Sociology 200: Gender In Contemporary Society
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Spring 2016
Instructor: Brandi Woodell, M.A.
Office Hours: Mondays 9:30-10:30am,
Wednesdays 2:00-4:00pm and by app.
E-mail: bwoodell@huskers.unl.edu
Office Location: 729 Oldfather Hall
Class Meeting Time & Location: MWF 8:30-9:20am, Avery Hall Rm 19
Required Text:
Wade, Lisa and Myra Marx Ferree. 2015. Gender: Ideas, Interactions, Institutions. New York,
NY: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN: 978-0-393-93107-5.
Additional readings will be provided via Blackboard.
Course Description:
This course examines how gender is socially constructed in contemporary U.S. society. We will
discuss gender identity including femininity, masculinity, transgender, and genderqueer.
Students will engage with theories, research, and social policies that focus on gender as it relates
to other key institutions like work, family, and politics. Students will learn how conceptions
about gender create and enforce a system of gender difference and inequality. Throughout the
course we will emphasize the ways in which people experience gender opportunities and
constraints differently according to their race, gender, class, and sexuality.
Course Goals:
 Utilize the sociological imagination and understand different perspectives of gender.
 Know the differences between sex, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation, how
these characteristics are socially constructed, and what maintains them.
 Recognize the structural processes at work in maintaining gender inequality.
 Apply these concepts to your life, class discussions, and assignments.
Achievement-Centered Education (ACE) Student Learning Outcomes:
This course is offered at the ACE 9 level: “Exhibit global awareness or knowledge of human
diversity through analysis of an issue.” This learning outcome will be achieved in the following
manner:
 Exploration of gender inequality as an issue of diversity including how it is socially
constructed and socially maintained.
 Examination of issues impacting diverse groups in society, why we consider these issues,
and how institutional arrangements influence groups’ position(s). Special attention is
given to the intersection of gender with other ascribed statuses such as age, ability, class,
ethnicity, nationality, race, and sexuality.
The goal of this course is to provide you with an overview of this particular substantive area
within the discipline of Sociology. This also includes learning about the theories and methods
used to conduct research in this substantive field. The course will expose you to current research
and literature and to new directions the field is taking. Throughout the semester, you will
practice analyzing the readings and other course materials critically. Student learning outcomes
will be assessed through written assignments, reading quizzes and class discussion.
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Course Requirements:
Class Attendance
Regular attendance is crucial for succeeding in this class. Any unexcused absence will negatively
impact your grade. Excused absences are limited to emergencies and university approved
excuses (illness with doctors note, traveling due to athletics or other school related event). You
may be assigned additional work to make up for your absence. Coming to class late will count as
an absence. If attending every class will be a problem, this is not the right class for you. If you
miss 6 or more classes, your final grade will be lowered by one grade (so a “C” becomes a “C-“).
Also, if you know in advance that you will miss a class, please talk to me beforehand. It is your
responsibility to obtain lecture notes from your fellow students. UNL does recognize a D- as a
passing grade. However, to count this class for your major, you need a "C" (=75) average in all
aspects of the course -- including attendance
Reading Quizzes and Class Participation
Everyone is expected to contribute to the teaching/learning experience. It is important that you
respect the contributions of your classmates. Coming to class prepared to participate and discuss
the readings will be a part of determining how well you do in this class. Your preparation will be
assessed through “pop” reading quizzes. Each quiz will consist of multiple choice, true/false, or
fill in the blank questions that cover the reading material assigned for the day.
Additionally, your course grade will be determined by your level of engagement with your peers.
Examples of ways to earn full credit on class engagement include: participating in class (offering
a reflection on the reading, raising a question, responding to a peers’ reflection, actively
participating in discussion activities), bringing your book to class, and sharing articles or news
stories with me that are relevant to our class discussions (note: this is not an exhaustive list).
Examples of ways to earn no credit on class engagement include: being disruptive in class
(texting, being on a laptop/phone, talking to your neighbor during lecture or during full-class
discussion), not bringing your book to class, or not participating in class (never offering a
reflection, never asking a question, etc.).
Gender Journal
As you move through your daily life, you should pay attention to gender as it happens. Take the
role of an ethnographer; your life is your subject. You might notice, for example, gendered
advertising on television or in magazines, gendered assumptions about politicians or public
figures, the ways that men and women that you do not know carry themselves or interact with
each other in public, or you might notice the ways that men and women in your life “do” gender.
I encourage you to set aside a few minutes a day to write down your thoughts and experiences.
Every Friday you will turn in your gender journal for that week. I will also ask for a few
volunteers to share what they discovered that week. You must submit 10 journal entries (no more
than two pages each) over the course of the semester. You may not submit more than 1 entry per
week. Your entry could cover multiple instances over the course of the previous week, or it
might be a more detailed description of one specific thing that you noticed. Your individual
entries will be graded on a check-minus/check/check-plus scale. Submission (the bare minimum)
does not automatically constitute a passing grade. The due dates for each gender journal are
below in the course schedule. Late work will not be accepted on gender journals.
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Small Projects
You have the option of choosing 2 small projects out of the following 4 options. Due dates for the
projects are listed below in the course schedule. If you do not have the specific project handed in
on the due date it will be counted as late. I accept work up to one week late and deduct 10% of
the points off for each day it is late.
1. Due January 29: Bodies. Collect 5 advertisements from women’s magazines such as
Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Seventeen, etc. that advertise feminine hygiene
products-pads, tampons, douches, yeast infection medicine. What do these images in the
ads suggest? What are common themes? What do the words and visual images tell
readers? What messages do these send about women’s bodies? Collect 5 advertisements
from men’s magazines such as GQ, Maxim, Playboy, etc. that are selling masculine
hygiene products. What do you find? What are the words, visual images? What do these
differences (if any) imply about women’s bodies in contrast to men’s? How does this
implication reinforce gender differences and subordination? You must attach the ads to
your paper! This paper should be between 2-3 double spaced pages.
2. Due February 19: Masculinities. As you will learn in this course, there is not just one
type of masculinity. For this assignment, students will find at least two examples of
hegemonic masculinity and subordinated masculinity in TV shows, movies,
advertisements, characters from books, etc. For this 2-3 page (double spaced) paper
students will analyze different types of masculinity, giving definitions of each. What
makes your example hegemonic? How can you tell? What are the differences between
you hegemonic examples and your subordinated examples? What are the privileges
associated with hegemonic masculinity? What are the implications for those who do not
display hegemonic masculinity?
3. Due April 1: Heteronormativity. Heterosexism is maintained by the illusion that
heterosexuality is the norm and by silencing all other forms and practices of sexuality.
This assignment will force you to think about the pervasiveness of heterosexuality. Think
about and reflect on the following: go into the card section at your local drug store and
peruse the love and anniversary cards, look at advertisements on TV commercials and in
magazines, watch sitcoms, soap operas or TV dramas, go observe in the union, at the
mall or in a park. How many performances of heterosexuality do you see? What does this
mean for individuals who do not identify as heterosexual? This analysis of
heteronormativity should be between 2-3 double spaced pages.
4. Due April 22: Politics. Prepare a 2-3 page (double spaced) analysis of any current global
issue using a gender and intersectional lens. Provide me with a background of the issue
and detail how using gender/intersectional analysis can help expand upon and/or
complicate the issue. You must use at least 5 sources for this paper. They can be from
newspapers, magazines, books, websites, or academic journals. Examples of issues
include: Women in Iran, Gender in the Israel/Palestine conflict, the First Family
(Obamas), Gender in Pakistan, Women in Sudan, Women in Liberia, etc. The
possibilities are limitless! This assignment is designed to keep you aware that global
politics are gender politics.
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Final Paper
As you complete the gender journal entries and small projects, you should pay special attention
to the application of the readings and theories we are discussing in class and how your
experiences fit with them. You final paper (6-8 pages), which is due at the end of our final
exam time (May 5th by 9:30am), should incorporate the experiences you discuss in your gender
journal entries and small projects as they relate to course concepts. I will schedule individual
appointments in the middle of the term to discuss your term paper topics. You must attend this
meeting; failure to do so will negatively impact your paper grade. Your final paper topic is
ultimately your choice, but I will expect that you treat this paper as a formal research paper that
uses outside sources as well as assigned readings. Late work on the final paper is not accepted as
you have until the end of the final exam time to turn it in.
Extra Credit:
There are a few ways to earn extra credit in this course. You can earn up to 10 points of extra
credit. All extra credit will be due no later than Monday April 25th by 8:30am (feel free to turn it
in anytime before this date).
1. The Bechdel Test: This extra credit assignment is to take the Bechdel test we will talk
about in class, feel free to “google” this term if you need a review of it, and apply it to a
TV show or movie. Take your favorite movie or TV show, or just any show you like
watching (I’d recommend watching something you have seen before so that you do not
get distracted by the movie and forget to do your analysis), explain what it is, the main
characters, and how it either passes or fails the Bechdel test. Give your opinion: What are
the implications for movies /TV shows that fail this test? Will this perpetuate gender
inequalities? This paper should be at least one complete page but should not exceed two
pages, double-spaced. It is worth 5 points of extra credit.
2. Article from Gender & Society: Gender & Society is a top ranked gender journal in the
field of sociology. Your extra credit opportunity will be to find a research/empirical
article (no book reviewers or introductions) and provide an analysis of it. Ask me for help
picking an article if you aren’t sure what this means. What are the theoretical
frameworks? What methods were used? What are the findings? What are the limitations?
Link this article back to class, where would you see it fitting in to our class schedule if
you were to assign it for our class to read? Tell me why you picked this article. Does the
topic interest you? Did you wish we had covered topics like this in class? Give me as
much detail as can fit within this 2-3 page (double spaced) paper. It is worth 5 points of
extra credit.
3. DIY: The last opportunity for extra credit is up to you! Write me a proposal of what you
would like to do for extra credit. Give me the points break down, a rubric, and details
about how it will further your gender knowledge. It must only involve one person
(yourself) and cannot take up any class time (so no presentations). It can be worth up to 5
points. I must have your proposal before Spring Break (March 18th) to review. You must
have your proposal reviewed and accepted by me before you can complete your proposed
extra credit assignment.
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Grading:
Class Participation
Reading Quizzes
Gender Journals (10 pts each)
Small Projects (50 pts each)
Final Paper
Total
50
50
100
100
100
400
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
386-400
370-385
358-369
346-357
334-345
318-333
306-317
294-305
278-293
266-277
254-265
238-253
237 points
and below
Submitted Work:
Please submit all work to me in class via hard copy, unless you have already made prior
arrangements with me. Your work must be double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font
with 1-inch margins all around. If you do not follow this formatting guidelines you will lose
points on your assignments. I am most concerned with the quality of your work; however, your
grade will suffer if I am unable to read your work.
Academic Integrity:
All work that you turn in must be your own. Cheating and plagiarizing are serious offenses and
will not be tolerated. Those caught cheating will receive a failing grade for the course and/or the
assignment and will be reported to both the Chair of the Sociology Department and the
University of Judicial Officer. Students are encouraged to review and become familiar with the
University’s Academic Integrity policy (http://stuafs.unl.edu/ja/code/three.shtml), section 4.2.
Students with Disabilities:
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact me for a confidential discussion of their
individual needs for academic accommodation. It is the policy of the University of NebraskaLincoln to provide flexible and individualized accommodation to students with documented
disabilities that may affect their ability to fully participate in course activities or to meet course
requirements. To receive accommodation services, students must be registered with the Services
for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office, 132 Canfield Administration, 472-3787 voice or TTY
Technology in the Classroom:
Students will not be allowed to use computers, phones, tablets, etc. during class. Not following
this rule (except for emergencies) will result in a lower grade.
Class Reading Schedule:
Week 1: Introductions; Social Construction of Gender
Jan 11: First Day of Class
Jan 13: Read Chapter 1 of textbook
Jan 15: Read “Baby X” PDF on Blackboard (BB); No Gender Journal Due this Week
Week 2: Understanding the Ideas of Gender
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Jan 18: MLK Holiday—No class
Jan 20: Read Chapter 2 of textbook
Jan 22: Read Lorber’s Night to His Day (BB); Gender Journal Due
Week 3: Bodies
Jan 25: Read Chapter 3 of textbook
Jan 27: Read Fausto-Sterling’s Should There Be Only Two Sexes? (BB)
Jan 29: Reading Young’s Throwing Like a Girl (BB); Bodies Project Due; Gender
Journal Due
Week 4: Performances
Feb 1: Read Chapter 4 of textbook
Feb 3: Read Butler’s Gender Trouble (BB)
Feb 5: Read West & Zimmerman’s Doing Gender (BB) and Bridges’ Doing Gender with
Wallets and Purses (BB); No Gender Journal Due this Week
Week 5: Intersections
Feb 8: Read Chapter 5 of textbook
Feb 10: Read Truth’s Ain’t I a Woman? (BB) and Collins’ Black Feminist Thought (BB)
Feb 12: Read Anzaldua’s Borderlands (BB), Lorde’s The Master’s Tools will Never
Dismantle the Master’s House (BB), and Garland-Thomas’ Integrating Disability (BB);
No Gender Journal Due this Week
Week 6: Inequality-Men and Masculinity
Feb 15: Read Chapter 6 of textbook
Feb 17: Read Connell’s The Social Organization of Men (BB)
Feb 19: Read Edwards & Jones’ Putting My Man Face On (BB); Masculinity Project
Due; Gender Journal Due
Week 7: Female Masculinity
Feb 22: Read Halberstam’s Female Masculinity (BB)
Feb 24: Read Kazyak’s Midwest or Lesbian (BB)
Feb 26: Scheduled meetings to discuss final paper proposals/ideas; No Gender Journal
Due this Week
Week 8: Inequality- Women and Femininities
Feb 29: Read Chapter 7 of textbook
Mar 2: Read Steinem’s If Men Could Menstruate (BB)
Mar 4: Read de Beauvoir’s The Married Woman (BB); Gender Journal Due
Week 9: Institutions
Mar 7: Read Chapter 8 of textbook
Mar 9: Ridgeway and Connell’s Unpacking the Gender System
Mar 11: Risman’s Gender as Social Structure; Gender Journal Due
Week 10: Change
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Mar 14: Read Chapter 9 of textbook
Mar 16: Read Gerson’s Changing Lives, Resistant Institutions (BB)
Mar 18: Read Coontz’s What’s Love Got to Do with It: A Brief History of Marriage
(BB); Gender Journal Due; Proposal for DIY extra credit due
Week 11: Spring Break –No Class
Week 12: Sexualities
Mar 28: Read Chapter 10 of textbook
Mar 30: Read Armstrong et al.’s Sexual Assault on Campus (BB)
Apr 1: Read Hennen’s Bear Bodies (BB); Heteronormativity Project Due; Gender
Journal Due
Week 13: Families
Apr 4: Read Chapter 11 of textbook
Apr 6: Read Ball’s The Right to be Parents: LGBT Families (BB)
Apr 8: Read Blackstone’s Doing Family without Having Kids (BB); Gender Journal
Due
Week 14: Work
Apr 11: Read Chapter 12 of textbook
Apr 13: Read Stone’s The Rhetoric and Reality of Opting Out (BB)
Apr 15: Read Schilt’s Just One of the Guys (BB); Gender Journal Due
Week 15: Politics
Apr 18: Read Chapter 13 of textbook
Apr 20: Read Wade’s Defying Gendered Oppression (BB)
Apr 22: Read Hooks’ “Dig Deep: Beyond Lean In” (BB); Politics Project Due; Gender
Journal Due
Week 16: Where Do We Go From Here?
Apr 25: Read Chapter 14 of textbook; All extra credit assignments due
Apr 27: Readings from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (BB)
Apr 29: Readings from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (BB)
Week 17: Finals Week Final Paper due Thursday May 5th by 9:30am
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