PSYCHOLOGY 320: PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN
Dr. Pamela Schaefer
Spring Semester
Office: 218 Garland
Phone: 229-4985
e-mail: abbyness@uwm.edu
Office hours: Monday 10-11:45
By appointment
TA: Cari Rosoff (cbrosoff@uwm.edu)
Text: Etaugh, C., & Bridges J. (2013). Women’s Lives: A Psychological Exploration,
3rd ed. Routledge.
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to gain an understanding of the
psychological theories and research regarding women. We will investigate the recent
research on gender similarities and differences, development of gender identity, as well as
the implications of gender for achievement, career, health, sexuality, mental health, and
victimization. A goal in this course is to develop critical thinking abilities regarding
gender issues and the research of gender differences and similarities.
Essential Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course you will have achieved the following Essential
Learning Outcomes:
• Critical thinking
• Oral and written communication
• Information literacy
• Intercultural knowledge and competence
• Integrative applied learning
Time Commitment: You will be expected to devote approximately 6 hours/week to the course in addition
to attending lecture and discussion.
Exams: There will be two in-class exams given during the semester and one final exam;
none of the exams will be cumulative. Each exam will be made up of multiple-choice
questions. Each exam will cover the assigned textbook chapters, required readings, as
well as lecture material covered since the previous exam. Each exam will be worth 100
points, representing 75% of your final grade. Reasons for requesting makeup
exams must be beyond your control, and a makeup exam must be arranged in
advance. Makeup exams will consist of essay questions only.
Discussion: You are expected to attend and participate in your discussion section. The
purpose of the discussion section is to bridge theory with everyday applications and to
expand on current issues in gender research. Material covered in discussion will be
represented on the exams. The discussion sections will also be used to assist in the
development of your topic paper. Discussion grade will be worth 100 points and will
make up twenty-five per cent (25%) of your grade. Part of this grade will be based on
attendance and participation. Part of your grade will be based on assignments. Your TA
will outline how this portion of your grade is earned.
Part of your discussion grade is earned by completing an interview paper and presenting
that information in your discussion. Each student will interview a woman about a
particular women’s issue. The paper should introduce the issue and make use of three (3)
scientific journal or research book references within that topic area, and relay information
gathered in the interview. Interviews may be conducted on such topics as women and
aging, women and physical health issues, women and mental health issues, women and
career, women and discrimination, women and victimization, experiences of women of
color, etc. These interviews may be with women who have direct experience with the
topic, or women within area agencies who deal with these issues, such rape crisis centers,
battered women’s shelters, etc. Interview papers will be turned into your TA on the date
specified, and discussed during discussion classes. It is expected that sources of
information will include research books and professional journals. Care should be used
when gathering information from the Internet. Internet sources are not monitored by
the scholarly community for their accuracy and authenticity. Whereas some sources
of information may be legitimate and scientifically based, others may be wholly
opinion. Thus, the Internet should be used as a source to generate ideas, however, it
will not be accepted as a bibliographic reference, unless the article is available
through juried print sources. You must go to the printed source of the information to
use it as a reference. All references are to be written in APA format.
Grading Procedure: You can earn up to 400 points in this course. Please note that
class participation and attendance will affect borderline grades. Final grades will be
based on the following distribution. To calculate your percentage, divide your total
number of points by 400 and multiply by 100.
Percentage
93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
<60
Final Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Miscellaneous:
This syllabus is designed to present a general course outline and to communicate course policies and procedures. The
dates are tentative and subject to change or correction, although every effort will be made to keep this schedule.
Students are responsible for any information presented in a class meeting in which they are absent, including
changes of schedule.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES:
Information on university policies on academic misconduct, participation by students with disabilities,
accommodations for religious observances, complaint procedures, grade appeal procedures, and other standing policies
(e.g., sexual harassment, incompletes, drop deadlines) can be found on this web page:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/SyllabusLinks.pdf
ARRANGEMENTS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
If you have a documented disability and need special accommodations in order to meet any of the requirements of this
course, please contact me as soon as possible. I will need your VISA form, which you can obtain at the Student
Accessibility Center (Mitchell 112, phone 414-229-6287, http://www4uwm.edu/sac/).
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT:
In this course, we will strictly adhere to UWM’s policy regarding academic misconduct. UWM does not tolerate
academic misconduct, in any form. Cheating and plagiarism are examples of academic misconduct. Here is the
university’s definition: “an act in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without
authorization or citation, uses unauthorized materials or fabricated data in any academic exercise, forges or falsifies
academic documents or records, intentionally impedes or damages the academic work of others, engages in conduct
aimed at making false representation of a student’s academic performance, or assists other students in any of these
acts.” Information about the procedures that are followed when a student is suspected of academic misconduct can be
found on this web page: http://www4.uwm.edu/Dept/AcadAff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm.
LECTURE TOPICS
WEEK
1
TOPIC
Introduction/Research
READING
Ch. 1
2
Stereotypes, Discrimination
Ch. 2
3
Theoretical Perspectives
Ch. 3
4
Infancy, Childhood & Adolescence Ch. 4
5
Gender comparisons
Thursday 2/25/16
Ch. 5
Exam 1
6
Sexuality
Ch. 6
7
Reproduction/childbearing
Ch. 7
Spring Break (March 13-20)
8
Relationships
Ch. 8
9
Education and Achievement
Ch. 9
10
Employment
Ch. 10
Thursday 4/7/16
Exam 2
11
Balancing Work and Family
Ch. 11
12
Physical Health
Ch. 12
13
Mental Health
Ch. 13
14
Violence against women/girls
Ch. 14
15
Violence cont.
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 17 7:30-9:30 a.m.