific test common and uncommon notions about gender. The broad topics for the course include Defining Gender; Psychological Perspectives on Gender; Gender & Sexual Identities; Acquiring/Doing Gender; Stereotypes and Bias; Gender Comparisons; Gender Consequences; Gender Roles/Relationships.
Throughout the course, students will be better prepared to participate in and contribute effectively to the larger public conversation about the role of gender in society and to apply the critical tools of gender studies in their academic, personal and occupational lives.
My expectation is that students’ considerable “inside” understanding of gender will undergo expansion and transformation through course readings, lectures and discussions.

Learning outcomes of the course
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
1. Understand, describe, discuss, and critically reflect on psychological research on gender differences, gender identities, and gender inequality
2. Evaluate scientific and public views regarding the psychology of gender
3. Formulate a psychological research question on the topic of gender
4. Read, interpret, and understand scientific papers
5. Contribute sophisticated insights to public discourse and debates on issues of gender disparities

Teaching & evaluation methods

Teaching

This class is structured as a combination of lecture and class discussion, so students need to be prepared to talk and to contribute.

1. Readings. Readings are empirical and theoretical articles, primarily from psychological journals.
2. Lectures. Lectures will be delivered using presentation slides, which will be available to students. The lectures are given assuming students have done the reading for that day’s class, and they will benefit most from them when you come prepared.
3. Class discussions. Following each lecture, we will have a discussion focused on the day’s topic. Students are expected to be active participants in the discussion. For each class, some student (singularly or in a couple) will lead/moderate the discussion.
4. In-class exercises. There will be additional in-class activities when applicable, including class exercises and viewing short film clips, as well as potential group works that will be eventually presented in a seminar class in the last week. This will depend also on the amount of work students will be involved generally also from other courses.
5. Extra-class. Guest lectures or sites/museum visits related to sex and gender issues will be determined based on availability during the teaching semester.

Evaluation Methods
The primary deliverables for this class include:
(1) 3 assignments, each of which is to be completed before class that day;
(2) serving as discussion facilitator for one of the course topics; and
(3) one final in-class exam.

The breakdown of overall evaluation/grade:
Assignments (3) 30%
Discussion facilitator 10%
Exam 50%
Participation 10%

Assignments. There are 3 assignments. Each will be a series of questions relating to a broad topic/domain—i.e., gender: “Sex & gender from your view”; sexism: “Sexism from your view”; heterosexism: “Heterosexism from your view”. Students are asked to answer the questions and bring a print out of their responses to class for open discussion The questions are posed before we study the topic, and will be used for the basis of group discussion on the day they are due. The questions ask for students’ opinion and/or beliefs—in other words, there are no right or wrong answers. Completed, thoughtful answers receive full credit, and points can be lost for incompleteness and/or minimal answers.
Assignments are due in class on specific days (depending on course schedule)—TBD
Discussion facilitator. Students (alone or in a dyad) will lead the class discussions for one of the course topics. (We will have a sign-up sheet during the first week of classes.) Following my lecture, the student facilitator will highlight 2 or 3 points for discussion regarding that day’s readings and serve as the moderator of the class discussion. If students wish to play videos/audios as part of your facilitation, I’ll ask to send these to me to review at least 12 hours before the class meeting. You are encouraged to broaden the discussion to related topics that go beyond the readings and/or to include “real-life” issues. Facilitators will be graded on their preparedness and their inclusion of the class in the discussion.
Exam. There will be a final in-class exam. These will be a combination of multiple choice questions and short answer questions. Any material from the readings, lectures, and in-class discussions and exercises could appear on the exams.
Exam date: TBD
Participation. We will have a highly interactive classroom, and students are expected to attend lectures, talk and contribute. Participation comes actively contributing to class discussions. If students come to the discussions and contribute, they will satisfy this portion of participation grade.

Reading list—Bibliography
A broad view of the topics during the 12 weeks classes:
Defining gender and sex; Empirical research; Gender similarities and differences; Gendering brains and hormones; Gender and intersectionality; Gender identities; Gender stereotypes; Transgender identities; Objectification; Sexual orientation & identities; Sexual prejudice.

Reading List

Brief representative bibliography

Gough, B., Weyman, N. Alderso, J., Butler, G., & Stoner, M. (2008). ‘They did not have a word for it’: The parental quest to locate a ‘true sex’ for their intersex children. Psychology and Health, 23, 493-507

Eagly, A. H. & Mladinic, A. (1994). Are people prejudiced against women? Some answers from research on attitudes, gender stereotypes, and judgments of competence. European Review of Social Psychology, 5, 1- 35.

Brescoll, V., & LaFrance, M. (2004). The correlates and consequences of newspaper reports of research on sex differences. Psychological Science, 15, 515-520.

Leslie, S. J., Cimpian, A., Meyer, M., & Freeland, E. (2015). Expectations of brilliance underlie gender distributions across academic disciplines. Science, 347(6219), 262-265.

Purdie-Vaughns, V. & Eibach, R. P. (2008). Intersectional invisibility: The distinctive advantages and disadvantages of multiple subordinate- group identities. Sex Roles, 59, 377–91.

Prentice, D.A., & Carranza, E. (2002). What women and men should be, shouldn’t be, are allowed to be, and don’t have to be: The contents of prescriptive gender stereotypes. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 269-281.

Glick, P., & Fiske, S. T. (2001). An ambivalent alliance: Hostile and benevolent sexism as complementary justifications for gender inequality.
American Psychologist, 56, 109.

Fredrickson, B. L. & Roberts, T.A. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173–206

Chetkovich, C. (2019). How non-binary gender definitions confound (already complex) thinking about gender and public policy. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 25(2), 226-252.
Brescoll, V. L. (2012). Who takes the floor and why: Gender, power, and volubility in organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 56, 622- 641.

Henry, P. J., & Steiger, R. L. (2022). Sexual Orientation as Gendered to the Everyday Perceiver. Sex Roles, 1-22.

Bettinsoli, M. L., Suppes, A., & Napier, J. L. (2020). Predictors of attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women in 23 countries. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11, 697-708.

Last updated: March 13, 2024